How to Find Out Remaining Balance on Wage Garnishment

Most states permit creditors to garnish your wages by obtaining a civil judgment against you for a delinquent debt, then applying to the court that issued the judgment for a writ of garnishment. The creditor or court then orders your employer to withhold part of your earnings to pay toward the judgment debt. Because wage garnishment continues until the debt is satisfied in most cases, keeping track of your judgment balance can help you determine when your creditor will stop garnishing your earnings.

Instructions

1. Call the attorney that represents the judgment creditor and ask for the remaining balance on your judgment. If no attorney represents the creditor, call the creditor or the court that issued the judgment.

2. Send a letter requesting the remaining judgment balance if the attorney, creditor or court will not give you this information via telephone.

3. Ask to receive documentation of the remaining balance in writing. This can help prevent the continuation of garnishment if you choose to pay off a judgment balance based on an erroneous verbal statement provided by the court, creditor or attorney.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask the attorney, creditor or court how long the stated balance is valid. You should receive this information in writing along with a statement of the remaining balance. Because most states permit judgment creditors to add interest to the unpaid judgment debt balance, the total outstanding balance may change over time.

References

• Ohio State Bar Association; The Court Says I Won: Now, How Do I Collect?; January 2009
• Fair Debt Collection: State Wage Garnishment and Attachment Rules