Washington Wage Garnishment Laws

A "wage garnishment," sometimes called a "wage attachment," is an order requiring your employer to withhold a specific amount of money from your pay and send it directly to one of your creditors. In most cases, a creditor can't garnish your wages without first getting a money judgment from a court. For instance, if you're behind on credit card payments or owe a doctor's bill, those creditors can't garnish your wages unless they sue you and get a judgment.

Some creditors, however, like those you owe taxes, federal student loans, child support, or alimony, don't have to file a suit to get a wage garnishment. These creditors have a statutory right to take money directly out of your paycheck. In Washington, there are a few additional exceptions to the money judgment rule.

But creditors can't seize all of the money in your paycheck. Different rules and legal limits determine how much of your pay can be garnished. Federal law limits how much judgment creditors can take for consumer debts. And some states set a lower percentage limit for how much of your wages are subject to this kind of garnishment.

Washington's wage garnishment laws are even stricter than federal wage garnishment laws.

What Are the Types of Wage Garnishments?

Generally, any of your creditors might be able to garnish your wages. Again, some creditors must first get a judgment and court order before garnishing wages. Other creditors don't need a court order.

The most common types of debt that may be garnished from your wages include:

• child support and alimony
• unpaid federal and state income taxes
• federal and private student loans, and
• court judgments against you for some other unpaid bill, like a credit card debt or personal loan.

What Are the Federal Wage Garnishment Laws?

Under federal law, the garnishment amount for judgment creditors is limited to 25% of your disposable earnings for that week (what's left after mandatory deductions) or the amount by which your disposable earnings for that week exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is less. (15 U.S.C. § 1673).

What Are Washington's Wage Garnishment Laws?

Washington's wage garnishment laws are mainly in Chapter 6.27 of the Revised Code of Washington. Some garnishment laws are in Chapter 6.26.

How Does Wage Garnishment Work in Washington?

In Washington, most creditors can garnish the lesser of (subject to some exceptions—more below):

• 25% of your weekly disposable earnings, or
• your weekly disposable earnings less 35 times the federal minimum hourly wage. (Wash. Rev. Code § 6.27.150).

For private student loan debt, a garnishment is limited to the lesser of:

• your weekly disposable earnings less 50 times the minimum hourly wage of the highest minimum wage law in the state at the time the earnings are payable, or
• 15% of your weekly disposable earnings. (Wash. Rev. Code § 6.27.150).

For consumer debt, the lesser of:

• your weekly disposable earnings less 35 times the state minimum hourly wage, or
• 20% of your weekly disposable earnings. (Wash. Rev. Code § 6.27.150).

"Disposable earnings" are those wages left after your employer has made deductions required by law. (Wash. Rev. Code § 6.27.010).

When a Creditor Can Garnish Your Wages Before Getting a Judgment

Under Washington law, a regular creditor can get a court order to garnish your wages before obtaining a judgment if you:

• aren't a Washington resident or are about to move out of the state
• have concealed yourself such that ordinary process of law can't be served upon you, or
• have removed or are about to remove any of your property from the state in an attempt to delay or defraud your creditors. (Wash. Rev. Code § 6.26.010).

What Is the Washington Wage Garnishment Process?

The garnishment process often starts after a creditor gets a judgment in court against a debtor. If a creditor gets a judgment against you, your employer will get a notice. The notice tells your employer they must withhold a specific amount of your wages. You'll get notice of the garnishment, too.

The garnishment documents that you receive should contain instructions on what you must do to object to the garnishment by claiming exemptions. You also might be able to object if the wage garnishment was made in error or the creditor failed to follow the law or comply with legal procedures. A garnishment lawyer can help you identify any mistakes and object to the garnishment.

If you don't object or if your objection fails, your employer will start taking money out of your paycheck and sending it to the garnishing creditor

Limits for Child Support, Federal Student Loans, and Unpaid Taxes

If you owe child support, federal student loans, or taxes, the government or creditor can garnish your wages without getting a court judgment for that purpose. The amount that can be garnished is different than it is for judgment creditors.

Garnishment Limits for Unpaid Child Support

Since 1988, all court orders for child support include an automatic income withholding order. The other parent can also get a wage garnishment order from the court if you get behind in child support payments.

