Wage Garnishment
Learn how bankruptcy can give you immediate protection from wage garnishment and stop creditors from seizing your hard-earned money ever again.
When you file Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, your wages can’t be garnished anymore and your entire paycheck is yours to keep again. Learn how wage garnishment works, how Chapter 7 bankruptcy stops your wages from being seized and what steps you can take to get your whole paycheck back.
This page is your home base for learning about wage garnishment and how you can protect your wages from being taken away from you.
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How To Stop Wage Garnishment Immediately
Written by Attorney Andrea Wimmer. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated August 12, 2025
There are four direct ways you can take action to stop a wage garnishment: 1. Try to negotiate a payment plan with your creditor(s) or settle your debt. 2. Challenge the wage garnishment in court. 3. File for bankruptcy to stop the garnishment fast. 4. Reach out to a nonprofit to ask for financial assistance. Having your wages garnished reduces your disposable income and can feel very stressful. But remember, you have rights and there are ways to stop the garnishment.
Read More →Can Filing Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Help Get Back Garnished Wages?
Written by Jonathan Petts. Legally reviewed by Ben Jackson
Updated May 8, 2025
Many people who end up with a wage garnishment are already strapped for cash and can’t afford to have money taken out of their checks every week. Filing for bankruptcy is one of the ways to stop a wage garnishment.
Read More →4 Facts About Child Support and Garnishment
Written by Lawyer John Coble. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated August 7, 2025
If you’ve been ordered to pay child support, you probably have a lot of questions. How did the court determine that you should pay this amount? What happens if you fall behind on payments? Could you go to jail or lose your license for not paying child support? What can you do if you can’t afford to make the payments you’ve been ordered to make? All these questions and more are covered in this article.
Read More →Social Security and Garnishment 101
Written by Attorney Paige Hooper. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated May 8, 2025
Social Security benefits are protected against most garnishments and bank levies. Sometimes these protections are automatic, and sometimes you must take action to prove that your benefits are exempt from collection. Filing bankruptcy may be an option to protect your benefits. Social Security benefits can be garnished to pay past-due child support, alimony, restitution, taxes, and other federal debts.
Read More →The Complete Guide To Medical Bills and Wage Garnishment
Written by the Upsolve Team. Legally reviewed by Attorney Andrea Wimmer
Updated July 22, 2025
A healthcare provider can try to collect unpaid medical debts, just like any other debt collector might. A provider may even take legal action to garnish a patient’s wages if their collection efforts are ignored. Before a provider can take your wages, the facility or physician must sue you for nonpayment and win the case in court. If a healthcare provider wins a lawsuit against you, the court will award a judgment (court order) to the provider or its collection agent to garnish your wages. You may be able to avoid or stop a garnishment. Learn more in this article.
Read More →Can Debt Collectors Garnish Your Bank Account?
Written by Mae Koppes. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated July 22, 2025
Creditors can garnish your bank account through a bank levy, which allows them to take money directly from your account. Most creditors must sue you and get a court judgment first, but government agencies like the IRS and state child support offices can garnish without a court order. Unlike wage garnishment, which has limits, a bank levy can take all non-exempt funds. However, certain income, like Social Security and veterans' benefits, is protected. Filing for bankruptcy can stop most garnishments immediately, and Chapter 7 may erase eligible debts so they can’t be garnished in the future.
Read More →Wage Garnishment Exemptions
Written by the Upsolve Team. Legally reviewed by Attorney Andrea Wimmer
Updated May 5, 2025
A wage garnishment allows your creditor to take money directly from your paycheck or sometimes your bank account. It is important to know what income is exempt from being garnished for your claim of exemption. This article will discuss what happens in wage garnishment and how you can keep income from being garnished that is protected by exemptions.
Read More →I Paid Off My Wage Garnishment — Now What?
Written by the Upsolve Team. Legally reviewed by Attorney Andrea Wimmer
Updated May 8, 2025
After paying off your wage garnishment, it’s important to confirm that your employer or bank has stopped withholding money from your paycheck or account. Contact your employer’s payroll department or your bank to ensure they’ve received notice to end the garnishment. If money was garnished in error or continues to be withheld, you may need to follow up with the creditor or court to resolve the issue. Once the garnishment is fully resolved, you can focus on rebuilding your credit and taking steps to avoid future garnishments.
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