What To Do With Garnishment Of Wages
It used to be a common threat, and still is when it comes to debt collection harassment. The garnishment of wages can impact your entire life by limiting your finances. The truth is, garnishing your wages is an absolute possibility, but it requires a judgment by courts to happen. In the case that there is a judgment, and the courts decide that your debt is owed and open the possibility for wage garnishment, here is what you do. If you search for an affordable bankruptcy attorney near me, you’ll find that there are ways to deal with wage garnishment.
Find Out How an Affordable Bankruptcy Attorney Near Me Handles Wage Garnishment
Get Details of Your Debt
Chances are, you’ve turned over every rock looking for details of your debt during your case. However, if you didn’t have a lawyer, you may have missed some very important facts. If you were summoned to court due to a debt and you didn’t have a lawyer, get one immediately. Have them review the details of your case and judgement. You may have reached the statute of limitations, or there may be other factors which you were not aware of that reduce your debt.
Pay Attention
Pay attention to what is coming out of your paycheck. Make sure you know exactly how much is meant to come out each week, and watch carefully for suspicious activity. You should receive a packet after the judgment which will detail the terms and amount of your garnishment per pay period. Federally, garnished wages can be collected at 25% of your pay. If you notice more being taken from your paycheck than was agreed upon, contact an attorney immediately.
Try to Reduce the Amount
There are instances in which you can lower or even eliminate your commitment to wage garnishment. You could file a claim of exemption. Exemptions are set by the state. They often include the head of household exemption, which applies to parents who provide over fifty percent of the income for their family. Social security funds are another exemption. Technically, social security funds cannot be garnished unless under very specific circumstances, but that doesn’t stop debt collectors from trying to collect it after it hits your bank account. If this happens, you want to file an exemption.
File for Bankruptcy
Filing for bankruptcy will stop your wages from being garnished, in most cases. Once the bankruptcy decision is determined, the garnishment will be adjusted based on the decision. Ask yourself, can an affordable bankruptcy attorney near me help me with wage garnishment? Chances are, this could be a solution for you.
