Garnishment Specialist - Payroll Services

License and Certification Qualifications

Education Qualifications

H.S. Diploma or General Education Degree Required
Bachelor's Degree in related field Preferred

Experience Qualifications

• 5 years Payroll and/or income withholding experience Required
• Paralegal and open records experience Preferred

Skills Qualifications

• Ability to communicate with others in an effective and tactful manner
• Ability to exercise independent judgment, troubleshoot, and solve problems
• Ability to handle sensitive data in a confidential manner
• Ability to maintain records with high degree of accuracy
• Ability to read and interpret legal documents
• Ability to apply mathematical concepts such as percentages and proportions to withholding situations
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, or schedule format
• Excellent interpersonal and human relations skills
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as procedure manuals
• Ability to write routine correspondence
• Ability to speak effectively in one-on-one situations with employees
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals
• Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to multitask in a high-volume processing environment
• Ability to represent Gwinnett County Public Schools in a positive and professional manner
• Strong computer skills with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office required
• Knowledge of PeopleSoft preferred

Primary Responsibilities

• Responsible for processing employee garnishments, levies, child support, student loans, bankruptcy information, federal and Georgia tax data, and banking corrections for direct deposits.
• Aid in testing of PeopleSoft tax updates.
• Process and maintain Federal Wage/Income Deduction Orders consisting of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) levies, child support, bankruptcy, student loans, and state court and magistrate court garnishments.
• Balance and send timely payments to assigned income vendors based on state law requirements.
• Counsel and assist employees on sensitive and confidential payroll processes.
• Work with courts and other agencies for accurate reporting and compliance.
• Review legal documents received to ensure compliance.
• Knowledge of the Federal and State Garnishment Laws book required to determine priority of orders and amount to be deducted based on the Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA).
• Ensure garnishment orders are entered according to PeopleSoft processes and rules for proper garnishment deductions to be processed in accordance with garnishment laws and regulations.
• Prepare Accounts Payable check requests and process PeopleSoft upload of monthly payments to garnishment vendors in a timely and accurate manner.
• Prepare mandated Magistrate and State Garnishment Answers to be sent with Magistrate and State garnishment payments.
• Work with Banking to process returned Electronic Funds Transfers (EFTs) due to closed accounts and incorrect account numbers.
• Prepare hand drawn check requests and reversals for funds returned.
• Communicate with employees regarding returned funds for delivery preference and instructions to update direct deposit information.
• Update employee direct deposit data as directed on EFT bank documentation due to incorrect or updated bank account information.
• Maintain and process employee tax data for federal and state tax withholding information and assist with required reporting and communications.
• Submit letters to the State of Georgia as required for employees requesting tax exempt status or greater than 14 withholding allowances.
• Aid employees with tax withholding submittal questions.
• Monitor Georgia tax submissions for Service members Civil Relief Act eligibility.
• Answer employee questions and inquiries concerning W-4s, G-4s, and tax withholding on pay checks.
• Receive, analyze, and respond to open records requests.
• Provide timely response to requests from the Records Management, Inventory and Compliance Department made under the Open Records Act and other legal record requests.
• Compile payroll history, attendance records, leave records, check copies, tax forms including W2s and 1099Rs, and other payroll documents as requested.
• Verify the accuracy of data collected to assure compliance with record requests.
• Communicate with Records Management, Inventory and Compliance Department to resolve any issues with documentation of requests.
• Cook with Coordinator of Payroll Reporting to process required transfers for each payroll.
• Transmit direct deposit and child support EFT files.
• Transmit credit union deduction files and verify credit union receipt of transferred funds.
• Process federal and state tax deposits via secure governmental payment websites.
• Communicate the transfer of all funds related to direct deposit EFT, child support EFT, credit union files, federal and state tax payments to the Financial Operations and Banking Departments.
• Aid the Payroll leadership team with processes and projects.
• Counsel employees on all garnishment related issues.
• Research, review, and respond to customer inquiries in an accurate and timely manner.
• Consult with other departments to resolve any issues related to garnishment deductions or payments to vendors.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit for extended periods of time.
• The employee is also required to talk, hear, stand, and walk.
• The employee may be required to use hands to touch, handle, feel, and/or reach.
• The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, or crouch.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Reasonable Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.