If you received a final notice or found out your paycheck is about to be garnished, time matters. Once an IRS wage garnishment starts, your employer is required to send a large portion of your earnings directly to the IRS until your balance is paid or you enter a relief program. The fastest way to protect your next check is to take action immediately.
This guide explains what triggers a wage garnishment, how fast the IRS can move, and the steps you can take to stop or prevent it.
How IRS Wage Garnishment Works
An IRS wage garnishment is called a wage levy. Before the IRS can levy your paycheck, they must follow a specific process.
They send a series of notices that show your balance and request payment. The final letter is the Notice of Intent to Levy and Notice of Your Right to a Hearing. If you do not respond by the deadline, the IRS can contact your employer and instruct them to begin withholding your wages.
Unlike other creditors, the IRS does not need a court order. Once the levy is active, your employer must comply until the IRS releases it.
What the IRS Can Take From Your Paycheck
A wage levy is not a flat percentage. The IRS uses a table based on your filing status, pay frequency, and number of dependents. Only a small amount is exempt from levy. The rest goes directly to your tax debt.
This can leave many taxpayers unable to cover rent, groceries, or basic bills. That is why stopping the levy before it begins is the most effective strategy.
You Can Stop a Wage Garnishment Before Your Next Payday
If you act quickly, you may be able to halt the levy before the IRS contacts your employer or before your next paycheck processes. The IRS will release or pause an active levy when you enter a qualifying resolution. These resolutions must be approved by the IRS, so fast communication is essential.
The options below are the most common ways to stop a garnishment.
Option 1: Set Up an Installment Agreement
An Installment Agreement allows you to pay your balance over time. Once the IRS accepts your monthly payment plan, they will release the levy. If your case is urgent, calling the IRS directly or working with a licensed tax professional is the fastest way to request immediate levy relief.
If your balance is under fifty thousand dollars, you may qualify for a streamlined agreement which does not require extensive financial paperwork.
Option 2: Request Currently Not Collectible Status
If you cannot afford basic living expenses, you can request Currently Not Collectible status. CNC temporarily stops all enforced collection, including wage levies. You must provide financial information that shows you cannot pay without hardship.
CNC does not erase the tax debt, but it prevents the IRS from taking your paycheck while you stabilize your finances.
Option 3: Apply for an Offer in Compromise
If you qualify for an Offer in Compromise, you may settle for less than the full amount. While the IRS reviews your application, many taxpayers can request a hold on active levy action. Approval depends on your income, expenses, and asset equity, so this option requires a full financial review.
Option 4: Request a Collection Due Process Hearing
If you received a Notice of Intent to Levy within the past thirty days, you can request a Collection Due Process hearing. Filing this request on time pauses enforced collection until the appeal is resolved. This is one of the strongest legal protections available, but the request must be submitted before the deadline on your letter.
Option 5: Prove the Levy Will Cause Immediate Economic Hardship
If the levy would prevent you from meeting necessary living expenses, you can ask the IRS to release it due to hardship. You must provide documentation of your income and bills. A hardship release is temporary but can stop your paycheck from being taken while you enter a longer term solution.
What Happens If You Ignore the Levy Notices
When a taxpayer takes no action, the IRS will continue with the levy. Your employer will be legally obligated to send a large portion of each paycheck. The IRS may also levy bank accounts, seize certain federal payments, and file a Notice of Federal Tax Lien.
Once a wage garnishment starts, removing it becomes more difficult and takes longer. Acting before the levy hits your next check gives you the best chance to stop it quickly.
What You Should Do Right Now
Gather your IRS letters. The dates on these notices determine what options you still have.
Calculate what you owe. Even if you cannot pay it all, knowing the amount helps identify the right program.
Contact the IRS or a licensed tax professional as soon as possible. Fast communication is what releases levies.
Organize proof of income, expenses, and assets. Any relief program will require documentation.
Do not ignore the problem. Once the IRS sends a levy order to your employer, your paycheck will be affected until you secure a release.
Get Help Before Your Next Paycheck Hits
A wage levy can create immediate financial stress, but you still have options. Most taxpayers can stop or reverse a garnishment once they enter a qualifying resolution. The key is acting quickly and communicating with the IRS before your payroll deadline.
Tax Relief Helpers can speak to the IRS on your behalf, request an emergency levy release, and identify the best long-term solution for your situation.
Call (800) 659-6706 or request your free consultation today.