How To Find Where Someone Works for Garnishment (Guide)

Knowing how to find where someone works for garnishment is helpful parents who have custody and are looking for the non-custodial parent, or when an individual owes a debtor such as a bank, medical facility, or university.

In any case, anyone can easily run a background check on someone to find out who their employer is, if they have criminal charges against them, if they’re remarried and more; all it takes is their first and last name.

There’s additional ways someone can find someone’s employer as well so this full guide reveals how to find someone’s employer, what government resources are available, how garnishment works, and the limits placed on garnishment too.

What Is Wage Garnishments & When Is it Necessary?

Wage garnishment is simply a legal term for when an entity can have an employer withhold a certain amount of money from a person’s paycheck to satisfy a financial obligation as outlined by state laws.

When considering more 13 million custodial parents are due child support and consumer debt is more than 16.5 trillion dollars nationwide, this is especially important for individuals and institution hoping to retrieve the debt owed.¹

To start the process, the creditor or non-custodial parent needs to know how to find out where someone works for wage garnishment to take place. The garnishment laws not only outline what types of defaulted (or unpaid) debts can lead to wage garnishment, they also spell out how much of a person’s paycheck can be garnished.

One of the most common reasons for garnishment of wages is due to unpaid child support. Since almost 33% of all families due child support receive nothing from the individual ordered to pay, garnishment is a tool child support enforcement agencies in each state can use to compel payment.¹

That being said, figuring out how to find where someone works for garnishment is going to be made easy because it’s absolutely vital to compelling payment for neglected debts.

Some states also allow garnishment for other reasons such as defaulted student loan debts, ambulance bills, and consumer debts but they can also be used for unpaid taxes.

Garnishment may be from wages or from financial institutions where the individual subject to the action has a checking or savings account.

State laws define what income sources can be garnished to pay the financial obligation or obligations that a person has been refusing to pay. The table below shows what types of debts can lead to garnishment in each state, how much of a person’s wages can be garnished, and any other limitations.

State	Garnishment Statute	Debts That Can Lead to Garnishment	Amount of Wages That Can Be Garnished**	Income Exemptions*
Alabama	6-10-7	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Alaska	09.38.035	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	Debtor can request an exemption for up to $350 a week in wages from garnishment
Arizona	33-1131	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Spousal Support Vehicle Registration Court-Ordered Debts	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	Filing for bankruptcy may remove the garnishment from a person’s wages.
Arkansas	16-110-415	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Unpaid Medical Bills	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
California	California Code Chapter 5	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Colorado	5-5-105	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes	Up to 20% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Connecticut	52-361a	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Spousal Support Court-Ordered Debt Vehicle Registration	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds Crime Victim Compensation Interest in cash-value life insurance policies
Delaware	Wage Payment and Collection Act	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes	Up to15% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Florida	Chapter 77	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debts	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds Head of Household Wages Worker’s Compensation College Fund Savings
Georgia	18-4-4	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Hawaii	Chapter 652	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Idaho	Chapter 7	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Illinois	735 ILC 5	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Indiana	22-4-13.3	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Iowa	Chapter 642	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Kansas	60-2310	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Kentucky	425.501	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Louisiana	Chapter 4	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Maine	Title 9A, 5-105	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt (unless the interest rate exceeded 33%)	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Maryland	Rule 3-646	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Massachusetts	Part III, Title IV, Chapter 246, Section 28	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to15% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Michigan	Section 600.4012	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Minnesota	Section 571.72	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Mississippi	85-3-4	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Missouri	525.040	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Montana	25-13-614	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Nebraska	25-1558	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Nevada	Chapter 31	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
New Hampshire	282A:152-a	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
New Jersey	2A:17-50	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to10% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
New Mexico	35-12-1	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
New York	NYCLPR 5231	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to10% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
North Carolina	105-242	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to10% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
North Dakota	32-09.1	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Ohio	Chapter 2716	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Oklahoma	12-1173.4	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Oregon	Chapter 0249	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Pennsylvania	Act 46 of 2003	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Rhode Island	10-5-8	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
South Carolina	Title 37, Chapter 5	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to15% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
South Dakota	21-18-27.1	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 20% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Tennessee	69.05	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Texas	Chapter 63	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Utah	63A-3-507	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Vermont	3208	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Virginia	16VAC15-21-30	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Washington	25.60	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
West Virginia	46A-2-130	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Wisconsin	812.34	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds
Wyoming	HB0013	Child Support Federal Student Loans Unpaid Taxes Court-Ordered Debt	Up to 25% of gross income from wages	State or federal government benefits Pensions or Retirement Funds

*Social Security and SSI can be garnished for child support and government debts (for example, student loans that were not forgiven due to disability)
**Withholdings for child support can be up to 50-65% of the person’s disposable income

 

Knowing the law is only one part of the garnishment process. If someone is trying to find the other biological parent for child support, they need to know where the person works.