Federal law limits this type of wage garnishment. Up to 50% of your disposable earnings may be garnished to pay child support if you're currently supporting a spouse or a child who isn't the subject of the order. If you aren't supporting a spouse or child, up to 60% of your earnings may be taken. An additional 5% may be taken if you're more than 12 weeks in arrears. (15 U.S.C. § 1673).

Garnishment Limit for Federal Student Loans in Default

If you're in default on a federal student loan, the U.S. Department of Education or any entity collecting for this agency can garnish up to 15% of your pay. (20 U.S.C. § 1095a(a)(1)). This kind of garnishment is called an "administrative garnishment."

But you can keep an amount that's equivalent to 30 times the current federal minimum wage per week. (Federal law protects the level of income equal to 30 times the minimum wage per week from garnishment.) (15 U.S.C. § 1673).

Garnishment Limits for Unpaid Taxes

The federal government can garnish your wages (called a "levy") if you owe back taxes, even without a court judgment. The weekly exempt amount is based on the total of the taxpayer's standard deduction and the aggregate amount of the deductions for personal exemptions allowed the taxpayer in the taxable year in which such levy occurs. Then, this total is divided by 52. If you don't verify the standard deduction and how many dependents you would be entitled to claim on your tax return, the IRS bases the amount exempt from levy on the standard deduction for a married person filing separately, with only one personal exemption. (26 U.S.C. § 6334(d)).

Washington doesn't assess state or local income taxes.

How to Protect Yourself From Wage Garnishment

If you receive a notice of a wage garnishment order, you might be able to protect (exempt) some or all of your wages by filing an exemption claim with the court or raising an objection. The procedures you need to follow to object to a wage garnishment depend on the type of debt that the creditor is trying to collect, as well as the laws of your state. But usually, you must act quickly. File the required form as soon as possible. You might have to go to a hearing, but if you win, a judge might eliminate or reduce the garnishment.

Depending on the type of debt that's being garnished, you might have other options. For example, if the IRS is garnishing your wages because of overdue taxes, you can make a settlement offer (an "offer in compromise") or set up a payment plan.

And you can often stop garnishments by filing for bankruptcy. Your state's exemption laws determine the amount of income you'll be able to keep.

Talk to a lawyer to learn more about how you can protect your wages.

Restrictions on Job Termination Due to Wage Garnishments

According to federal law, your employer can't discharge you if you have one wage garnishment. (15 U.S.C. § 1674). But federal law won't protect you if you have more than one wage garnishment order. Some states offer more protection for debtors.

Washington law prohibits your employer from firing you because a creditor garnished or tried to garnish your wages unless you're served with three or more separate garnishment orders within 12 consecutive months. (Wash. Rev. Code § 6.27.170).

What Are the Consequences of Wage Garnishment?

The most obvious consequence of a wage garnishment is a reduction in your take-home pay. A smaller paycheck can affect your ability to cover basic living expenses, potentially leading to difficulties paying your monthly bills.

Also, while a wage garnishment won't appear on your credit reports, creditors do report delinquent debt to the credit reporting agencies. And the reports can include information about how the debt is being collected, including through a wage garnishment. The missed payments culminating in a wage garnishment and other negative information will generally stay on your credit reports for seven years, affecting your future financial opportunities and potentially hindering your efforts to rebuild your credit.

Beyond the financial strain, the emotional consequences of wage garnishment can be taxing. Knowing that some of your earnings will be garnished can lead to stress and anxiety. Seeking advice from a lawyer and exploring ways to resolve the underlying debt or work out payment terms can lessen some of these pressures.

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Learn about wage garnishments for credit card debt.

Find out if a mortgage company can garnish your wages after foreclosure.

Get information about when a creditor will stop garnishing wages.

Getting More Information on Washington Wage Garnishment Laws

This article provides an overview of Washington's wage garnishment laws. You can find more information on garnishment in general at the U.S. Department of Labor website.

Also, check out the Washington Office of Financial Management Garnishments and Wage Assignments webpage. You can find additional information on the Washington State Legislature webpage and the Washington Courts webpage.