Money is being taken from my wages

How long

Send your written hearing request now: the agency has to receive it on or before the 15th business day after the day it mailed the notice. A business day is Monday to Friday, so count every weekday, holidays included, and count from the day of mailing. The date and address on your notice come first. If you are not sure how to count, send the request today.

Starts

the day the agency mailed the notice (the date printed on it), not the day it reached you. The Treasury rule says the notice has to be mailed at least 30 days before the garnishment (the taking of money from your pay) begins. Count from the date on the notice. If it has no date, send your request today and ask the agency for its mailing date.

If missed

the agency can send its order to your employer. If your request arrives late, the agency still has to give you a hearing, but it does not have to hold back the order unless you show the delay was out of your control or it has another good reason. Send the request anyway: a late request is better than none. If the agency has not decided within 60 days of your request, it has to pause an order it has already sent until it decides. Up to 15% of your disposable pay (what is left after deductions the law requires) can be taken, and never more than the amount your pay is above 30 times the federal minimum wage each week.

It lets you

have the agency hold back its order to your employer until you have had a hearing and a written decision. The hearing can be about whether you owe the debt, how much, or the repayment schedule. It can be on paper, by phone or in person; you pay your own travel costs. You can also ask to inspect and copy the agency's records about the debt, or sign a written repayment agreement. Once an order is running, you can ask the agency for a review at any time if a change such as disability, divorce or serious illness has made the amount a hardship. The agency may not garnish the pay of someone it knows was let go from a job against their will until they have been back at work for 12 months: you have to tell the agency about it. Your employer may not fire you, refuse to hire you or discipline you because of the order.

Use this card if the paper comes from a federal agency about a debt that is not a student loan and not a tax debt.

Where this differs: This is the Treasury rule (31 CFR 285.11) for federal debts that are not tax debts and not federal student loans held by the Department of Education. Agencies write their own rules in line with it, so the notice's own date and address come first. A federal student loan has its own 30-day rule: see the student loan card. For a tax debt (the IRS), see the guide 'I got a tax bill or letter I can't pay or don't understand'. Other deductions already taken from your pay can change how much is taken. If you work for the federal government and the debt is taken from that federal pay, a different rule (salary offset) applies: follow the notice.

Checked 10 October 2026 at Treasury rule 31 CFR 285.11 (Cornell Legal Information Institute)

How long

Send your hearing request in writing today, so it arrives by the date on your notice: studentaid.gov puts that date at no later than 30 days from the date the notice was sent. The Department of Education accepts a request postmarked by then, but a guaranty agency collecting an FFEL loan counts the day it receives the request, so do not rely on the postmark. Do not wait for copies of your documents: studentaid.gov says asking for documents does not delay a garnishment order. Keep proof of the day you sent it. As of 2026-10-10 studentaid.gov says collections through Treasury offset and Administrative Wage Garnishment are currently paused, and it gives no date for the pause to end. It does not say that a notice you already hold has stopped counting, or that an order already taking your pay has stopped: keep to the date on your notice, and ask the Default Resolution Group what applies to your loan.

Starts

the date on the garnishment notice (the notice that says money will be taken from your pay; the date is the day it was sent), not the day it reached you. studentaid.gov says the notice explains that the Department of Education intends to garnish your wages in 30 days. Count from the date on the notice.

If missed

garnishment can start: up to 15% of your disposable pay goes to the loan holder until the loan is paid or out of default. If your request arrives late you still get a hearing, but the order is not held back unless you show the delay was out of your control or there is another good reason. If you lose the hearing, studentaid.gov says the full 15% is taken. Even then, ask the Default Resolution Group on 1-800-621-3115 what else can be done.

