Financial failure is emotionally overwhelming, and wage garnishments only add to the stress. Questions cross your mind: how will you pay bills? How will you make ends meet between paychecks? Will you have enough to feed yourself and your family, pay for gas, and other incidental expenses?
Here is how you can protect your wages from wage garnishments, provided by knowledgeable bankruptcy lawyers in Phoenix, AZ.
Understand Your Rights During Bankruptcy
One of the primary reasons many people who are facing tremendous debt or financial strain file for bankruptcy is because being in bankruptcy protects people from being responsible for remitting portions of their wages for garnishment. That means that once you are in bankruptcy, your employer no longer is required – or in many cases allowed – to hand over a portion of your pay to your creditors. If you believe this is still happening despite being in bankruptcy, contact a lawyer immediately.
Educate Yourself on Exemption
There are many cases in which a person who is currently paying wage garnishments can be legally exempt. To obtain this exemption, you must first file for it and be approved. The primary reason for doing so is a belief that wage garnishments are taking too much of your pay to allow you and those you provide for to finance your basic needs. If this is the case, you will likely be approved for a stay of your garnishments or a reduction of the amount being seized each pay period.
Again, it is important to talk to a lawyer to find out if you have the right to file for this kind of exemption – and how to do so properly.
Talk to Your Creditors
This approach is not typically recommended unless you have no other choice, but if bankruptcy is not an option or you believe that you have a sympathetic case, you may be able to talk to your creditors about why you cannot pay your debt – and why wage garnishment will be more harmful than good. In some cases, this may lead to a reduction of garnishments or even a reprieve, but more often it simply leads to a denial of help from your creditors and a frustrating situation for you.
If you are facing wage garnishment before, during, or after your bankruptcy, talk to a Phoenix, AZ wage garnishment lawyer. Contact the Law Office of Larry P. Karandreas today and find out how to protect yourself, your family, and your hard-earned wages from reduction.