Wage Garnishment Threatens 25% of Your Net Pay and Possibly Your Job
Once a judgment has been issued, a creditor can ask apply to your employer through the local sheriff’s office for continuing garnishment. Your employer will be served with this garnishment summons and ordered to withhold 25% of your after-tax earnings. In addition, your employer may charge a handling fee for the extra paperwork involved with fulfilling the garnishment requirements.
Your employer is required by law to withhold up to 25% of your net-income. If your employer does not honor the summons, your employer will become responsible for payment of the entire debt.
As you might imagine, human resource and payroll coordinators for most employers find wage garnishments troublesome for a number of reasons. First, your employer must expend time and effort to complete the paperwork associated with calculating and processing garnishment orders. Second, until the garnishment is paid in full or otherwise released, your employer has potential financial liability for any errors. Finally, your reputation may be called into question as a defendant found liable for a judgment in a lawsuit. It would not be an understatement to conclude that your job might be at risk if you involve your employer in your personal business and wage garnishment.
The Hedtke Law Firm can stop any pending garnishment no matter where you fall in the process. Whether the lawsuit is in litigation or a default judgment is already issued, we may be able to avoid a judgment from garnishing your pay. If a judgment has been issued, the judgment creditor’s right to seize your wages terminates the instant we file your bankruptcy case. Sometimes, money that has been seized can be returned to you or it can be used to pay non-dischargeable debt like taxes.
The sooner you contact us, the more we can do to save your wages and protect your rights. Contact the Hedtke Law Firm at 760 482-1737 to schedule a free initial consultation.
We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.