It lets you

have the garnishment held back until a hearing is held and a decision is made. Your request can say that the debt does not exist, is the wrong amount or cannot be enforced; that taking 15% of your disposable pay (what is left after deductions the law requires) would cause extreme financial hardship; or that garnishment cannot be used yet because you have worked for under 12 months after losing a job against your will. You have to give proof. The hearing can be in person, by phone or on paper, and you pay the cost of attending in person and of any lawyer. A decision usually comes within about 60 days of your request. If you win, your pay is not garnished for 12 months, or the amount may be cut. You can also avoid garnishment by agreeing repayment terms with your loan holder and making sure the first payment arrives no later than 30 days from the date the notice was sent. To get the loan out of default for good, studentaid.gov names rehabilitation (nine on-time monthly payments), consolidation, or paying in full. Two traps it names: involuntary payments keep being taken until you have made at least five rehabilitation payments, and they do not count towards the nine; and you cannot consolidate a loan that is being garnished unless the wage garnishment order has been lifted.

Use this card if the paper is about a federal student loan and says the Department of Education, or the agency that holds your loan, plans to garnish your wages. The date on any notice you hold comes first, whatever studentaid.gov says about a pause.

Where this differs: Federal student loans. studentaid.gov says its page mostly applies to loans the Department of Education holds: every Direct Loan, and some FFEL and Perkins loans. Some FFEL loans are held by a guaranty agency and some Perkins loans by a school, and the notice names who is collecting. If a guaranty agency or a school holds your loan, studentaid.gov does not say the pause covers it: ask the collector named on the notice, and keep to its date. Find your loan holder by logging in to studentaid.gov, or call the Default Resolution Group on 1-800-621-3115 (TTY 1-877-825-9923). Private student loans are not covered: a private lender generally needs a court judgment first, see the court order card. Never pay a company for help with a defaulted loan: studentaid.gov says to walk away, because the Default Resolution Group helps for free. For a different federal debt, see the other federal debt card.

Checked 10 October 2026 at Federal Student Aid (studentaid.gov)

How long

The date printed on your notice comes first: act by that date, which studentaid.gov says is within 65 days, to avoid offset and negative credit reporting. As of 2026-10-10 studentaid.gov says Treasury offset and Administrative Wage Garnishment are currently paused, with no restart date, and that does not remove the date on a notice you already hold. studentaid.gov also says the notice may be sent only once, so if you already had one, do not wait for another: ask the Default Resolution Group on 1-800-621-3115 where your loan stands.

Starts

the date on the notice of intent to offset, not the day it reached you. studentaid.gov says the notice tells you that offset and negative credit reporting are scheduled to begin in 65 days.

If missed

your federal tax refund, part of your Social Security payments (CFPB says up to 15 percent, including disability benefits) and other federal payments can be withheld and applied to the loan, and so can state tax refunds, until the debt is paid or the default is resolved. If your objection fails, offset goes ahead. If Social Security decides you are totally disabled and not expected to improve, withholding of disability benefits is suspended; it can restart without notice if the benefit later becomes a retirement benefit.

It lets you

avoid offset by doing one of these by the date printed on the notice: make your first payment under a payment arrangement or a loan rehabilitation agreement; send a signed Direct Consolidation Loan application; pay the debt in full; or send a valid objection (for example that you do not owe the debt, you are not behind on payments, you are in bankruptcy, or you are totally and permanently disabled). Use the Request for Review form that came with the notice, or a signed letter with your name, your Social Security or account number, the debt you disagree with, why, and copies of your documents. If you ask for documents about the debt within 20 days of the date on the notice, you then have 15 days after they are mailed to ask for a review, even if that is past the printed date. ED will not start collecting or report the debt as referred for collection until the review is complete.

Use this card if the paper says your tax refund or other federal payments will be taken for a federal student loan. Money taken from your pay is the card above.

Where this differs: Federal student loans held by the Department of Education. Send an objection or a request for documents to the address on your notice: studentaid.gov lists U.S. Department of Education, Default Resolution Group, P.O. Box 5227, Greenville, TX 75403-5227. Money taken from your pay is a different step with its own card. Never pay a company for help: studentaid.gov says the Default Resolution Group helps for free.

Checked 10 October 2026 at Federal Student Aid (studentaid.gov)

How long

Ask the court clerk today how to claim an exemption (a legal protection for part of your pay) and by what date, because your state decides. The notice and the court papers give the date, and it comes first. Find the court's phone number on the court's own website. No federal rule gives one date: your state and your court decide.

