How fast can creditors garnish your wages after a lawsuit?

MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money How fast can creditors garnish your wages after a lawsuit? 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 13, 2026 / 12:35 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The speed at which a creditor can garnish your wages after filing a lawsuit depends on numerous factors. PM Images/Getty Images The pressure borrowers are facing is increasing in today's high-rate, inflationary landscape, and for some borrowers, their budgets are being stretched so thin that they can no longer accommodate every essential expense and debt payment. If that happens and you fall behind on credit card payments, though, there can be serious repercussions that follow. After all, it doesn't take long for compounding interest to escalate a minor problem into a serious financial issue. Part of the problem is that falling behind on a debt doesn't always feel urgent, at least initially. Many borrowers feel like they can catch up quickly if they give themselves a little bit of breathing room by skipping a payment or two. But today's credit card rates are sitting at an average of over 21%, and the interest charges, late fees and penalty rates that rack up can cause a once manageable balance to balloon faster than expected. And, if numerous payments are missed over time, a lawsuit could enter the picture.Once a creditor sues you and secures a legal judgment against you, there are more options available to co...