Fortunately, there are limits to how much of your income may be garnished so that you can hopefully keep paying your basic living expenses. The limits are based in part on “disposable income,” which is income remaining after certain deductions, such as income taxes, Social Security and required contributions to retirement plans.
The maximum garnishment for most creditors is the lesser of
In Florida, if your disposable income is less than $217.50, no wages may be garnished at all.
Florida also has a “head of family” exemption. The head of a family’s wages may only be garnished if they exceed $750, and only if they agree in writing to have their wages garnished. This is a very powerful exemption against wage garnishment, but importantly, it does not automatically apply — it must be claimed in an affidavit filed with the court.
If you are facing wage garnishment, contact Osenton Law Office today.
In a later post, we’ll cover special limits on certain types of wage garnishment.
O. Reginald (“Reggie”) Osenton is the Owner and President of Osenton Law Office If you need a Brandon bankruptcy lawyer, attorney, call 813.654.5777 or visit http://www.brandonlawoffice.com.
The post Here’s how much of your wages can be garnished to pay your debts first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>One popular racket among scammers involves calling people on the phone, pretending to be from the Internal Revenue Service, and demanding immediate payment of taxes owed. They threaten jail time and often demand payment by a specific method. According to the IRS, at least 5,000 victims were cheated out of some $26 million since 2013 — an average of over $5,000 each.
You should know that the IRS virtually never calls taxpayers, and absolutely never demands immediate payment over the phone. They never demand a specific form of payment. And jail time for unpaid taxes is not common; it is a punishment usually reserved for people willfully avoiding large tax liabilities.
Criminals running more general scams often fraudulently obtain people’s credit reports. That way they can call about a debt you actually owe. Like those posing as IRS agents, these scammers will demand immediate payment via a specific method and threaten jail time or law enforcement involvement. They may be unusually harassing and rude.
Again, no legitimate debt collection agency is going to demand payment “today,” refuse to accept various forms of payment or threaten jail time. Another tell-tale sign is if the caller refuses to give a physical mailing address. If you call back and a live person immediately answers, or if you speak with the same individual each time you call, these are red flags. Real debt collection agencies have phone menus or receptionists and multiple agents, any of whom might work on your case.
Ignoring scare tactics and knowing how scams work can help protect you against scammers. For real problems with real debt, contact Osenton Law Office.
O. Reginald (“Reggie”) Osenton is the Owner and President of Osenton Law Office If you need a Brandon bankruptcy lawyer, attorney, call 813.654.5777 or visit http://www.brandonlawoffice.com.
The post Protect yourself against these common debt collection scams first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>