Starts

the day your employer starts taking money, or the day you get court papers or a notice about the garnishment, whichever is first. CFPB says most creditors can only garnish wages after a court judgment says you owe the debt. If you never knew about the court case, act the day you learn of the order: the dates in the court papers may already be running.

If missed

the order stays in place and your employer keeps taking money until the judgment, plus interest, fees and costs, is paid: CFPB says a garnishment order generally allows a creditor to garnish the amount in the judgment, as well as additional interest, fees, or costs of collection. If you think your employer took more than the federal cap, or fired you over a garnishment for one debt, call the Wage and Hour Division. If the date to claim an exemption has passed, ask legal aid the same day: do not assume it is too late.

It lets you

keep part of your pay. Federal law (the Consumer Credit Protection Act) sets a cap on an ordinary garnishment: the lesser of 25% of your disposable earnings (what is left after deductions the law requires, such as taxes) or the amount your weekly disposable earnings are above $217.50, which is 30 times the $7.25 federal minimum wage. If you are paid weekly and have $217.50 or less after those deductions, nothing can be taken. If your state's law lets less be taken, that law applies. Your state may protect more, and CFPB says you may be able to claim exemptions: it points to LawHelp.org for how. Your employer may not fire you because your pay is garnished for one debt. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division enforces those two parts of the law against employers.

Use this card if the paper comes from a court after someone you owe sued you. A federal student loan, another federal debt, a tax levy and a child support order follow other rules.

Where this differs: Your state decides the court process, the notice, how to claim an exemption and any extra protection. Some orders follow different limits: child support or alimony (up to 50% of disposable earnings if you support another spouse or child, or up to 60% if you do not, and 5% more for support more than 12 weeks late), tax levies from the IRS or a state tax agency, and some bankruptcy orders. A federal agency or student loan garnishment (up to 15%) follows the federal law but not state garnishment laws: see the federal cards. Firing protection covers garnishment for one debt only. For a tax debt, see the tax guide. CFPB page: consumerfinance.gov, 'Can a debt collector take or garnish my wages or benefits?' (reviewed Aug 2023).

Checked 10 October 2026 at U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (Fact Sheet 30)

How long

Fill in form N56 in full and get it to the court within 8 days after the papers were served on you. The date and instructions on the court's notice come first. Post it early, or deliver it by hand, so that it reaches the court inside the time: the rule says the form has to be filed. If you cannot meet the date, call the court office named on the notice the same day, and get free debt advice.

Starts

the day the court served its notice of application and form N56 on you. Count from the date on the court's letter or its postmark, whichever is earlier, not the day you opened it. The court rules say the notice has to tell you to complete the reply form and file it within 8 days after service.

If missed

the court may decide what to take from your pay without your own figures, so what is taken may not leave you enough to live on. It can also order you to give a statement of your means; if you do not obey that, the court rules say it sends a notice calling on you to show good reason why you should not be imprisoned. Not returning the form is also an offence under the Attachment of Earnings Act 1971 (section 23); the court rules say no one is prosecuted for it unless the papers reached you in time and you had not paid what was owed by the end of the 8 days. If the 8 days have passed, still send the form and call the court office the same day.

It lets you

tell the court your income, outgoings and debts, so that the order it makes leaves you enough to live on. GOV.UK says the court uses the form to decide what order to make, and that this may include an order for your employer to take payments directly from your earnings. An attachment of earnings order has to set a protected earnings rate: the amount below which the court thinks your take-home pay should not be reduced. If you pay what is still owed, the court rules say the person you owe has to tell the court.

Use this card if the papers came from a county court and include form N56. If the money is for a benefit overpayment, child maintenance or council tax, ask the body that sends you letters which route applies.

Where this differs: England and Wales, county court orders (Civil Procedure Rules Part 89). Scotland uses earnings arrestment and Northern Ireland uses the Enforcement of Judgments Office: see their cards. GOV.UK says wage deductions can be for a county court judgment or unpaid maintenance. England and Wales also has Breathing Space (the Debt Respite Scheme): GOV.UK's guidance for creditors says it pauses most enforcement but does not include an attachment of earnings order made before it started, so ask a free debt adviser early, before an order is made.

