--- title: IRS Wage Garnishment Guide description: An IRS wage garnishment is an extremely difficult process to deal with. The federal government has given the Internal Revenue Service the authority to garnish employee earnings, and the agency often resorts to this action in severe cases of back tax debt. image: https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/hs-fs/file-253383197-jpg/images/moneyvice.jpg --- [(866)866-1555](tel:866-866-1555) | [Contact](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/contact-us) [![Top Tax Defenders](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/nov_15/ttd_logo_test_new.png?width=314&height=64&name=ttd_logo_test_new.png "Top Tax Defenders")](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com) # Tax Matters - The Top Tax Defenders Blog # IRS Wage Garnishment Guide By Top Tax Staff | May 28, 2013 7:00:00 AM | [IRS Collections](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/irs-collections), [Wage Garnishment](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/wage-garnishment) [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.toptaxdefenders.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F177787%2Firs-wage-garnishment-guide%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.toptaxdefenders.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F177787%2Firs-wage-garnishment-guide%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.toptaxdefenders.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F177787%2Firs-wage-garnishment-guide%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.toptaxdefenders.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F177787%2Firs-wage-garnishment-guide%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=IRS%20Wage%20Garnishment%20Guide) [![Share on Pinterest](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/pinterest-24x24.png)](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.toptaxdefenders.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F177787%2Firs-wage-garnishment-guide%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dpinterest&media=) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.toptaxdefenders.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F177787%2Firs-wage-garnishment-guide%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.toptaxdefenders.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F177787%2Firs-wage-garnishment-guide%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ![How Long Can the IRS Continue Wage Garnishment](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/hs-fs/hubfs/How%20Long%20Can%20the%20IRS%20Continue%20Wage%20Garnishment.jpg?width=1000&name=How%20Long%20Can%20the%20IRS%20Continue%20Wage%20Garnishment.jpg) An IRS wage garnishment is an extremely difficult process to deal with. The federal government has given the Internal Revenue Service the authority to garnish employee earnings, and the agency often resorts to this action in severe cases of back tax debt. Once the IRS begins garnishing your wages, it will generally continue to do so until the entire tax bill is paid in full, no matter how long that takes. Despite its authority, the IRS has to follow certain wage garnishment guidelines. ### [![DID YOU RECEIVE AN IRS AUDIT NOTICE? DOWNLOAD OUR FREE GUIDE ON FIGHTING AN IRS AUDIT >>](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/139062/7b6035f5-162a-44ad-8fb1-35e7a2cd3f78.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/139062/7b6035f5-162a-44ad-8fb1-35e7a2cd3f78) ### When Can the IRS Garnish Wages? The only time the IRS can impose a wage garnishment is when a taxpayer owes a significant amount of back taxes and has not attempted to resolve the matter for some time. You can generally [prevent a wage garnishment](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/bid/112732/How-to-Stop-Wage-Garnishment) from happening as long as you continue to communicate with the IRS and make efforts to make payments on your account. Even if you owe a large amount of back taxes, and you have not yet taken steps to repay it, the IRS does not have the right to simply begin garnishing your wages. Rather, the agency must send you written notices before doing so. You'll receive several letters before you get a Final Notice of Intent to Levy. In this letter, the IRS will outline the procedure for wage garnishment and the amount of time you have left before the garnishment begins. ### What is the Wage Garnishment Process? Once the wage garnishment takes effect, there are regulations in place to prevent the IRS from taking all of the money you earn. However, the agency is not required to leave you enough funds to pay your regular bills such as your rent or mortgage, car note, or utility bills. Rather, the IRS uses the number of exemptions and the [marital tax status](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/bid/153318/Married-Couples-How-to-Decide-if-You-Should-File-Joint-or-Separate-Tax-Returns) on your Form W-4 as guidelines to decide how much of your earnings to seize. You'll receive an updated form to fill out right before the garnishment begins. ### [![DO YOU NEED IRS TAX HELP? SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION WITH OUR TAX EXPERTS »](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/139062/758dc20d-7fa2-4e2a-a2ae-b124ff4cd561.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/139062/758dc20d-7fa2-4e2a-a2ae-b124ff4cd561) ### How to Stop Wage Garnishment After the IRS begins to seize your income, the only way you can [stop the wage garnishment](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/tax-solutions/stop-wage-garnishments/) is to contact the agency and set up an [installment plan for repaying your debt](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/bid/173491/How-to-Use-an-IRS-Payment-Plan-to-Resolve-Tax-Debt). This allows you to pay a little of your tax debt each month, instead of having to pay the entire amount at once. IRS wage garnishment can make it almost impossible for you to afford your necessities each month. If you familiarize yourself with the wage garnishment guidelines, you can decide the best way to rectify this situation for you and your family.   *[![New Call-to-action](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/139062/d03b01e3-a2c9-41c4-844b-f233b067505a.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/139062/d03b01e3-a2c9-41c4-844b-f233b067505a) * COMMENTS ### SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL ### POSTS BY TOPIC - [Tax Tips and Help (287)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/tax-tips-and-help) - [IRS Collections (121)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/irs-collections) - [IRS Audit (72)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/irs-audit) - [Tax Credits and Deductions (69)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/tax-credits-and-deductions) - [Tax Resolution (62)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/tax-resolution) - [Business Taxes (53)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/business-taxes) - [Back Taxes (51)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/back-taxes) - [Wage Garnishment (22)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/wage-garnishment) - [Tax Levies (19)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/tax-levies) - [IRS Payment Plans (15)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/irs-payment-plans) - [Tax Liens (14)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/tax-liens) - [Offer in Compromise (9)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/offer-in-compromise) - [Unfiled Tax Returns (9)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/unfiled-tax-returns) - [IRS Tax Attorneys (7)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/irs-tax-attorneys) - [Asset Seizure (6)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/asset-seizure) - [Tax Evasion (6)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/tax-evasion) - [Criminal Tax Defense (4)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/criminal-tax-defense) - [Innocent Spouse Relief (4)](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/topic/innocent-spouse-relief) [see all](https://www.toptaxdefenders.com/blog/bid/177787/irs-wage-garnishment-guide#) ### RECENT ARTICLES ### POPULAR ARTICLES Aenean sollicitudin, lorem quis bibendum auctor, nisi elit consequat ipsum. 11222 Richmond Avenue Suite 235, Houston, TX 77082 Copyright 2026 Top Tax Defenders. 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