{"id":1384,"date":"2022-10-21T11:12:14","date_gmt":"2022-10-21T11:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/?p=1384"},"modified":"2022-10-31T11:19:21","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T11:19:21","slug":"can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a Debt Collector Take Money from My Paycheck?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Debt_Defense_Taking_Money_from_Paycheck\"><\/span><b>Debt Defense: Taking Money from Paycheck<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66284ae57dff6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-66284ae57dff6\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/#Debt_Defense_Taking_Money_from_Paycheck\" title=\"Debt Defense: Taking Money from Paycheck\">Debt Defense: Taking Money from Paycheck<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/#Wage_Garnishment\" title=\"Wage Garnishment\">Wage Garnishment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/#Paycheck_Deductions\" title=\"Paycheck Deductions\">Paycheck Deductions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/#Can_a_Debt_Collector_Take_Money_from_My_Paycheck\" title=\"Can a Debt Collector Take Money from My Paycheck?\">Can a Debt Collector Take Money from My Paycheck?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/#Collecting_Judgments\" title=\"Collecting Judgments\">Collecting Judgments<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/#Protections\" title=\"Protections\">Protections<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/#Majority_of_Garnishments_Need_a_Court_Order\" title=\"Majority of Garnishments Need a Court Order\">Majority of Garnishments Need a Court Order<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/#Creditors_Who_Can_Take_Money_from_Paycheck_Without_Filing_a_Lawsuit\" title=\"Creditors Who Can Take Money from Paycheck\u00a0Without Filing a Lawsuit\">Creditors Who Can Take Money from Paycheck\u00a0Without Filing a Lawsuit<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/#Limitations_on_Taking_Money_from_your_Paychecks\" title=\"Limitations on Taking Money from your Paychecks\">Limitations on Taking Money from your Paychecks<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/can-debt-collector-take-paycheck-money\/#Consult_to_Our_Debt_Defense_Attorney_Right_Away\" title=\"Consult to Our Debt Defense Attorney Right Away!\">Consult to Our Debt Defense Attorney Right Away!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A debt collector may garnish your wages or bank accounts as part of the debt collection procedure to pay the outstanding balance owed. And in the United States, state and federal laws permit this practice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That doesn&#8217;t, however, give any debt collector the right to withdraw money from your accounts anytime they like. There are guidelines for account garnishment, and some forms of income may even be exempt from it. To comprehend the effects of a debt collector deducting money from your paycheck, read the article\u00a0below.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Wage_Garnishment\"><\/span><b>Wage Garnishment<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any legal or fair method whereby a person&#8217;s paycheck must be withheld in order to pay off an unpaid debt is known as a wage garnishment. Court orders are typically used to make garnishments. Levies by the Internal Revenue Service or state tax collection agencies for unpaid taxes and administrative garnishments by federal agencies for debts owed to the federal government other than taxes are examples of additional legal or equitable garnishment methods.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voluntary wage assignments, or circumstances in which employees voluntarily agree that their employers may turn over a specific amount of their earnings to a creditor or creditors, are not included in wage garnishments.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Paycheck_Deductions\"><\/span><b>Paycheck Deductions<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some employers may deduct money from employees&#8217; paychecks in addition to garnishments paid to third parties. Some deductions are prohibited by federal law when they bring an employee&#8217;s paycheck below the minimum wage. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, an employer may not deduct\u00a0an employee&#8217;s salary below the minimum wage by deducting the cost of items that are largely for the benefit of the employer, such as uniforms or tools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, if it would result in a worker earning less than the minimum wage, an employer isn&#8217;t allowed to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demand that an employee pay back or reimburse\u00a0an employer for a damaged tool or a shortage of funds<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make employees pay for clients who refuse to pay their bills<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Demand an employee to buy or maintain equipment or work attire<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Federal law does not prohibit the deductions if they don&#8217;t end in an employee earning less than the minimum wage.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_a_Debt_Collector_Take_Money_from_My_Paycheck\"><\/span><b>Can a Debt Collector Take Money from My Paycheck?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1386 size-full\" title=\"can a debt collector take money from my paycheck\" src=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/can-a-debt-collector-take-money-from-my-paycheck.webp\" alt=\"can a debt collector take money from my paycheck\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/can-a-debt-collector-take-money-from-my-paycheck.webp 400w, https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/can-a-debt-collector-take-money-from-my-paycheck-300x225.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>Your paychecks may in fact be garnished by a debt collector. You need to be filed against\u00a0a lawsuit for this to occur. If you lose this action, you could be ordered to have your assets or salary garnished.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When wages are garnished, a portion of the debtor&#8217;s paycheck is taken out and sent to the creditor to use as payment for the past-due debt. A lien is put on the asset for the judgment amount when another asset, like a property, is subject to the garnishment. The proceeds from the sale of the property are initially given to the creditors.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Collecting_Judgments\"><\/span><b>Collecting Judgments<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every state has procedures in place for enforcing court orders against debtors. One of those techniques is\u00a0wage garnishments. The amount that you owe will be specified in the court&#8217;s judgment. You can be responsible for paying both the initial debt and any additional fees or costs that the court decides are necessary. How much can be deducted from your paycheck may also be specified in a subsequent court order.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Protections\"><\/span><b>Protections<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wage garnishments made by debt collectors\u00a0are subject to restrictions or &#8220;exemptions&#8221; under state and federal law, mainly to ensure that you have enough money to survive on. If your paychecks are being garnished, it might be a good idea to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">get legal advice.