Wage garnishment is the seizure of an employed debtor's future income to pay for overdue debt obligations. Garnishment occurs when a worker's creditors go to court and obtain a garnishment order, which is the official permission from a judge that creditors need in order to collect money that is owed to them. Garnishment is done via deductions from an employed debtor's paycheck. State procedures for the actual process of garnisheeing a debtor's wages vary, and both state and federal laws affect the maximum amount of a worker's take-home pay that can be garnisheed.
We would like your feedback on this Personal Finance Frequently Asked Question.
