What happens if two wage garnishments are put on your paycheck?

MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money What happens if two wage garnishments are put on your paycheck? 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 May 13, 2026 / 11:10 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google If you're facing simultaneous wage garnishments, it could have an outsized impact on your financial health. Ahmad Bilal/Getty Images Millions of borrowers were already struggling to make even the minimum payments on their credit cards or loan payments in today's tough economic landscape, and it may soon be even harder to keep up. Case in point? The inflation rate ticked up again last month, climbing from 3.3% to 3.8% from March to April — the highest rate in three years. That uptick, which has been driven, in part, by the conflict in Iran, pushed up energy costs and drove up prices on everything from gasoline to groceries. And it's having a detrimental impact on Americans' budgets, particularly for borrowers whose debts are compounding as prices rise. But while late payments have become a more common issue recently, they also come with hefty penalties for borrowers. A single late credit card can lead to late fees and steeper interest charges. The longer those bills go unpaid, the more serious the outcome can be. After all, creditors can use tools like lawsuits, bank levies and wage garnishments to recoup what you owe. If a debt collector reaches directly into your paycheck to garnish a portion of...