Yes, you may stop an administrative wage garnishment once it starts. If you did not have a hearing, have new evidence or changed finances it may stop.
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The Treasury will send you a notice of its intent to order an administrative wage garnishment. Thereafter, you can request a hearing. The hearing is usually a "paper hearing". This means you do not appear personally. Instead, you submit a legal brief and supporting evidence. However, if you fail to request a hearing timely, the Treasury will issue an administrative wage garnishment order to your employer. Similarly, if the hearing is held and the hearing officer finds in favor of the government, your wages will be garnished.
Once the administrative wage garnishment starts, you may stop it in limited circumstances. As stated, if you fail to submit your hearing request, the administrative wage garnishment order will issue. However, you can still submit a hearing request late. Thereafter, if a hearing officer does not make a decision within 60 days, the administrative wage garnishment will be suspended. The suspension will go into effect on the 61st day after your hearing request.
If you did request a hearing and the hearing officer ruled against you, you may obtain a new hearing if you obtain new evidence. However, the government will not provide you with a new hearing simply because you disagree with the hearing officer's initial decision. Instead, you must have obtained new evidence that would exonerate you from the administrative wage garnishment.
If your wages are subject to garnishment but your financial circumstances change, you may qualify for a financial hardship exemption. For instance, at the time of the original hearing your spouse may have been employed. But in the interim, your spouse suffered a lay off and remains unemployed, cutting your household income in half. As such, you may request a new hearing based on the financial hardship the garnishment now causes as you can't meet your basic living expenses. Keep in mind, you will have to provide financial documentation to prove the garnishment constitutes a financial hardship.
Our attorneys have years of experience dealing with administrative wage garnishments. Contact us today for a free initial consultation - 833-428-0934
Millions of Dollars in SBA Debts Resolved via Offer in Compromise and Negotiated Repayment Agreements without our Clients filing for Bankruptcy or Facing Home Foreclosure
Millions of Dollars in Treasury Debts Defended Against via AWG Hearings, Treasury Offset Program Resolution, Cross-servicing Disputes, Private Collection Agency Representation, Compromise Offers and Negotiated Repayment Agreements
Our Attorneys are Authorized by the Agency Practice Act to Represent Federal Debtors Nationwide before the SBA, The SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals, the Treasury Department, and the Bureau of Fiscal Service.
Clients obtained an SBA 7(a) loan for $324,000 to buy a small business and its facility. The business and real estate had an appraisal value of $318,000 at the time of purchase. The business ultimately failed but the participating lender abandoned the business equipment and real estate collateral even though it had valid security liens. As a result, the lender recouped nearly nothing from the pledged collateral, leaving the business owners liable for the deficiency balance. The SBA paid the lender the 7(a) guaranty money and was assigned ownership of the debt, including the right to collect. However, the clients never received the SBA Official 60-Day Notice and were denied the opportunity to negotiate an Offer in Compromise (OIC) or a Workout directly with the SBA before being transferred to Treasury's Bureau of Fiscal Service, which added an additional $80,000 in collection fees. Treasury garnished and offset the clients' wages, federal salary and social security benefits. When the clients tried to negotiate with Treasury by themselves, they were offered an unaffordable repayment plan which would have caused severe financial hardship. Clients subsequently hired the Firm to litigate an Appeals Petition before the SBA Office & Hearings Appeals (OHA) challenging the legal enforceability and amount of the debt. The Firm successfully negotiated a term OIC that was approved by the SBA Office of General Counsel, saving the clients approximately $205,000.
Clients personally guaranteed an SBA 7(a) loan that was referred to the Department of Treasury for collection. Treasury claimed our clients owed over $220,000 once it added its statutory collection fees and interest. We were able to negotiate a significant reduction of the total claimed amount from $220,000 to $119,000, saving the clients over $100,000 by arguing for a waiver of the statutory 28%-30% administrative fees and costs.
Clients personally guaranteed SBA 7(a) loan balance of over $300,000. Clients also pledged their homes as additional collateral. SBA OIC accepted $87,000 with the full lien release against the home.
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