How To Find Out Where Someone Works for Child Support Wage Garnishment

The most important step in wage garnishment for child support is understanding how to find out where someone works in order to submit the request for garnishment or submit the garnishment order when a court order is required.

There are several ways a person can learn where a person is working.

State Child Support Enforcement Agency

Each state has a child support enforcement agency or entity, and this is the most effective way to not only find out where someone is working, but to start the garnishment process. This agency can also answer the question, “Who lives here?” regarding service of any court notices regarding child support.

Child support enforcement agents have access to databases that are not available to the public such as new hire databases and the Federal Parent Locator Service and know how to find out where someone works for child support.

Additionally, if court involvement is required to garnish wages for child support, the child support enforcement agency attorney will file the necessary paperwork and argue the matter in court. This ensures the paperwork is completed and filed properly and increases the chances the court will order wage or bank account garnishment.

Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE)

The federal Office of Child Support Enforcement works with state child support enforcement agencies to get money to families that have a valid child support order. The Office of Child Support Enforcement maintains the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) database and ensures state compliance with accessing the database and using the information obtained.

Agents with state child support enforcement programs know how to find where someone works for garnishment using the FPLS, and are authorized users of the database.

OCSE also has a link for custodial parents to apply for child support or change child support orders, and find the local child support enforcement agency to help with garnishment of wages.

The OCSE not only maintains the federal new hire registry, but it also maintains a listing of all active child support orders nationwide. This allows child support enforcement agents to see orders from other states when the individual ordered to pay has moved in an attempt to avoid payment

It also administers the Multistate Financial Institute Data Match for garnishment of bank accounts when ordered.²

New Hire Database

Each state maintains a new hire database which employers must report to when they take on a new employee and the respective database may be maintained by the state’s department of labor, or the local child support enforcement agency.

For example, Alabama’s Department of Labor maintains the new hire database for that state, and information can be accessed by local child support agents, attorneys or the courts for child support matters.

Hawaii, however, has its new hire database maintained by the child support enforcement agency in that state. Delaware places the responsibility for maintaining the new hire database with the Department of Health and Human Services in that state.

New hire database information is shared with the United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) for purposes of child support enforcement, wage garnishment, and tracking employment across state lines.

It also provides guidance to employers on reporting requirements and how to enter data.³ The USDHHS also provides guidance on how to find where someone works for garnishment in child support cases.

Personal Search

Individuals can pay a third party agency to conduct a search to find out where a person is working; however, the information in this search may or may not be current. Some third-party searches also will not reveal place of employment, and do not provide wage information.

Individuals can also conduct their own search of social media sites to see if they can locate the person’s place of employment. This type of search can be time consuming and may not yield the desired results.

Level 1 background checks or a level 2 background check can be used to reveal where a person works as well. Once a person’s work location has been determined, the next step is putting the garnishment process in place and collecting the funds.

How Do You Get Someone’s Wages Garnished for Child Support?

Child support typically does not require a court order to garnish a person’s wages; however, there are procedures that must be followed when figuring out how to find where someone works for garnishment.

Federal laws set caps on how much of a person’s gross income or disposable income can be garnished, the employer has to be notified, and the procedures for distributing the money is set out.

Federal guidelines allow up to 65% of a person’s disposable income to be garnished for child support with the exact amount set by the state in which the obligation is established; however, there are some limits.

For example, if a person is making minimum wage, their income does not provide enough disposable income to order garnishment making that individual exempt from wage withholdings for debts such as child support.⁴

The percentage of disposable income that can be garnished varies from state to state. The table below shows the allowable amount.