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Majority_of_Garnishments_Need_a_Court_Order\"><\/span><b>Majority of Garnishments Need a Court Order<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First and foremost, if a debt collector contacts and threatens to take money from your paychecks, they are generally lying unless they have previously acquired a court order, in which case they wouldn&#8217;t be calling to threaten but would instead just take the money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A court order is required for a debt collector to take the money that the court has determined they are legally entitled to through garnishment. They may deduct it from your paychecks or already-deposited funds in your bank accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also keep in mind that you did not consent to the withdrawal; rather, the court order is presented by the collector to your bank or credit union, which is then required by law to send over the funds from your accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Creditors_Who_Can_Take_Money_from_Paycheck_Without_Filing_a_Lawsuit\"><\/span><b>Creditors Who Can Take Money from Paycheck\u00a0Without Filing a Lawsuit<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not all creditors are required to wait until after a trial before garnishing earnings. The following debts are deemed significant enough to have unique regulations that aid creditors in expediting the collection process.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Child Support and Alimony<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wage withholding orders are automatically included in all child support orders. Your wages may be taken without further judicial intervention if you have been ordered to pay child support. If you aren&#8217;t paying your alimony or child support, a wage garnishment order might be filed against you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Child support and alimony have substantially higher wage garnishment limits than other types of debt. If you are sustaining a spouse or child who isn&#8217;t the subject of the wage garnishment order, federal law permits garnishment of up to 50% of your disposable earnings (gross wages less mandatory legal deductions).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Unpaid Income Taxes<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The federal government may garnish your earnings without obtaining a court order if you owe unpaid taxes to the IRS. The number of dependents you have, and the amount of your deductions will determine how much the IRS can take.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your paychecks may also be garnished by the state and local governments to recover unpaid taxes. State laws, however, determine the amount they can take and the procedures they must follow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Student Loans<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The amount of the garnishment is limited to 15% of your disposable income or the amount by which your weekly disposable wages exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less, if you are in default on your federal student loan payments, United States Department of Education (or any entity collecting on its behalf) may garnish your wages without a court order.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Limitations_on_Taking_Money_from_your_Paychecks\"><\/span><b>Limitations on Taking Money from your Paychecks<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on an employee&#8217;s &#8220;disposable earnings,&#8221; or the amount of earnings remaining after all legally required deductions have been made, the amount of pay that is liable to garnishment is determined. Federal, state, and local taxes, as well as the employee&#8217;s portion of Social Security, Medicare, and state unemployment insurance taxes, are a few examples of these deductions. It also contains the legally needed deductions for employee retirement systems.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When determining disposable earnings\u00a0under the Consumer Credit Protection Act, deductions not mandated by law, such as those for voluntary wage assignments, union dues, health and life insurance, donations to charitable organizations, purchases of savings bonds, retirement plan contributions (aside from those mandated by law), and payments to employers for payroll advances or merchandise purchases, typically may not be deducted from gross earnings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter how many\u00a0garnishment orders the employer receives, Title III of the CCPA establishes the maximum amount that may be deducted in each workweek or pay period. The weekly amount for ordinary garnishments (i.e., those not for support, bankruptcy, or any state or federal tax) may not be larger than 25% of the employee&#8217;s disposable income or the amount by which the employee&#8217;s disposable income exceeds 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The maximum amounts that could be garnished must be determined using multiples of the weekly restrictions when pay periods last more than one week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Consult_to_Our_Debt_Defense_Attorney_Right_Away\"><\/span><b>Consult to Our Debt Defense Attorney Right Away!<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is\u00a0quite challenging to overturn a court judgment after a debt collector obtains a court order\u00a0and begins unexpectedly garnishing your wages. The truth is that if you take legal action early on in the litigation, you can protect your defenses and, in many situations, you have a strong chance of either defeating the debt collector or reducing the amount of the debt that you ultimately have to pay back.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many debt collectors lack sufficient proof to support their claims that you owe them any money or that they have the right to sue you. Naturally, if you do nothing, the judge simply awards them every penny they requested in their complaint.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The time to take action is now if you have been served with a collection lawsuit. To determine what defenses you might have and how to handle this\u00a0situation, you should schedule a consultation with a lawyer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our skilled Portland, Oregon debt defense attorneys<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can offer assistance.\u00a0 At Northwest Debt Defense Law Firm, we deal all day with the attorneys for debt collectors. For a free debt analysis, contact our Washington debt collection defense attorneys.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can also help you regarding your debt defense problems anywhere you are in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salem and Medford, Portugal and areas of Vancouver, Seattle, Tacoma, state of Washington.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Debt Defense: Taking Money from Paycheck A debt collector may garnish your wages or bank accounts as part of the debt collection procedure to pay the outstanding balance owed. And in the United States, state and federal laws permit this practice. That doesn&#8217;t, however, give any debt collector the right to withdraw money from your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1387,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[36],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1384"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1388,"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1384\/revisions\/1388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nwdebtdefense.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}