Can wage garnishment increase over time?

MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money Can wage garnishment increase over time? We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Angelica Leicht Angelica Leicht Senior Editor, Managing Your Money Angelica Leicht is the senior editor for the Managing Your Money section for CBSNews.com, where she writes and edits articles on a range of personal finance topics. Angelica previously held editing roles at The Simple Dollar, Interest, HousingWire and other financial publications. Read Full Bio Angelica Leicht April 28, 2026 / 10:35 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Wage garnishment can be a big drain on your income, so it's important to handle the issue before it compounds. Getty Images/iStockphoto Serious financial trouble generally doesn't arrive all at once. It builds quietly, especially in the current economic landscape. With debt sitting at record highs and elevated rates continuing to drive up the costs of borrowing, it's easy to fall behind and miss what you think will be just one payment. But that missed payment turns into a late notice, and then becomes multiple missed payments followed by collections calls, and eventually, for some, a court judgment that allows a creditor to reach directly into your paycheck to cover what's owed. That process is known as wage garnishment, and by the time the garnishment process begins, the situation has often been unfolding for months or even years prior. That's part of what makes garnishment so difficult to navigate. And, unlike a credit card bill or loan payment that you can adjust or delay, this is money removed from your paycheck before you ever see it. That, in turn, can reshape your budget overnight, leaving little room to adapt, which can be particularly tough at a time when everyday expenses are already stretching budgets thinner.One of...