Dealing With a Judgment Before It Turns Into a Garnishment

By Leonard R Gendelberg

In a bad economy, every penny counts. It's likely that these days, you want your entire paycheck to go towards necessities like food, rent or mortgage payments, and utilities. You can hardly afford to have your wages garnished, siphoning off funds you and your family desperately need.

Unfortunately, if a judgment against you turns into a wage garnishment, this is exactly what can happen. You will have no say in the matter, and if the court rules against you, you will quickly find monies missing from your wages. That money then goes to the creditor that garnished your wages. But you may be able to avoid this type of devastating loss - by using an experienced judgment lawyer.

Act quickly to prevent a garnishment

Every state has different rules when it comes to judgments, and whether they can lead to garnishments. States in which creditors cannot obtain garnishments in most judgments include Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina. However, other states - like New Hampshire - do not use garnishment as a salient method of debt collection. Therefore, it is a lengthy process for creditors to siphon off your wages in this way, and they are unlikely to do so.

But if you have the bad luck of living in a state that allows debts to be satisfied via garnishment, it's important that you address the issue immediately. And wage garnishment is a common way that creditors enforce judgments in states that allow it. If your creditors feel this is a viable option to collect the debt, they will not hesitate to do it. However, contacting a knowledgeable judgment lawyer can stop things before they ever go that far.

How much of my check can be garnished?

In the majority of states that have garnishment, creditors can take as much as 10 - 25% of your paycheck. The specific percentage is determined by the individual state. 10% may not seem like much, but let's say you make $3,000 a month. 10% of $3,000 is $300! That buys a lot of groceries, or may constitute a big chunk of your mortgage. It is more than enough for most car payments. But creditors don't care what sacrifices you have to make to pay them back. All they care about is getting your money. A good judgment lawyer, on the other hand, knows you have more important bills to pay - and may be able to find a solution for you.

Get a free consultation for your garnishment concerns

If you are in debt and have a judgment against you, it's understandable if money is a concern. Although you'd like to avoid a garnishment of your wages, you clearly can't afford any unnecessary expenses right now. The laws concerning garnishments greatly vary state by state and each state has very stringent specific laws. That's why it's a good idea to meet with a judgment lawyer who offers a free initial consultation. You can find out if such a professional can help you - all without spending a dime. If you do decide to hire an attorney, he or she may be able to save you money in the long run by preventing wage garnishments entirely.

In a bad economy, every penny counts. It's likely that these days, you want your entire paycheck to go towards necessities like food, rent or mortgage payments, and utilities. You can hardly afford to have your wages garnished, siphoning off funds you and your family desperately need.
Unfortunately, if a judgment against you turns into a wage garnishment, this is exactly what can happen. You will have no say in the matter, and if the court rules against you, you will quickly find monies missing from your wages. That money then goes to the creditor that garnished your wages. But you may be able to avoid this type of devastating loss - by using an experienced judgment lawyer.

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