You can avoid wage garnishment by responding to the creditors right away. Renegotiate payment terms and do whatever it takes to abide by their rules and expectations. If you ignore them, then the problem will get worse for you and soon you are legally forced to make payments you could not establish on your own which could hurt your pocketbook. TIPS If you find out that a creditor is chasing you for paying back your debts. Try to settle it out of court. Stop it before it continues. See if your creditor will renegotiate with you a new payment plan so you can settle your affairs with them directly and not with a court order. If you move or change your phone number… Always keep your records up-to-date with your employer, bank, government agency, too. This will avoid ugly surprises should you have your wages garnished, for example, child support, and not know about it because you have been unreachable.