Checked 10 October 2026 at Civil Procedure Rules, Part 89 (Ministry of Justice)

How long

Fill in form N244 and send it to the court that made the order, within 14 days of getting the order. The court rules say the same, 14 days from service of the order, and ask you to give your reasons. Do it the same day if you can. You can also apply later if the order has been in place for some time and your circumstances change.

Starts

the day the court served the order on you: the date on the order, or its postmark, whichever is earlier. GOV.UK says 'within 14 days of getting the order' and the court rules say 14 days of service of the order, so count from the earlier date, not the day you opened it.

If missed

the deductions carry on while you wait. GOV.UK says you can still apply later if your circumstances change, so a missed date does not close every route. Do not ask your employer to ignore the order: GOV.UK says you cannot, and you and your employer can be fined if the order is not followed. To check how much you still owe, ring the Centralised Attachment of Earning Payments (CAPS) office on 0300 123 1058, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm, with your case number. If you think you have overpaid, ask CAPS to check: GOV.UK says you get a refund if you have.

It lets you

ask the court to reduce the payments if you cannot afford them. Give your reasons and your figures. A court fee may apply: ask the court office which one before you send the form. If you get certain benefits, or have a low income and little savings, you can apply for Help with Fees: GOV.UK says you can do this before or after you pay. If you want to pay the debt off faster, GOV.UK says to speak to the person you owe: they might take extra payments, or agree to put the order on hold, and the court tells you if the debt is put on hold.

Where this differs: England and Wales. This card is for an order made by a county court. Money taken for a benefit overpayment by the DWP (a Direct Earnings Attachment), for child maintenance (a Deduction from Earnings Order) or for council tax has its own route: see the steps and doors on this page. Scotland and Northern Ireland: see their cards.

Checked 10 October 2026 at GOV.UK (HM Courts and Tribunals Service)

How long

Tell the court in writing within 7 days of leaving, starting or restarting a job while an attachment of earnings order is in force. GOV.UK says to tell the Centralised Attachment of Earning Payments (CAPS) office your new employer's details, or that you have lost your job, and to fill in form N56 and send it to the court that issued the order. For a new job, include what you earn and expect to earn.

Starts

the day you leave a job, or start or restart one, while an attachment of earnings order is in force. Count from that day, not from the day you get round to writing.

If missed

failing to tell the court is an offence under the Attachment of Earnings Act 1971 (sections 15 and 23): the court can fine you or, for this offence by the debtor, order up to 14 days in prison. A new employer who knows about the order also has to tell the court within 7 days of becoming your employer or of learning about the order, whichever is later.

It lets you

keep the court and CAPS up to date, which is what the Act and GOV.UK ask of you. Leaving a job does not clear the debt. The Act says the order stops applying to an employer you have left until the court sends it to a new one, but the order itself stays in force. GOV.UK says the CAPS office sends a notice of discharge to you, your employer and the person you owe when the debt has been paid off, and that is when the deductions stop.

Only once a court has made an attachment of earnings order.

Where this differs: England and Wales (the sections are marked for England and Wales), for an order a court made. A council's attachment of earnings order for council tax is made by the council, not a court: tell the council in writing instead, within 14 days of leaving or starting a job (Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992, regulation 40); see the guide on council tax arrears. Money taken by the DWP or the Child Maintenance Service follows their own rules: ask the number on their letter what to tell them. Scotland and Northern Ireland handle a job change differently: ask your adviser for your nation.

Checked 10 October 2026 at Attachment of Earnings Act 1971, section 15 (legislation.gov.uk)

How long

With a charge for payment, apply to the court for Time to Pay before its 14 days end. The creditor cannot start taking money from your pay until those 14 days have ended. The Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987 gives 14 days if you are in the UK, and 28 days if you are abroad. If money is already being taken from your pay, you can still apply. Get free money advice today: an adviser can help you fill in the form, which comes from the court or, for council tax, with the summary warrant.

Starts

the day the charge for payment (a formal demand to pay, served on you by a sheriff officer) is handed to you or left at your home. Count that day as day 1. If an earnings arrestment is already taking money from your pay, there is no date to wait for: act today.

