What is a wage garnishment?
Wage garnishment is a legal action taken by a creditor to take money from a debtor’s wages or salary in order to pay a debt. A wage garnishment is usually ordered by a court and usually requires the debtor’s employer to withhold a certain portion of their wages or salary. In Washington, wage garnishment is authorized through the Collection Defense Law, which regulates the activities of debt collectors in the state. The law outlines the procedures for wage garnishment and the limitations that must be observed by the creditors and employers. When wage garnishment is proposed, it is important to understand how much of your wages or salary can be taken in order to ensure that you are in compliance with the law. The Collection Defense Law sets out limits on wage garnishment that cannot be exceeded. Specifically, the law states that no more than 25 percent of a debtor’s net disposable income can be taken through wage garnishment. The law also specifies that if the debtor’s income is less than 40 times the state minimum wage, then no more than 20 percent of the debtor’s gross income can be taken through wage garnishment. The Collection Defense Law in Washington also provides protections for debtors who are being garnished. These include a notification requirement that must be sent to the debtor by the creditor before any garnishment is initiated, as well as an exemption for certain types of income, such as Social Security and disability payments, which are not subject to garnishment.
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