When the IRS garnishes your paycheck

Fill out and return the form your employer gives you within three days. It is the Statement of Dependents and Filing Status, and it sets how much of your pay you keep. The IRS wage levy page says that if you don't return it, your exempt amount is figured as if you were married filing separately with zero dependents. That is the smallest exemption there is.

Then gather your last few pay stubs, your monthly bills, and the IRS letters you received before the levy. Send copies to Blaga so she can contact the IRS under Form 2848.

It continues every pay period until one of three things happens. Per the IRS, part of your wages goes to the IRS each pay period until you make other arrangements to pay, the overdue tax is paid, or the levy is released. It does not stop on its own after a set number of weeks.

Since a full payoff is rare for people already under levy, "other arrangements" is usually the realistic exit. That might be an installment agreement, a temporary hardship delay, or an offer in compromise.

Everything above your exempt amount. The IRS says the exempt amount "is based on the standard deduction and an amount determined" by your number of dependents. The rest goes to the IRS. For many families that leaves too little to live on, which is why a hardship review matters. Showing your real expenses on a financial statement can support a release.

You should have. The IRS sends a final notice with hearing rights before levying wages, usually an LT11 or Letter 1058 or a CP90. Earlier, a CP504 warned that wages could be next. If the final notice is less than 30 days old, a Collection Due Process hearing is still open. Letters often go to an old address, so we pull your transcripts to see what was sent and when.

Yes. A federal tax levy applies to Texas paychecks the same way it does in any state. Your employer must follow it once served. Talking to your employer won't stop it. The fix runs through the IRS, which is where an Enrolled Agent comes in. See how this compares with a bank levy.

She calls the IRS for you, confirms the balance and which years are involved, and prepares the financial statement the IRS asks for. Then she proposes the arrangement your budget can carry and asks for the levy to be released once it is in place. If returns are missing, she prepares them too, since unfiled years block most options. Start with our unfiled returns page if that applies.

Yes. The IRS lists wages and other income, bank accounts and Social Security benefits among the property it can levy after the final notice process. A CP91 warns that up to 15% of Social Security benefits may be levied, and the Social Security Administration can't stop it. If you are retired and also working part time, more than one source can be hit, so bring every income statement to the first meeting.