If missed

after the charge period ends, the creditor can send an earnings arrestment to your employer, who still has to keep to the limits set by law (Citizens Advice Scotland). You can still apply for Time to Pay while it runs. mygov.scot says Time to Pay protection can stop if you do not keep to the agreed terms, and that you cannot get a second Time to Pay for the same debt if you fell behind on the payments the court ordered.

It lets you

ask the court to let you pay the debt in instalments, or in one sum at a later date. mygov.scot says the court should agree if it is reasonable in the circumstances, and that a Time to Pay stops the creditor taking any further action to get their money back, including wages arrestment (money taken directly from your wages). The Act says that when the sheriff makes a Time to Pay order, it recalls an earnings arrestment that is already running. You can ask once for the same debt, for most debts under £25,000; you cannot ask for debts to do with divorce or maintenance, or for income tax, VAT or car tax. Citizens Advice Scotland also says to check the creditor followed the right steps: if there was no charge for payment and no Debt Advice and Information Package, you may be able to argue the arrestment is illegal. Get specialist advice on that.

Where this differs: Scotland only. Citizens Advice Scotland says an earnings arrestment cannot be used by someone you owe if you are self-employed, and that benefits, redundancy pay, disablement pensions or allowances and many public-sector pensions cannot be arrested. The Child Maintenance Service and the DWP can take money from your earnings without going to court: call the number on their letter. Citizens Advice Scotland also says your employment contract may say an earnings arrestment is something you can be disciplined for: get employment advice as well as debt advice. How much can be taken depends on your pay period and your net earnings: Citizens Advice Scotland publishes the tables. England, Wales and Northern Ireland: see their cards.

Checked 10 October 2026 at Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987, section 90 (legislation.gov.uk)

Starts

the date on the notice. nidirect does not say what the 10 days count from, so count from the date printed on it, not the day it reached you. It tells you someone has a court order to recover money from you and plans to use the Enforcement of Judgments Office (EJO).

If missed

the person you owe can ask the EJO to enforce the judgment, and you pay the extra costs. nidirect says that can mean a custody warrant over all your goods and assets (you cannot sell your belongings), your name on the Register of Judgments for up to 12 years where the public can see it, and orders that take money from your wages or bank account or seize goods. If you are summonsed to an examination and do not go, a warrant can be issued for your arrest.

It lets you

stop the matter going to the EJO. nidirect says to offer to repay in full or by instalments, and that the offer should be an arrangement you can afford to keep: if it is accepted, it may stop the creditor going to the EJO.

This notice comes before enforcement. If the Enforcement of Judgments Office then writes about taking money from your pay, use the next card.

Where this differs: Northern Ireland only. This is the step after a judgment. The earlier step, a claim or small claims pack, has its own dates in the papers: nidirect's pages did not give a reply date for it, so use the date on your papers and ask Advice NI or the court. For a judgment about your home, nidirect gives a separate notice with its own date.

Checked 10 October 2026 at nidirect (Northern Ireland government)

How long

Get your written objection to the EJO within the time its letter gives, which the EJO's own page says is normally 8 days. Call the EJO on 0300 200 7812 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) the day the letter arrives and ask the exact date. Advice NI gives free advice on debt: ask it about your objection.

Starts

the date on the letter from the Enforcement of Judgments Office (EJO) about an attachment of earnings order (an order that takes a regular sum from your pay). Count from the date on the letter, not the day you opened it.

If missed

the order can be made and your employer takes a regular sum from your pay. The EJO's page says the order does not stop it issuing other enforcement orders. Call Advice NI the same day: do not assume nothing more can be done.

It lets you

have the case reviewed by an EJO officer or, in some cases, by the Master (the judge at the EJO), who can confirm, suspend or change the order. The EJO's page says the order sets a protected earnings rate: an amount you keep to live on, which allows for you, your partner and children, your rent or mortgage, and rates.

Where this differs: Northern Ireland only. The EJO's page says a debtor may be given the chance to object 'under certain circumstances', so not every order comes with it: your letter says. This comes after a Notice of Intention to Enforce (see that card). England and Wales and Scotland: see their cards.

Checked 10 October 2026 at Department of Justice (Northern Ireland): Enforcement of Judgments Office