A wage garnishment is an order from the court or a government agency that lets your employer know that they need to withhold money from your paycheck as compensation for an unpaid debt. Having this happen to you can be a very stressful thing, especially because you rely on that money to help support your family and make sure they are taken care of. Fortunately, there are limits that are set up stating how much money can be withheld so the creditor does not get too greedy.
This article deals specifically with the limits in the state of Connecticut. Their law is stricter than federal wage garnishment laws. It states that creditors with judgments can take either 25% of your disposable earnings or the amount by which your weekly disposable earnings exceed 40 times the federal hourly minimum wage ($7.25/hour) or the Connecticut minimum fair wage ($.8.25/hour), whichever is greater. Whichever comes out to be the lesser amount is the amount that will be garnished. Also, keep in mind that “disposable earnings” means the wages left after your employer has taken out the required taxes.
For a few types of debts, the creditor is allowed to garnish your wages without a court order and the amount garnished may be different, too. Income withholding for child support in Connecticut is limited to 15% of the first $145 you bring home each week plus any amount that exceeds $145/week. This means that you would be left with around $124 per week to support yourself. If your earnings are less than $145, then the limits state that only 15% of your income can be garnished.
Moreover, if you have more than one garnishment, the total amount that can be garnished is still at 25%. Thus, if your wage is already being garnished by 15% by one creditor, only 10% can be garnished by the second creditor. The idea is that the amount you have left over, after the garnishments, should be enough to pay for living expenses. You should still be able to support yourself.
In the state of Connecticut, your employer cannot fire you just because of garnishment orders unless more than seven executions have been served upon your employer within one calendar year. It is good that employees have this protection under the law, because otherwise – employers might be inclined to just terminate your employment rather than comply with the court order.
Has the statute of limitations expired on your debt? Do you live in a state other than Connecticut?
Every summer, Archana works at Kumon, a math and reading workshop, tutoring children between the ages of three and 18 in these subjects. She used to be enrolled in this program herself, so this allows her to connect with the students and give them the one-on-one help that they need. Archana is also currently a member of NC State’s Psychology Club, Rotaract Club, and EKTAA (NC State’s premiere South Asian Student Organization).
Archana was born in India, and moved to North Carolina with her immediate family when she was 7 years old. She speaks mostly Tamil, the native language of South India, and English in her home. In addition, having taken Spanish classes since 6th grade, she can speak and understand it pretty well too. Archana enjoys spending time with her family and friends, watching movies, listening to music, and going to the gym. She also loves to travel, and hopes to travel the world one day and learn about all the different cultures!
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