Garnishment is a tool commonly used by judgment creditors around the country to ensure payment from their debtors. But if you are a regular reader of our blog, you know that states treat garnishment differently. Take Washington state. Their garnishment rules are a little bit peculiar.
If you are attempting to collect a judgment in Washington, it’s in your best interests to know how garnishment works in your state. Also note that we would be happy to take a look at what you’re working on to see if we can help. Washington is one of the many states Judgment Collectors is active in.
The Basics of Garnishment
In a general sense, garnishment is a court order that allows a creditor to seize income, bank accounts, and certain types of debts to satisfy an outstanding judgment. If you were to garnish a debtor’s wages, the garnishment order would allow you a certain amount of the debtor’s weekly paycheck until their debt is fully paid off.
Not every state allows garnishment; most do. But even among them, there are different rules about what can be garnished, how much can be garnished, and how judgment creditors go about seeking garnishment. With that said, let us talk about some of the peculiarities in Washington.
Some Types of Income Are Off Limits
Wage garnishment is the practice of garnishing someone’s income. That does not necessarily mean a weekly paycheck provided by an employer. People earn income in many different ways. But in Washington, not every form of income is subject to judgment collection efforts. Simply put, some types of income are off limits.
Here are income sources exempt from garnishment in WA:
- Social Security disability benefits
- Social Security retirement benefits
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Temporary state assistance (state welfare)
- State disability benefits (ABD)
- Unemployment benefits
- VA benefits
- Federal student loans
- Pension income
- Child support payments
- Worker’s compensation benefits
Each of these income types is subject to specific details we won’t get into here. The main point is that state law exempts certain income sources from garnishment. It is something judgment creditors need to think about before pursuing garnishment as a means of securing payment.
Garnishing Bank Accounts
State law offers some leeway for garnishing bank accounts. Under such a scenario, a garnishment order would be delivered to the debtor’s bank, compelling the bank to withhold a certain amount of money and forward it to the creditor for payment.
Bank accounts are generally subject to garnishment, but with exemptions:
- The first $2500 is exempt on private student loan debts.
- The first $2000 is exempt on private consumer debts.
- The first $500 is exempt for all other types of debts.
Washington also grants additional exemptions for the spouses and domestic partners of judgment debtors when personal property is combined. So if you’re trying to collect from a married couple with combined assets, the exemptions on bank accounts would be doubled.
Don’t Be Afraid to Seek Help
We’ve thrown a lot of information at you in this post. We get the fact that it might be a bit complicated. That’s the way judgment collection is in the state of Washington. It’s also the reason Judgment Collectors exists. We do what we do to help creditors collect on their judgments as quickly and effectively as possible.
Don’t be afraid to seek help. There is no shame in working with a professional judgment collection agency like ours, an agency with the skill, experience, and tools to succeed in the collection game. We can help you go above and beyond garnishment to collect what you are owed.