Can your wages be garnished after losing your house?

Answer 1

Garnishments Can someone garnish me without suing me first? Usually not. Except for some debts to the government, you can only be garnished: If a creditor has sued you You had a chance to respond, and The court has entered a judgment against you. The IRS and some other agencies can garnish you without suing first. They need to send you notice first. They need to give you a chance to challenge the debt. Usually, agencies do not garnish unless other attempts to get you to pay fail. How much of my pay check can be garnished? Nothing, unless your take-home pay is at least $154.50 per week. If your take-home pay is more than that: No more than 25 percent of your pay can be garnished. After a garnishment, you must have at least $154.50 per week left. If the garnishment is for child support, up to half (50%) of your wages can be garnished. Sometimes, child support garnishments can even take 60 percent of your wages. How does a wage garnishment work? The Court sends notice of a wage garnishment to you and to your employer. Your employer has a month to answer and start taking out your money. Your employer does not have to wait the month, however. If you receive garnishment papers, you should see a lawyer right away. You may be able to protect your wages from garnishment. You also may be able to reach some agreement that will reduce the garnishment. How can I stop a wage garnishment? You may be able to stop it by filing a claim of exemptions. This only works if: You have very little income and very little property. The judgment is on a contract or some other debt that allows exemption. The Court will give the creditor thirteen (13) days to challenge your exemption. Unless you get a special order, the garnishment will keep going until the Court grants your exemption. You can stop it by filing a bankruptcy. You get the creditor to release the garnishment. You should talk to a lawyer about how you can protect your wages.