Rule 1910.20.Support Order. Enforcement. General.

Last amended May 31, 2000 · Last verified June 30, 2026

In one sentenceRule 1910.20 makes income withholding the primary means of enforcing a support order and lists the additional remedies available when an obligor fails to pay.

Full Text of Rule 1910.20

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c)

(a) A support order shall be enforced by income withholding as required by law in the manner provided by Rule 1910.21.

(b) Upon the obligor’s failure to comply with a support order, the order may also be enforced by any one or all of the following remedies:

(1) pursuant to Rule 1910.21, and without further hearing or prior notice to the obligor, increasing the amount of monthly support payments for payment of the overdue support at a rate to be determined by the court; withholding or seizing periodic or lump sum payments of income from a government agency, including unemployment compensation, social security, retirement or disability benefits and any other benefits; withholding or seizing periodic or lump sum payments of income from insurance carriers or privately-insured employers, including workers’ compensation benefits; withholding or seizing judgments or settlements; and withholding or seizing public and private retirement funds in pay status;

(2) pursuant to Rule 1910.22, imposing liens on real property;

(3) pursuant to Rule 1910.23, attaching and seizing assets of the obligor held in financial institutions;

(4) pursuant to Rule 1910.24, reducing and executing a judgment against the obligor;

(5) pursuant to Rules 1910.25 through 1910.25-6, initiating contempt proceedings;

(6) reporting the amount of overdue support to consumer reporting agencies in the manner prescribed by 23 Pa.C.S. § 4303;

(7) when the obligor owes overdue support in an amount of three months or more, suspending occupational, commercial/driver’s and recreational licenses in the manner prescribed by 23 Pa.C.S. § 4355. These remedies are cumulative and not alternative.

(c) For purposes of this Rule, overdue support remains subject to the remedies set forth in subdivision (b) of this Rule until paid in full. Except as provided in 23 Pa.C.S. § 4355 for suspension of licenses, neither a repayment schedule subsequently agreed to by the parties nor an order of court establishing such a schedule precludes the use of these remedies for collecting overdue support more quickly, whenever feasible.

End

Plain-English Summary

A support order is meant to be paid, and this rule sets the enforcement framework. Support is enforced first by income withholding, as the law requires and Rule 1910.21 provides. When an obligor fails to comply, the rule opens the door to the additional remedies that follow in the chapter — liens, asset attachment, judgment, and contempt — giving the obligee a range of tools to collect.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is a support order enforced?

Primarily by income withholding, with additional remedies such as liens, asset attachment, judgment, and contempt when an obligor fails to pay.

Amendment History

The provisions of this Rule 1910.20 amended November 7, 1988, effective January 1, 1989, 18 Pa.B. 5326; amended March 30, 1994, effective July 1, 1994, 24 Pa.B. 1943; amended May 31, 2000, effective July 1, 2000, 20 Pa.B. 3155. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (256281).

Source & verification. Rule text, the Official Note, and the amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Pennsylvania Code, Title 231, the official compilation of rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Last verified June 30, 2026. · Official text

Also known as: enforce support ordersupport enforcement remediesincome withholding support