A wage garnishment is a court ordered document that is served upon the employer for the purpose of deducting money from an employee's salary in order to satisfy a debt. Most common monetary judgments are for unpaid child support, spousal support or unpaid taxes.

The Office of the Long Beach City Auditor currently manages over 300 active garnishment files for the over 5,000 employees of the City of Long Beach totaling $75,000 each payroll period. The process is complex because each garnishment has unique regulations regarding collection and payment of monies processed. Multiple agencies have active garnishments with the City at any one time.

Currently, the Office of the Long Beach City Auditor is managing accounts for over twenty agencies including The U.S. Department Of Education, The California Franchise Tax Board, The United States Internal Revenue Service and The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The City Auditor's Office staff performs all wage garnishment-related duties including audits of garnishments each pay period. Staff complies with appropriate continuing education to ensure that all new laws, rules and regulations are being practiced.