Wage Garnishments

If you have an ongoing tax debt and the IRS feels that you’re not paying fast enough, it has the option of garnishing your wages.  A wage garnishment is simply a legal seizure of your wages so that the government can satisfy the outstanding debt.  Typically, IRS wage garnishment is very severe and only allows you to keep a small portion of your wages.

The IRS will contact your employer, and before the garnishment starts you’ll be asked to complete a garnishment form.  You’ll have three days to determine how many tax exemptions you’re allowed to take, and it is these exemptions that will determine how much money you get to keep for living expenses.  If you don’t complete the form in time, the IRS will proceed in a manner that works for them.  With every paycheck, a portion will go to you and the rest will go to the IRS.

If you are facing wage garnishment, you owe it to yourself to consult with Powell Tax Law.  When you meet with us, we’ll ask you several questions, such as:

• Were your wages garnished while you were in bankruptcy?
• Did the IRS send you proper notices?
• Has the Statute of Limitations on the collection expired?
• Do you have a spousal defense?

These are just a few of the reasons why the IRS might choose to lift the garnishment.  There are other circumstances and options available to you as well.  This is why you should meet with a trained tax attorney to discuss your particular situation and the options available to you.

The most important thing to remember is that if you must live with ongoing wage garnishment, it doesn’t have to be as crippling as the IRS wants it to be.  True, out of all your creditors, the IRS is legally allowed to take the largest portion of your wages.  And, unlike other creditors, it doesn’t have to go to court to get a judgement before doing so.  Working with Powell Tax Law, you can work out an arrangement with the IRS so that if you must live under wage garnishment, you can still have a life.

Still, the best way to deal with wage garnishment is to avoid it altogether.  Powell Tax Law can represent you when the prospect of garnishment is still only a threat.  All the possible alternatives to wage garnishment – bank loans, collection delays, payment plans, offers in compromise – have one thing in common: they are negotiated by people who understand the system.  If you’re not that person, you need professional help.  Remember, the IRS has the right to take other property such as your bank account and other assets to satisfy an outstanding tax debt.  Let out team of professionals represent you so you can make other arrangements.