IRS Wage Garnishment: What It Means And How To Stop It

His employer called him into HR on a Wednesday afternoon.

They had received paperwork from the IRS. Starting with the next payroll cycle, a portion of his wages would be withheld and sent directly to the IRS. His employer was not asking for permission. They were legally required to comply. He sat in that office and had no idea this was coming.

He had received the letters. He had set them aside.

What a Wage Garnishment Actually Is

An IRS wage garnishment is a continuous levy on your income. Unlike a bank levy which captures a specific amount at a specific moment, a wage garnishment keeps running. Every paycheck. Every cycle. Until the debt is paid in full, the garnishment is released, or a resolution is reached.

The IRS uses Publication 1494 to calculate the exempt amount... the portion of your wages you are allowed to keep based on your filing status and number of dependents. Everything above that exempt amount goes to the IRS first. What remains is your paycheck.

For most people that calculation leaves very little to live on.

How It Gets To This Point

The IRS does not issue a wage garnishment without notice. The sequence is the same as all enforced collection. Notices are sent. A Final Notice of Intent to Levy is issued with a 30-day response window. That window closes. Levy authority activates. Your employer receives the garnishment order.

The employer has no discretion. They must comply.

How To Stop It

There are several pathways to releasing a wage garnishment. The right one depends on your financial picture and where you are in the collection process.

Enter an installment agreement. A formally approved payment plan with the IRS will release the garnishment. The agreement must be approved, not just proposed.

Demonstrate financial hardship. If your income genuinely does not cover your basic living expenses, Currently Not Collectible status can suspend collection including the garnishment.

Submit an Offer in Compromise. A valid offer puts all levy action, including wage garnishment, on hold during the review period.

Request a CDP hearing. If you are still within certain timeframes, a Collection Due Process hearing can pause enforcement while your case is reviewed.

Prove an error. If the garnishment was issued without proper notice or the liability itself is incorrect, a procedural or substantive challenge can form the basis of a release.

Speed Matters Here

Every paycheck that passes under a garnishment is money that does not come back. The moment you know a garnishment has been issued or is about to be issued, the clock is running.

The client who came to us after that HR meeting... we had his garnishment released within weeks. Not because we had a magic formula. Because we moved fast and filed the right paperwork in the right sequence.

Your income should come to you first.

Start your fix at www.thefixerfirm.co/startyourfix.

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