Question 1

Which Maryland form starts a wage garnishment, and what does the writ cost to file?

Accepted Answer

File a Request for Writ of Garnishment of Wages, Maryland District Court form DC-CV-065 revised August 2024, in the court that entered your judgment and under that same case number. The District Court Cost Schedule, form DCA-109 revised March 2026, sets the filing fee at $10.00. Service is separate and is not optional paperwork: $60 per defendant if a sheriff or constable serves it, $20 per defendant if the clerk mails it, and ordinary mail is not permitted at all. A Circuit Court clerk charges $31 for each request for issuance of one or more writs of garnishment under the schedule effective September 2, 2026.

Question 2

How much of a paycheck can a Maryland writ of garnishment of wages reach?

Accepted Answer

Commercial Law Section 15-601.1 works by exemption, so read it backwards. It exempts the greater of 75 percent of the disposable wages due, or 30 times the State minimum hourly wage in effect when the wages are due multiplied by the number of weeks during which those wages were earned, and on top of that any medical insurance payment the employer deducted. The amount subject to attachment is figured per pay period. Because Labor and Employment Section 3-413 sets the State minimum at $15.00 an hour, a one-week period leaves $450 untouchable, and only what clears that is reachable, capped at 25 percent of disposable wages. The Judiciary's own worked example makes the point: $465.50 of disposable weekly wages yields $15.50.

Question 3

How long does a Maryland garnishee have to answer, and what has to be in the answer?

Accepted Answer

Thirty days from service, on both writs. The wage writ directs the employer to complete the answer printed on the writ within 30 days and return one copy to the court, one to you and one to the judgment debtor, stating whether the debtor is employed there, the rate or basis of pay, and any prior liens against wages that are or may become payable. On the property writ the garnishee files an answer with the court within 30 days admitting or denying indebtedness or possession, specifying the amount and nature of any debt and describing any property, and forwards copies to both sides. A debtor or garnishee may also move to contest within 30 days of service, and while that is pending the withheld wages are sent to the court rather than to you.

Question 4

Who does a Maryland employer pay the withheld wages to, and on what schedule?

Accepted Answer

You, directly, not the court. Commercial Law Section 15-603 requires the employer to withhold all attachable wages while the attachment is a lien and remit them to the judgment creditor or the creditor's legal representative within 15 days after the close of the last pay period in each month. The one exception is a contested garnishment: if a defense has been asserted the employer sends the money to the court instead. The employer also has to tell the employee each pay period how much was withheld and how the figure was calculated. Payments you receive are credited first to accrued interest, second to principal, third to attorney fees and costs the court actually assessed.

Question 5

Can a Maryland writ of garnishment reach a bank account rather than wages?

Accepted Answer

Yes, on the other form. Form DC-CV-060 issues a Writ of Garnishment of Property Other than Wages that directs the garnishee to hold any property of the debtor it has at service plus everything that arrives afterward, including any debt owed to the debtor whether immediately payable or unmatured. Budget for the carve-out before you serve: Courts and Judicial Proceedings Section 11-504 exempts up to $500 in a deposit account without the debtor electing anything, and that $500 applies separately to each depository institution and to each writ directed to one. The same section walls its whole exemption menu off from wages, which is why the paycheck runs on its own statute.

Question 6

What happens if a Maryland garnishee simply ignores the writ?

Accepted Answer

It depends which writ, and the difference is worth knowing before you choose. On the wage writ, no timely answer lets you move for an order directing the employer to show cause why it should not be held in contempt, and the court may require it to pay reasonable attorney fees and costs. That is leverage, not a judgment for your debt. On the property writ, failure to file a timely answer may result in a judgment by default against the garnishee, and you then file a Request for Judgment Garnishment, form DC-CV-062, for the lesser of the assets the garnishee admitted plus anything that came into its hands after service, or your judgment plus enforcement costs. If the garnishee does answer on time, its answer stands as established unless you file a reply contesting it within 30 days of the filing.

Question 7

If another creditor served a Maryland employer first, does my writ still collect anything?

Accepted Answer

Not until the first one is finished. Commercial Law Section 15-603 provides that where an employer is served with more than one attachment against the same judgment debtor, the attachments are satisfied in the order they were served, and each prior attachment must be satisfied before any effect can be given to a subsequent one. There is no pro rata sharing of the 25 percent and no reduced second slice. The employer keeps paying the first creditor in full, and the lien of the next one takes effect only once that judgment is paid off, which is why the date of service on the employer is the whole ballgame.

Question 8

How long does a Maryland wage garnishment keep running, and what ends it?

Accepted Answer

One writ is continuing, so you never re-serve per payday. Commercial Law Section 15-602 makes the attachment a lien on all attachable wages payable when it was served and on all wages that become payable until the judgment, interest and costs specified in the attachment are satisfied. It ends on satisfaction, and it ends abruptly if the debtor leaves: Section 15-604 makes the attachment lapse on resignation or dismissal, with no further deduction unless that person is reinstated or reemployed within 90 days. Within 15 days of being paid in full you must notify the employer and the clerk, using the Notice of Satisfaction form. The property writ has its own exit, since a garnishee can notice its intent to terminate once 120 days pass after its answer with no further filing.

Maryland Writ of Garnishment

Find out where you stand in Maryland

Introduction

Key Things to Know

Key decisions before you file

Customize your Writ of Garnishment Template with DocDraft

Maryland Requirements for Writ of Garnishment

Pick the Writ: DC-CV-065 or DC-CV-060

Court of the Judgment, Same Case Number

Fee: $10.00 to File, $60 to Have It Served

Ceiling: 75 Percent Exempt, or $450 a Week

Amount Now Due, Built Line by Line

30 Days to Answer, and a 15-Day Trap for You

Monthly Remittance to You, Monthly Report Back

First Served Is Paid in Full First

Frequently Asked Questions