How to Defend Against an Administrative Wage Garnishment Notice
If you've been served an administrative wage garnishment notice, you need to know how to defend yourself. Read on to learn the best defenses.
You can stop an administrative wage garnishment by proving you don't owe the debt, the amount claimed is wrong, it would constitute a financial hardship.
Book a Consultation CallHow Do I Stop An Administrative Wage Garnishment
You will receive a notice from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service stating that the Treasury intends to garnish your wages. Thereafter, you must submit a hearing request prior to the date stated in the notice. Moreover, if you fail to submit your hearing request timely, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service will issue an order to your employer to start garnishing your wages. However, an order will not issue until you have had a chance to be heard but only if you submit your hearing request on time.
You may present evidence and arguments proving that you do not owe the debt. However, you must provide evidence as to why you do not owe the debt. For instance, you may have been released from the debt by government agency that claims you owe the debt. Likewise, you may have paid the debt in full. You may have a myriad of legal defenses that prove you are not liable for the debt.
Furthermore, you may owe some or part of the debt, but not the amount the Bureau of the Fiscal Service alleges. As such, you may have records of payments you made towards the debt that show a lesser amount. Or you may have evidence that the government sold certain collateral, which paid down the amount of the debt. In any case, you will need to present evidence as to why Bureau of the Fiscal Service's claim is inaccurate.
In addition, you may claim that the proposed administrative wage garnishment would create a financial hardship. However, you must submit a personal financial statement and supporting documentation. The financial documentation must show that an administrative wage garnishment would not allow you to meet your basic living needs. These needs include food, housing, utilities, transportation, medical care, and other living essentials. It does not include such expenses as funding your 401k, your child's private school or college tuition, excessive housing costs, credit card debt and other expenses.
Protect Law Group's assertive attorneys are experienced in defending clients in administrative wage garnishment hearings. Our attorneys provide you with the best possible chance at winning by marshaling favorable evidence and presenting well-researched legal defenses. Contact us today for a free initial 20-minute consultation.
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Clients personally guaranteed SBA 504 loan balance of $750,000. Clients also pledged the business’s equipment/inventory and their home as additional collateral. Clients had agreed to a voluntary sale of their home to pay down the balance. We intervened and rejected the proposed home sale. Instead, we negotiated an acceptable term repayment agreement and release of lien on the home.
Client personally guaranteed SBA 7(a) loan balance of $58,000. Client received Notice of Intent to initiate Administrative Wage Garnishment (AWG) Proceedings. We represented client at the Hearing and successfully defeated the AWG Order based on several legal and equitable grounds.
Client personally guaranteed SBA 7(a) loan for $350,000. The small business failed but because of the personal guarantee liability, the client continued to pay the monthly principal & interest out-of-pocket draining his savings. Client hired a local attorney but quickly realized that he was not familiar with SBA-backed loans or their standard operating procedures. Our firm was subsequently hired after the client received the SBA's official 60-day notice. After back-and-forth negotiations, we were able to convince the SBA to reinstate the loan, retract the acceleration of the outstanding balance, modify the original terms, and approve a structured workout reducing the interest rate from 7.75% to 0% and extending the maturity date for a longer period to make the monthly payments affordable. In conclusion, not only we were able to help the client avoid litigation and bankruptcy, but we also save him approximately $227,945 over the term of the workout.