A wage garnishment is a legal order that forces an employer to withhold income from an employee. Then, the employer sends the money to the entity the employer owes the money to, and they can't stop doing this without another court order. If this happens to you, your number one goal might be stopping it. After all, wage garnishments decrease your paychecks. But how do you stop a garnishment? Here are some steps you can take that might help you stop it.

Review the debt

First, it might be helpful to review the debt. For example, do you owe the money? Did you pay the debt? If so, do you have some evidence showing this information? If you paid the debt, you shouldn't have to pay it again. But you must have evidence that you paid it. If this is the case, you can summon the court for a hearing. When they see this evidence, the creditor will have to stop the garnishment.

Talk to an expert

If you owe the money but don't want to have a wage garnishment, you must pursue other options. The best option is to seek expert help. You can hire professionals, such as lawyers, to stop wage garnishment. The expert you hire can look over the situation. For example, are they garnishing too much money? After all, they can only garnish a percentage of your income. The expert also looks into options for you to use to stop the garnishment.

File for bankruptcy

One guaranteed way to stop garnishment is through bankruptcy. Filing for bankruptcy provides a court order to every creditor. This order stops them from collecting debts. Thus, it stops wage garnishments. Bankruptcy comes in several forms, but a person must qualify for it. A person must also be willing to accept some consequences, as there are a few. For one, it will affect your credit. A bankruptcy filing remains on your credit history for many years. The exact number depends on the branch you use.

However, the benefit is that bankruptcy can eliminate some of your debts. It might even eliminate the debt you're paying through the garnishment. You can ask your lawyer to determine how this works. Then, you can compare the pros and cons to see if this is the right choice.

You can learn more by speaking with a professional about a plan that stops garnishment, legal help, and more.

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