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Summary of differences between federal and state regulations
Indiana has a number of statutes regarding garnishment.
State
Contact
Questions regarding a wage garnishment order should be directed to the court which issued the order.
Regulations
Indiana Code §24-4.5-5-105 Limitation on garnishment and proceedings supplemental to execution; employer’s fee
(2) Except as provided in subsection (8), the maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings of an individual for any workweek which is subjected to garnishment to enforce the payment of one (1) or more judgments against him may not exceed:
(2)(a) twenty-five percent (25%) of his disposable earnings for that week, or upon showing good cause for a reduction, a lesser about that is at least ten percent of the disposable earnings for that week; or
(2)(b) the amount by which his disposable earnings for that week exceed thirty (30) times the federal minimum hourly wage prescribed by 29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1) in effect at the time the earnings are payable;
whichever is less. In the case of earnings for a pay period other than a week, the earnings shall be computed upon a multiple of the federal minimum hourly wage equivalent to thirty (30) times the federal minimum hourly wage as prescribed in this section.
(3) The maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings of an individual for any workweek which is subject to garnishment or support withholding to enforce any order for the support of any person shall not exceed:
(3)(a) where such individual is supporting his spouse or dependent child (other than a spouse or child with respect to whose support such order is used), fifty percent (50%) of such individual's disposable earnings for that week; and
(3)(b) where such individual is not supporting such a spouse or dependent child described in subdivision (a), sixty percent (60%) of such individual's disposable earnings for that week; except that, with respect to the disposable earnings of any individual for any workweek, the fifty percent (50%) specified in subdivision (a) shall be deemed to be fifty-five percent (55%) and the sixty percent (60%) specified in subdivision (b) shall be deemed to be sixty-five percent (65%), if and to the extent that such earnings are subject to garnishment or support withholding to enforce a support order with respect to a period which is prior to the twelve (12) week period which ends with the beginning of such workweek.
Indiana Code Ann. §24-4.5-105 Limitation on garnishment and proceedings supplemental to execution; employer’s fee
(5) An employer who is required to make deductions from an individual's disposable earnings pursuant to a garnishment order or series of orders arising out of the same judgment debt (excluding a judgment for payment of child support) may collect, as a fee to compensate the employer for making these deductions, an amount equal to the greater of twelve dollars ($12) or three percent (3%) of the total amount required to be deducted by the garnishment order or series of orders arising out of the same judgment debt. If the employer chooses to impose a fee, the fee shall be allocated as follows:
(5)(a) One-half (1/2) of the fee shall be borne by the debtor, and that amount may be deducted by the employer directly from the employee's disposable earnings.
(5)(b) One-half (1/2) of the fee shall be borne by the creditor, and that amount may be retained by the employer from the amount otherwise due the creditor.
The deductions made under this subsection for a collection fee do not increase the amount of the judgment debt for which the fee is collected for the purpose of calculating or collecting judgment interest. This fee may be collected by an employer only once for each garnishment order or series of orders arising out of the same judgment debt. The employer may collect the entire fee from one (1) or more of the initial deductions from the employee's disposable earnings. Alternatively, the employer may collect the fee ratably over the number of pay periods during which deductions from the employee's disposable earnings are required.
(6) The deduction of the garnishment collection fee under subsection (5)(a) or subsection (7) is not an assignment of wages under IC 22-2-6.
(7) An employer who is required to make a deduction from an individual's disposable earnings in accordance with a judgment for payment of child support may collect a fee of two dollars ($2) each time the employer is required to make the deduction. The fee may be deducted by the employer from the individual's disposable earnings each time the employer makes the deduction for support. If the employer elects to deduct such a fee, the amount to be deducted for the payment of support must be reduced accordingly if necessary to avoid exceeding the maximum amount permitted to be deducted under subsection (3).
Indiana Code §24-4.5-5-106 No discharge from employment for garnishment
No employer shall discharge an employee for the reason that a creditor or creditors of the employee has subjected or attempted to subject unpaid earnings of the employee to garnishment or like proceedings directed to the employer for the purpose of paying a judgment or judgments.
Federal
Contact
www.dol.gov/general/topic/wages/garnishments
Regulations
Federal law limits the amount of wages that can be garnished, in most cases, to 25 percent of weekly earnings after taxes. If more that one garnishment order exists against an individual, the total amount cannot exceed the maximum set by law. Some government obligations, such as back taxes and child support, always have precedence.