If Your Wages Are Being Garnished
If your wages are being garnished, you’re bound to feel a lot of anxiety, anger, and confusion. What can you do to stop it? How can you possibly pay back your debts if someone is taking all the money out of your paycheck?
Here are a few tips on what not to do, along with your best option to stop wage garnishment forever.
Don’t Ignore It
Most people can’t actually ignore wage garnishment. If you’re at the point where someone is coming after your paycheck, odds are you’ll really notice it when those funds are gone. In Tennessee, creditors can take up to 25% of your wages—a HUGE amount to lose if you’re already struggling.
But some people will wait to do something about it. They assume it can only last so long. Eventually, they think, the money being taken out of their account will pay off their debt and they can move on with their life.
Unfortunately, that’s not really the case. Some of that money might go toward paying down your debts, but it also covers high interest payments and court fees. As a result, it could take many months or years to pay off whatever debt caused the garnishment.
And that doesn’t even include other debts you might have!
Don’t Put a Bandaid Over It
Plenty of debt relief companies will tell you they can help with wage garnishment. In fact, there’s a number of places that pay good money for top Google placement. They promise to get you out of debt with a payment plan or some sort of debt restructuring.
That’s a wonderful idea in theory, but in reality, it might be too good to be true.
Firstly, those companies’ outcomes often aren’t legally binding. They might be able to help you set up a payment plan, but a creditor doesn’t have to comply with it. So let’s say you agree to pay a certain amount per month on one of your debts. If the creditor decides later that isn’t enough money, they can still come after you.
Secondly, these options usually don’t include multiple debts. In my decades of experience working with wage garnishment law, I find most people who have major debts in one area have other debts as well. You might have credit card debt, medical debt, and still be struggling to make your car payment. Negotiating with a company to deal with one of these debts—if you even can—doesn’t solve all the others.
Don’t Lash Out
Some people get furious when creditors garnish their wages. I understand. It’s hard enough to make a living when outside forces aren’t working against you.
However, you have to keep your cool. Whatever you do, don’t let it out on your employer. They have no choice in this—the courts require it, and they have to comply.
You also can’t fight back against the law enforcement officers and other authorities whose job it is to make everyone comply. Again, the courts decide on a wage garnishment. After that, all the people who make sure it goes smoothly are just doing their jobs.
In one extreme case, a man recently tried to sue the person garnishing his wages for an astronomical amount. The judge threw out his case and ultimately charged him for trying to stop a legal process.
If you want to stop wage garnishment—and who wouldn’t?—there’s a better way.
Do Hire a Qualified Memphis Lawyer to Stop Wage Garnishment
If your wages are being garnished, you need a lawyer. Pure and simple.
The right bankruptcy attorney can put a permanent stop to your wage garnishment. They will help you clear every single debt and/or create a payment plan that IS legally binding. No more creditors hounding you or taking what you earn.
That’s what we do at Darrell Castle & Associates. In addition, we offer resources to help you end creditor harassment for good and protect your paycheck once and for all.
That’s the best way to get back at them.
Our Memphis wage garnishment lawyers are here to help you every step of the way. We can stop your wage garnishment, end the threat of car repossession or foreclosure, and help you get your life back.
The conversation is totally free, so get started today. Call me at 901-327-2100 or just fill out the form below.