Wage garnishments are on the rise: What businesses need to know in 2026

Nationwide trends fueling the surge

There is no single reason behind the increase in wage garnishments; rather, several converging trends are at play.

• Consumer debt and delinquency: Borrowers have a record amount of debt, totaling about $18.8 trillion. This includes around $1.3 trillion in credit card debt. And more people are falling behind on their payments. Currently, about 4.8% of all debt is delinquent, the highest rate in nearly 10 years. This situation is likely to lead to more collection activity.
• Resumption of student loan debt collection: In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Education resumed collecting federal student loan debt after a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of people behind on their loans is now higher than it was before the pandemic. If this trend continues, student loan defaults could hit record levels. The Department of Education estimates that the default rate could reach 25 percent.
• The rise of debt buyer plaintiffs: More states are seeing an increase in lawsuits for unpaid debts. Debt buying companies purchase these debts from the original creditors. Once they own the debt, they can sue the debtor. If they win the case, they can collect the money through actions such as wage garnishment or seizure of funds from bank accounts. This approach is a common way for companies to recover money from people who are behind on payments. This activity is a significant factor in the rise in wage garnishments.
  
  According to data from CT Corporation:
  
  • Debt buyer wage garnishment has increased by 38% from January to February 2026 compared to the same time in 2025.
  • Debt buyers now account for 35.59% of all wage garnishments from January to February 2026. This is an increase from 24.18% during the same period in 2022. This shows a rise of over 11 percentage points in four years.

What employers need to know

• Wage garnishments and legal notices are increasing: The likelihood of receiving them is on the rise, making it more important than ever for employers to stay prepared.
• Ignoring notices can lead to serious consequences: Failing to respond properly can result in significant financial penalties and costly legal complications.
• Strict deadlines leave little room for error: Many service-of-process documents require a response within 20 days. On the other hand, wage garnishment orders often demand immediate action. Delays can quickly escalate risks.
• Noncompliance can make employers financially liable: If mishandled, employers may face default judgments. In many states, this means being responsible for the full amount of an employee’s outstanding debt.
• Your registered agent is a critical line of defense: They must be available during normal business hours to receive legal notices and wage garnishment orders, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks. A professional registered agent will also scan, digitize, and summarize incoming documents, and route them based on company-specific delivery instructions.

What employers should do next

With garnishment activity rising, employers can reduce risk by tightening intake, execution, and documentation. The steps below can help:

• Confirm where orders are received and who owns them. Make sure your registered agent and internal teams (legal, payroll, HR) have a clearly documented intake path so nothing sits unopened or unassigned.
• Centralize tracking and deadlines. Log every order the day it arrives, capture the response/withholding start date, and use reminders so statutory timelines (often short) don’t get missed.
• Triage immediately. Identify the order type (e.g., child support, tax levy, creditor garnishment, federal agency order), the issuing jurisdiction, and any required employer answer/response.
• Validate key details before processing. Confirm employee identity, employment status, pay frequency, disposable earnings definition used, and any limits or exemptions that apply.
• Prioritize and handle multiple orders correctly. When employees have more than one withholding order, apply the correct priority rules and document the rationale.
• Execute withholding and remittance consistently. Align payroll deductions, remittance method, and reporting/return requirements to the order instructions and jurisdiction rules.
• Maintain an audit-ready file. Keep the order, proof of receipt, calculations, responses filed, remittance confirmations, and any correspondence in one place.
• Consider process support and automation. If volume is increasing or jurisdictions are expanding, evaluate tools or partners that can speed delivery, centralize records, and reduce manual handoffs.

How CT Corporation can help

As a leading registered agent and compliance solutions provider, CT Corporation helps businesses manage incoming service of process and other time-sensitive legal notices, including wage garnishment orders, so they can be routed, tracked, and acted on quickly.

• Reliable intake at the registered office: Ensures legal notices are received during normal business hours so deadlines don’t start without you knowing.
• Digitization and confirmation of receipt: Logs and digitizes documents and supports acknowledgement workflows so teams can confirm receipt promptly.
• Faster routing to the right stakeholders: Follows delivery instructions so payroll, HR, legal, or third-party providers get what they need without manual handoffs.
• Centralized visibility and recordkeeping: Helps support tracking, documentation, and audit readiness across locations and jurisdictions.
• Scalable service of process solutions and integrations: For higher volumes, CT can support more streamlined workflows—including options to integrate data into existing systems—to reduce missed deadlines and improve data accuracy.

Learn more

To learn more about the ways in which CT Corporation can help your organization streamline the management of SOP documents and wage garnishment orders, contact a CT Corporation specialist today.