Urgent help
Stop wage garnishment
When part of every paycheck goes to a creditor, filing usually stops most garnishments for ordinary debts. Let's check yours.
5 min read · Plain English · Updated for 2026
- When it stops
- Once notified we tell the creditor and your payroll office
- Flat fee
- From $1,250 for Chapter 7, plus the court fee
- Bring
- 2 pay stubs and any garnishment notice
What it is, in plain words
A garnishment means a creditor won a court judgment and your employer must send part of your pay to them. Federal and Wisconsin law limit how much can be taken, but even the legal amount can break a budget.
A bankruptcy filing usually stops garnishments for credit cards, medical bills and other ordinary debts once your employer is told. Child support and some tax garnishments follow different rules, and we explain those plainly.
Worth a call if
- Your pay stub shows a garnishment line
- You received a notice that a garnishment is coming
- More than one creditor has sued you
- You are falling behind on rent or bills because of the garnishment
Good to know
- Child support garnishments continue; bankruptcy does not stop support
- Some tax garnishments follow separate rules
- In some cases, money taken in the 90 days before filing can be recovered. We check whether yours might qualify
Step by step
How it usually goes with us
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01
Send us a pay stub
We confirm who is garnishing, for what, and how much.
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02
Pick the chapter
Usually Chapter 7, sometimes Chapter 13 if there is a house or car to protect.
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03
File
The automatic stay starts the day we file.
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04
Notify payroll
We send notice to the creditor and to your employer's payroll office.
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05
Check the next stub
We look at it with you. If a deduction slips through, we follow up.
What changes on the pay stub
Example pay stub
Illustration, not a real person's pay
| Line | Before filing | After notice |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay (two weeks) | $1,840.00 | $1,840.00 |
| Taxes and benefits | $362.40 | $362.40 |
| Garnishment: creditor judgment | $295.52 | $0.00 |
| Take-home pay | $1,182.08 | $1,477.60 |
Illustrative pay stub with made-up numbers. Timing depends on when your employer processes the notice, and support or tax garnishments may continue.
Wage garnishment
Questions people ask us
Will my employer find out I filed?
If a garnishment needs to stop, payroll has to be told. Otherwise employers are usually not notified. Federal law generally bars an employer from firing you only because you filed bankruptcy.
How fast does the garnishment stop?
It should stop once your employer receives notice of the filing. Payroll schedules vary, so one more deduction sometimes slips through. When that happens, we follow up with the creditor.
Can I get back money that was already taken?
Sometimes. If more than a set amount was taken in the 90 days before filing, it may be recoverable. It depends on the amounts and your exemptions, and we check it as part of your case.
Other options to compare
All options-
Fresh start
Chapter 7 bankruptcy
A fresh start for many unsecured debts, usually in about four months, while you keep what the law protects.
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Repayment plan
Chapter 13 bankruptcy
A three to five year plan that can pause a foreclosure, catch up missed house or car payments, and protect what you want to keep.
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Urgent help
Foreclosure defense
Got a foreclosure summons or a sheriff's sale date? There is often still time to act. Let's look at it today.
Free consultation
A date on the paper? Tell us today.
Court deadlines go to the top of the list. Book online or call, tell Jasmine the date, and an attorney calls back the same business day. The review is free.