Percent of Disposable Income That Can Be Garnished Per State For Child Support
Up to 20%	Up to 25%	Up to 40%	Up to 50%	Up to 60%	Up to 65%
West Virginia	Minnesota Missouri New Hampshire Ohio Vermont Washington	North Carolina	Arizona Georgia Kansas Louisiana Michigan New Mexico Oregon Rhode Island South Carolina Texas Wyoming	Arkansas California Connecticut Illinois Indiana Iowa Maryland Massachusetts Mississippi Nebraska Nevada New Jersey North Dakota Pennsylvania	Alabama Alaska Delaware Florida Hawaii Idaho Kentucky Maine Montana New York Oklahoma South Dakota Tennessee Utah Virginia Wisconsin

Individuals can reach out to the local child support enforcement in their state to request assistance in getting unpaid child support through wage garnishment. The agent uses the formula adopted by the state to calculate child support and the amount of the garnishment.

Most states use a flat percentage method; however, the Melson Method is used in Delaware, Hawaii and Montana. This method calculates based on a certain standard of living for each party..

Regardless of the method used to calculate the amount to withhold from a person’s paycheck, the agent must consider the total number of children the person is financially responsible for, their gross salary, mandatory deductions, source of income, and amount of disposable income.⁵

Once the calculations are made, and it is determined the individual meets the necessary criteria to allow garnishment, the documentation is forwarded to the payroll department where the individual works.

The employer deducts the amount listed per paycheck in the garnishment order and sends it to the trustee for disbursement. The trustee is simply a third party, usually the child support enforcement agency, that is tasked with collecting the money and making sure it gets to the correct recipient.

The process for garnishment of wages for child support typically doesn’t require a court order, but the process for creditors and debt collectors is different.

How Can Creditors & Debt Collectors Find Someone’s Place of Employment for Garnishment?

Debt collectors and creditors do not have access to the Federal Parent Locator Service or new hire registries when it comes to locating a person who has stopped paying a valid debt, but there are ways these entities can locate where someone works for garnishment.

The most common way is for the creditor or debt collector to review the application for the loan or payment plan which would require listing a place of employment.

The creditor then has the right to contact the employer for the sole purpose of verifying the individual still works at that particular place of employment. The debt collector does have to follow laws and certain guidance and best practices.

Debtor Best Practices on How To Find Where Someone Works for Garnishment

As a debtor, it’s important to know the laws in the state where the debt occurred as the first step in how to find where someone works for garnishment, and if garnishment is an option available. Even neighboring states can have very different laws regarding what debts can lead to garnishment of wages.

For example, in North Carolina, medical bills are not eligible for garnishment, but ambulance bills, which fall under government debts, are.⁶ However, in South Carolina, garnishment laws allow medical facilities to garnish wages and tax refunds to collect unpaid medical bills.⁷

What’s the Process for Creditors to Get Wages Garnished?

Unlike child support, which does not require a court order for garnishment, creditors must sue the individual in court and obtain a court order allowing them to garnish the person’s wages to cover the debt.

Once the court orders a person’s wages to be garnished, a certified copy of the order is presented to the employer who begins the garnishment process.

Similar to child support calculations, the court or creditor uses federal guidelines and formulas to see how much can be garnished from a person’s wages.

Payments are submitted to the trustee designated in the court order to be disbursed to the debtor.

How To See if Someone’s Income Is Being Garnished?

While a person’s actual wages may be a private matter, disclosing withholdings for the purpose of wage garnishment is not. When a person’s wages are garnished whether by a court order or through an administrative process, this information can and does show up on a person’s credit report as public information.

Wage garnishment falls under the same reporting requirements of debts under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, meaning they can appear on a person’s credit history for up to seven years. There are some protections for the individual, however.

Consumer Credit Protection Act prohibits an employer from firing someone simply because they have a wage garnishment. Additionally, wages garnishment cannot be used in a discriminatory manner to not hire someone for a position.⁸

There are some things a person can do when they are under threat of a wage garnishment.

Can a Non-Custodial Parent or Debtor Get Around Wage Garnishment?

It is possible in some cases to get around a garnishment. The quickest, most efficient way to stop a garnishment is to simply pay off the debt in full. This satisfies the obligation and stops the collection process.

For those unable to pay the debt in full, they can file bankruptcy to stop the wage garnishment process for court ordered debts from creditors or debt collectors. Child support garnishments are not stayed (or stopped) by a bankruptcy.

Another way to get around wage garnishment is to establish an undue burden that would be caused by the loss of income. However, this requires disclosure of all financial obligations such as additional children or ongoing medical expenses.

When someone doesn’t pay child support, taxes, student loans or other debts, garnishment is a tool that can be used to collect the money owed. Having a guide showing how to find where someone works for garnishment can help custodial parents or creditors get these debts paid.

Frequently Asked Questions