Can wage garnishment increase over time?

Wage garnishment can be a big drain on your income, so it's important to handle the issue before it compounds. /iStockphoto Serious financial trouble generally doesn't arrive all at once. It builds quietly, especially in the current economic landscape. With debt sitting at record highs and elevated rates continuing to drive up the costs of borrowing, it's easy to fall behind and miss what you think will be just one payment. But that missed payment turns into a late notice, and then becomes multiple missed payments followed by collections calls, and eventually, for some, a court judgment that allows a creditor to reach directly into your paycheck to cover what's owed. That process is known as wage garnishment , and by the time the garnishment process begins, the situation has often been unfolding for months or even years prior. That's part of what makes garnishment so difficult to navigate. And, unlike a credit card bill or loan payment that you can adjust or delay, this is money removed from your paycheck before you ever see it. That, in turn, can reshape your budget overnight, leaving little room to adapt, which can be particularly tough at a time when everyday expenses are already stretching budgets thinner. One of the most misunderstood aspects of wage garnishment, though, is how fixed it really is. Many assume that once the amount is set, it stays that way until the debt is paid off. …