Can't garnish ex-spouse's Social Security for alimony - court won't submit order

I went through this exact situation last year. The court DOES need to submit it - specifically to the SSA's Office of Central Operations in Baltimore. The judge's clerk needs to send the certified garnishment order to: Social Security Administration Office of Central Operations Court Order Garnishment Unit P.O. Box 2861 Baltimore, MD 21241 Print this information and bring it directly to the judge's clerk. The garnishment can only apply to 65% of their benefits at most, per federal regulations. Make sure the court order specifically references Section 459 of the Social Security Act which permits garnishment for alimony.

my brother had to do this and said it was a NIGHTMARE. took almost 8 months to actually get the money flowing. keep calling ssa every week to check on status once court sends it in. good luck!

The judge's office is being lazy and unhelpful. They absolutely CAN and SHOULD submit this for you - it's literally their job! I work in family law and we handle these regularly. The court must submit Form SSA-1990 along with the certified court order to the SSA Central Office. Print out Form SSA-1990 (Income Withholding for Support) from the SSA website, fill out your part, and bring it to the clerk with firm instructions. If they still refuse, ask to speak with the court administrator or file a complaint with your state's judicial oversight committee. This is not okay!

Have you considered using Claimyr to speak with a SS agent directly about this? I was stuck in a similar bureaucratic loop (different issue but same run-around) and couldn't get through on the phone for weeks. I used claimyr.com and they got me connected to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes. The agent walked me through exactly where my court needed to send the paperwork. Saved me so much time and frustration! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

I help my clients with these situations regularly. Here's what's happening: there's confusion because there are TWO different types of garnishments: 1. Income withholding for child support/alimony (which CAN be taken from Social Security benefits) 2. Regular civil garnishments (which CANNOT be taken from SS benefits) Your court probably wrote a regular civil garnishment order rather than a proper income withholding order specifically for Social Security benefits. That's why SSA rejected it. You need to go back to court and ask for an "Income Withholding Order for Support" that specifically references Section 459 of the Social Security Act. The court must then send this to the SSA Central Office in Baltimore. Some clerks aren't familiar with this process because SS garnishments are less common than regular wage garnishments.

my sister tryd to do this and SSA said NO WAY they don't garnish for regular debts EVER!!! are you SURE they can even take money for alimony?? i think maybe you got bad info

this happened to my friend and she went to her congressman's office for help!! they have caseworkers who deal with SS problems and they sorted it out in like 2 weeks! try that maybe??

Why are you trying to take someone's Social Security check??? That's terrible! Those benefits are protected for a reason - people need them to survive. Your ex worked for those benefits! I don't care what the court says, going after someone's SS check is just wrong.

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! Just wanted to add that when you do get the proper "Income Withholding Order for Support" submitted to SSA, make sure you keep copies of EVERYTHING - the certified order, the tracking receipt from when it was mailed, and any correspondence. My attorney told me that SSA sometimes "loses" paperwork and having complete documentation saved me from having to restart the entire process. Also, once they do start the garnishment, they'll send you a notice confirming the amount and start date - keep that safe too because it takes forever to get replacements if you lose it. The whole system is frustrating but it does eventually work. Hang in there!

I'm going through something similar and this thread has been a lifesaver! Just wanted to share what finally worked for me after months of getting nowhere. I printed out the exact mailing address that @Zainab Ibrahim provided and literally stood in the clerk's office until they agreed to send it. The key was bringing a printout of the SSA's own instructions (from their website) showing that courts ARE required to submit these orders. I also brought Form SSA-1990 that @LunarEclipse mentioned - having the actual form seemed to make it more real to them. It took about 6 weeks after the court mailed everything before I got confirmation from SSA that the garnishment was active. The first payment showed up about 2 weeks after that. Don't give up - the system is broken but it does work eventually if you stay persistent!

I just went through this exact nightmare last month and finally got it resolved! Here's what worked for me after weeks of runaround: 1. Print out SSA Program Operations Manual Section GN 02410.200 which specifically covers garnishment procedures for alimony/child support 2. Bring Form SSA-1990 (Income Withholding for Support) - get it from ssa.gov 3. Make sure your court order specifically cites "Section 459 of the Social Security Act" and uses the exact phrase "Income Withholding Order for Support" 4. The court MUST mail it to: SSA Office of Central Operations, Court Order Garnishment Unit, P.O. Box 2861, Baltimore, MD 21241 I had to go to the clerk's office THREE times with printed documentation before they finally sent it properly. Once SSA received the correct paperwork, it took about 6 weeks to process and the garnishment started. Don't let them tell you "we don't do this" - show them the federal requirements and stand your ground! The whole process is incredibly frustrating but you're legally entitled to this garnishment. Keep pushing!

I'm a newcomer here but dealing with a very similar situation right now. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially seeing the specific forms, addresses, and legal citations that actually worked for people. What strikes me most is how many court clerks seem completely unfamiliar with this process, which creates this impossible catch-22 situation. It's clear from everyone's experiences that you really do need to come prepared with printed documentation from the SSA website to educate the court staff about their own procedures. I'm bookmarking this thread as my roadmap. The combination of Form SSA-1990, the specific Baltimore mailing address, and making sure the court order references Section 459 of the Social Security Act seems to be the key formula that's worked for multiple people here. For those still struggling with this - it sounds like persistence and having the right documentation is absolutely crucial. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a comprehensive resource for others dealing with this bureaucratic nightmare!

I'm new to this community but currently going through this exact situation with my ex-husband's Social Security benefits. This thread has been absolutely invaluable - I've been struggling for over 4 months with the same runaround between SSA and my local court. What really resonates with me is how many people mentioned the court clerks being completely unfamiliar with this process. I had the exact same experience where they told me "we don't handle Social Security matters" and basically refused to help. It's incredibly frustrating to be stuck in the middle when you're just trying to collect court-ordered support. I'm planning to go back to court next week armed with all the specific information shared here - Form SSA-1990, the Baltimore mailing address, and especially that SSA Program Operations Manual section that @NebulaNinja mentioned. It's clear that bringing printed documentation from SSA's own website is crucial to get the court staff to actually do their job. For anyone else dealing with this, I'm keeping detailed notes on everyone's advice here. The consistency across multiple people's experiences gives me confidence that this approach actually works, even if it requires multiple trips and a lot of persistence. Thank you all for sharing your hard-won knowledge - it's giving me hope that I can finally break through this bureaucratic nightmare!

I'm new to this community but currently dealing with this exact same situation! My ex-spouse owes me $18,000 in back alimony and I've been getting the same runaround for months. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially seeing the specific documentation and procedures that actually worked for people. The most frustrating part is how unprepared the court staff seems to be for these situations. Like so many others here, I was told by the clerk's office that they "don't handle Social Security matters" when that's clearly not true based on federal law. I'm planning to go back next week with printed copies of Form SSA-1990, the SSA Program Operations Manual section that @NebulaNinja mentioned, and the specific Baltimore mailing address. It's ridiculous that we have to educate court personnel about their own procedures, but it seems like that's what it takes. For anyone else struggling with this - the consistency across everyone's experiences here gives me real confidence that persistence with the right documentation actually works. This thread has become my roadmap for finally getting this resolved. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and creating such a valuable resource for others dealing with this bureaucratic nightmare!