A wage garnishment is a court order that gives a creditor the right to take the property of a debtor who has not paid. The creditor files a wage garnishment with the debtor's employers after they have received the court order. After that, the creditor receives a portion of the wages of that person until the debt is paid off. The portion of wages that the creditor may take through a wage garnishment can equal up to 90% of the weekly net income until repaid in full.
A wage garnishment is a common method of collecting child support from noncustodial parents who do not make regular payments. It can also be used by any person in a civil action once a ruling for costs has been made. A creditor can garnish the wages of every job the debtor has and the employer of the debtor is bound by law to remit the debtor's wages directly to the creditor.