When Do Wage Garnishments Stop in Missouri and Illinois?
Having a garnishment on your paycheck can really put you in a terrible position. If a creditor must garnish your wages, chances are that you’ve sunk pretty far down into debt. Having a portion of your paycheck taken from you certainly doesn’t increase your ability to get back on track with your debt, especially when that can be up to 25% for debts except child support which can be up to 65%!
Most creditors will continue to garnish your wages until your debt is paid off. Depending on how much debt you are in, that could be quite a long time. You see, a creditor must go through a court and get a judgment against you in order to garnish your wages. Typical garnishments are given for 60, 90 or 180 days, but if you still owe the debt after the garnishment has expired, most creditors will simply go back through the court and renew the garnishment. Many times a second creditor will be waiting in line and their garnishment will start as soon as the first expires, leaving you no room to breathe.
What if you are being garnished for taxes? It is even easier for the federal government to garnish your wages. They don’t have to get a judgment against you; they can simply garnish your wages without court approval or an expiration date. They can also levy bank accounts, attack personal property, and place a lien on real estate. So, when can a wage garnishment stop? Whenever you choose to stop it. “But James! You just said that my creditors will continue to garnish my wages until my debt is paid off!” Sure, your garnishment could go on for what seems like forever unless you choose to do something about it. You can actually stop your wages from being garnished and get a handle on your debt by filing for Missouri or Illinois bankruptcy.
One of the biggest benefits of filing for Missouri or Illinois Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy is that it prevents your creditors from taking any more action against you. That means no more harassing phone calls, no more threats of taking your property, and no more wage garnishments. Wouldn’t it be nice to finally feel like you have the control when it comes to your debt? That must be why over 1 million people file bankruptcy each year. Doing nothing changes nothing!