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Borders Law, LLC | Bankruptcy Attorneys
Borders Law, LLC | Bankruptcy Attorneys
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Compassionate Bankruptcy Representation For Over 20 Years

Protect Your Paycheck From Creditors

Creditors can take up to 25% of your paycheck through wage garnishment in Ohio. If you’ve received a court notice or your employer has told you about a garnishment order, you have options to stop it. At Borders Law, LLC, I help Ohio residents protect their income and stop creditors from draining their paychecks.

Wage garnishment is what happens when a court orders your employer to deduct money from your paycheck to pay a debt. This can negatively impact your ability to pay rent, buy groceries or cover basic bills. I help clients stop garnishments and explore alternatives like bankruptcy protection that halt collections immediately.

How Much Can Creditors Actually Take?

Ohio law caps garnishments at 25% of your disposable earnings or the portion of your weekly pay that exceeds 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever amount is lower. However, child support can take between 50% and 60%, federal student loans can take up to 15%, and the IRS can take even more based on your dependents. Understanding these limits helps you spot illegal garnishments.

The Warning Shot: The 15-Day Demand Letter

Before creditors can garnish your wages, they must win a lawsuit and send you a demand letter giving you 15 days to pay or set up a payment plan. These 15 days give you critical time to negotiate, arrange payments or consult an attorney about filing bankruptcy to stop the garnishment before it starts.

Four Ways To Stop An Ohio Wage Garnishment

You don’t have to accept wage garnishment as inevitable. Ohio law provides several powerful tools to stop or reduce garnishments:

  • File for bankruptcy protection: The automatic stay immediately stops all wage garnishments and collection lawsuits.
  • Challenge the garnishment in court: File objections if the creditor garnished more than allowed or didn’t follow proper procedures.
  • Apply for statutory exemptions or court trustee appointment: Show the court that your income derives from statutory exempt sources (like Social Security) or apply for a court-appointed trustee under Ohio law to distribute payments and stop garnishments.
  • Negotiate a settlement: An attorney can negotiate a reduced settlement or payment plan that stops the garnishment.

Each situation is different. I analyze your income, debts and financial goals to recommend the best strategy for stopping your garnishment.

Can You Get Your Garnished Money Back?

Yes, in some cases. Courts can order creditors to return money if they garnished exempt income like Social Security, exceeded the 25% limit or continued garnishing after you filed bankruptcy. Filing bankruptcy also triggers a look back period where your trustee can recover wages garnished within 90 days before filing.

Schedule Your Free Consultation To Stop Garnishment

You don’t have to let creditors drain your income. Whether you’ve received a demand letter or your wages are already being garnished, Borders Law, LLC, can help you fight back. As an Ohio wage garnishment lawyer, I understand the laws and know how to protect your income. Call me at 216-435-5668 today or send a message to schedule your free consultation.

I am a debt relief agency. I help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.