What to do if…
you learn your wages or bank account are being garnished or frozen

What to do now

1. Identify who is enforcing the debt.
   Look for whether the notice is from or for:

   • a private creditor, such as a credit card, loan, medical bill, or collection lawsuit,
   • child support enforcement,
   • the IRS or a state tax agency, or
   • a federal debt process.

2. Put the key details in one place.
   Write down the court or agency name, case number, creditor name, collector or attorney name, deadline date, and whether it is about wages, a bank account, or both. Take photos or screenshots of every page.

3. Verify the order using independent contact information.
   Use the court or agency’s official website to find the phone number or online case search. Ask whether the case number is real, whether there is a judgment or order, what deadline applies, and what response forms are available.

4. If wages are involved, contact payroll or HR.
   Ask for a copy of the order they received, the start date, the amount or percentage to be withheld, where payments are being sent, and whether it is one-time or ongoing.

5. Use federal wage protections as a quick check, not a full answer.
   For ordinary consumer-debt wage garnishments, federal law generally limits how much of your disposable earnings can be garnished and protects you from being fired because of garnishment for one debt. Child support, taxes, bankruptcy orders, and some federal debts can follow different rules.

6. If a bank account is frozen or levied, contact the bank’s garnishment or legal-orders team.
   Ask for the order type, date received, freeze amount, creditor or agency name, what payments may fail, and what the bank needs to identify exempt funds. If federal benefits are direct deposited, ask whether the bank protected two months’ worth of covered federal benefit deposits.

7. Use the notice’s deadline route to ask for review or claim exemptions.
   Many states have a way to claim protected wages, benefits, or funds and ask for a hearing or review. Ask the clerk, court self-help center, agency, or legal-aid office:

   • “What is the deadline to request a hearing or claim exemptions?”
   • “Which form do I use for this garnishment or levy?”
   • “Where do I file it?”
   • “Do I need to send a copy to the creditor, collector, attorney, employer, or bank?”

8. If essentials are at risk this week, say that plainly.
   In any form, hearing request, hardship request, or legal-aid intake, list the immediate harm: rent, utilities, food, medicine, childcare, transportation to work, or access to federal benefits.

9. Contact local legal help quickly.
   Contact a legal-aid organization, court self-help center, consumer-law attorney, or bar referral service. Say: “I have a wage garnishment or bank levy notice,” give the deadline, and say whether the money includes wages, Social Security, SSI, VA benefits, child support, tax debt, or other protected funds.