Quick Answer:
An IRS wage garnishment allows the IRS to seize a portion of your paycheck to cover back taxes. It continues until your debt is paid or a resolution is reached. You can stop it by negotiating a payment plan, submitting an Offer in Compromise, or working with a tax professional to get it released.

What Is an IRS Wage Garnishment?

When you owe back taxes and ignore IRS notices, the IRS has the legal authority to take money directly from your paycheck. This is called a wage garnishment (or wage levy). Your employer must comply, sending part of your wages to the IRS each pay period until the debt is resolved.

Unlike private creditors, the IRS doesn’t need a court order — they can garnish wages after sending a series of notices, including the Final Notice of Intent to Levy.

How Much of Your Paycheck Can the IRS Take?

The IRS calculates garnishments based on:

  • Your filing status (single, married, head of household)

  • Number of dependents

  • Pay frequency

In most cases, they leave you with only the minimum amount needed to cover basic living expenses. This can mean losing a significant portion of your take-home pay, making it nearly impossible to cover rent, utilities, and food.

Why the IRS Garnishes Wages

  • Unpaid back taxes

  • Ignored notices and demands for payment

  • Missed deadlines to respond or resolve your debt

A wage garnishment is usually the IRS’s last resort before seizing bank accounts or property.

How to Stop an IRS Wage Garnishment

  1. Negotiate a Payment Plan
    Request an installment agreement to spread out your debt. Once accepted, the IRS typically releases the garnishment.

  2. Submit an Offer in Compromise (OIC)
    If you qualify, you can settle your tax debt for less than you owe.

  3. Prove Financial Hardship
    If garnishment prevents you from meeting basic needs, the IRS may release it temporarily.

  4. File Unfiled Returns
    Sometimes, the IRS enforces garnishments because they lack your updated tax filings. Getting current can help.

  5. Work with a Tax Professional
    Navigating garnishments on your own is tough. Professionals know how to communicate with the IRS and speed up releases.

Common Mistakes People Make

  • Ignoring IRS letters until garnishment hits.

  • Hoping employers will “look the other way” (they can’t — it’s illegal to ignore garnishment orders).

  • Paying without negotiating a resolution, which leaves penalties and interest piling up.

  • Trying to hide income or change jobs to avoid garnishment — the IRS will catch up.

How Polaris Tax & Accounting Protects You

At Polaris Tax & Accounting, we act fast when wage garnishments hit:

  • Contact the IRS on your behalf to negotiate a release.

  • Stop or reduce garnishments by setting up the right resolution strategy.

  • Review all available options — installment agreements, OIC, penalty abatement, or hardship status.

  • Ensure your unfiled returns are brought current so garnishments don’t return.

👉 With licensed Enrolled Agents who have the right to represent you nationwide, we can put an immediate shield between you and the IRS.

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Call to Action

⚠️ If you’ve received a notice of IRS wage garnishment, don’t wait until your next paycheck shrinks. Contact Polaris Tax & Accounting today and let us fight to protect your income.