Can a debt collector garnish my wages?

In Washington, debt collectors can garnish a portion of your wages if you default on a debt. A debt collector is typically a third-party collection agency that purchases a debt from the original creditor and is seeking to collect on the debt. The garnishment process occurs when a debt collector pursues a court order requiring an employer to withhold a portion of a debtor’s wages and transfer the money directly to the debt collector. In terms of the dollar amount, the debt collector may not take more than 25% of a debtor’s disposable income or the amount by which the debtor’s disposable income exceeds 30 times the minimum wage, whichever is less. In other words, if someone is making minimum wage or less, their wages are usually not garnishable. In Washington, it’s also important to note that certain types of income, such as Social Security and retirement benefits, are considered exempt from garnishment. So even if a debt collector has a court order, they may not be able to garnish those types of income. Finally, regardless of the state, Federal law forbids garnishment of your wages if you’re in active military duty. Therefore, if you are currently serving in the military, then your wages are off limits to creditors.

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Can a debt collector garnish my wages?

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