Wage garnishments are a legal process that allows creditors to deduct money directly from your paycheque to recover a debt.
In Ontario, this usually happens after a court judgment is made against you, allowing your employer to legally withhold part of your earnings and send it to your creditors. If you’re seeing unexpected deductions from your pay, there’s a good chance wage garnishment has begun.
Here’s how the process typically works:
- A creditor sues you in small claims or another court for an unpaid debt.
- If the court rules in their favour, a garnishment order is issued.
- The order is served to your employer, who must then deduct a portion of your wages.
- Up to 20% of your net income (or more for family support orders) may be taken from each pay period.
This process can continue until the full debt, including interest and legal costs, is repaid. Unfortunately, you don’t need to give permission for wage garnishment to happen—once a court order is in place, your employer is legally obligated to comply.
The good news? You do have options to stop a wage garnishment and regain control of your income. In the next section, we’ll explain how.