How to Find Someone’s Employer for Wage Garnishment

Wage garnishment is one of the most effective judgment collection tools—it creates ongoing payment without requiring you to repeatedly locate assets. But garnishment requires knowing where the debtor works, and debtors rarely volunteer that information willingly. This comprehensive guide explains how to find someone’s employer for wage garnishment, from post-judgment discovery to professional skip tracing to DIY investigation methods, so you can implement this powerful collection tool effectively and start receiving regular payments toward your judgment.

💼 Why You Need Employer Information

Wage garnishment requires serving a garnishment order on the debtor’s employer—you can’t garnish wages without knowing who pays them. The employer is the party who actually withholds money from the debtor’s paycheck and sends it to you or the court for disbursement. Without employer identification, garnishment is impossible regardless of how valid your judgment is.

How Wage Garnishment Works

Once you have a judgment, you can obtain a wage garnishment order from the court. This order is served on the debtor’s employer, directing them to withhold a portion of each paycheck and remit it to you (or to the court for disbursement, depending on your jurisdiction’s procedures). The employer becomes the conduit for collection—they’re legally required to comply with valid garnishment orders, and employers who fail to comply face potential liability.

Federal law limits garnishment to 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly earnings exceed 30 times federal minimum wage, whichever is less. Some states have lower limits that provide greater debtor protection. Within these legal limits, garnishment continues automatically until the judgment is satisfied in full, the debtor leaves employment, or you release the garnishment.

Advantages of Wage Garnishment

Wage garnishment offers several advantages over other collection methods. It creates ongoing, automatic payment—you don’t have to repeatedly file levies or locate new assets every time you want to collect. Each paycheck generates collection without additional effort on your part. It’s also harder for debtors to evade than bank levies, since changing banks is easier than changing jobs. For employed debtors with steady income, garnishment is often the most efficient collection method available and provides predictable cash flow.

The Employer Identification Challenge

The fundamental challenge is that debtors don’t voluntarily provide employer information. They understand that revealing where they work enables garnishment that will reduce their take-home pay every single paycheck. Debtors may lie about employment, claim to be unemployed when they’re actually working, work under false names, or simply refuse to answer employment questions in hopes you’ll give up. Overcoming this resistance requires legal tools like discovery and professional investigation techniques. The good news is that multiple methods exist to find employment information even when debtors actively try to hide it.

📋 Post-Judgment Discovery

Courts provide judgment creditors with powerful discovery tools to obtain information about debtor assets and employment. These legal mechanisms can compel disclosure that debtors wouldn’t provide voluntarily, and non-compliance carries serious consequences including contempt of court.

Debtor’s Examination

A debtor’s examination (also called supplemental proceeding or judgment debtor examination) puts the debtor under oath to answer questions about their financial situation, including employment. You can ask directly: Where do you work? What is your employer’s name and address? How much do you earn? What are your job duties? The debtor must answer truthfully or face perjury charges and contempt sanctions that can include fines and even jail time.

To conduct a debtor’s examination, you file a motion requesting the court to order the debtor to appear and answer questions at a specific date and time. If the debtor fails to appear after proper notice, they can be held in contempt—and in some jurisdictions, arrested on a bench warrant. This provides strong incentive for compliance even from reluctant debtors.

Written Interrogatories

Written interrogatories are formal questions the debtor must answer under oath in writing within a specified deadline. You can include detailed questions about current employment, employer name and address, supervisor contact information, job title, pay frequency, gross and net earnings, and employment history. The debtor has a deadline to respond, and failure to respond or providing incomplete answers can result in court sanctions including striking pleadings or holding the debtor in contempt.

Interrogatories are less interactive than live examinations—you can’t follow up immediately on evasive or incomplete answers. However, they create a written record that’s useful for establishing facts the debtor later tries to deny or contradict, and the sworn nature means false answers constitute perjury.

Document Requests

You can request documents related to employment—pay stubs, W-2 forms, tax returns showing employment income, employment contracts. These documents directly reveal employer information and income amounts. The debtor must produce responsive documents or face sanctions for non-compliance.

Overcoming Evasion

Debtors sometimes evade discovery—failing to appear, providing incomplete answers, or claiming they’re unemployed when they’re not. Courts have tools to address this: contempt sanctions, fines, and even jail time for willful non-compliance. If you suspect the debtor is lying about employment, investigation can reveal the truth, and proof of perjury has serious consequences.

🔍 Professional Skip Tracing

Professional skip tracing accesses employment databases not available to the public, often revealing employer information that discovery doesn’t produce or verifying what debtors claim.

Employment Database Access

Professional skip tracers access specialized databases that aggregate employment information from multiple sources: new hire reporting to state agencies, payroll processors, employer verification services, and credit bureau data showing employer information from credit applications. These comprehensive databases reveal where people work without relying on the debtor’s voluntary cooperation.

Employment data in professional databases often includes employer name and address, job title, approximate start date, and sometimes salary information. This provides everything you need to pursue garnishment effectively—and may reveal employment the debtor is actively trying to hide from you.

How Skip Tracing Finds Employers

Skip trace reports typically include current employer information when available in databases. This information comes from: employers reporting new hires to state databases, credit applications listing employer information, verification services that track employment, and payroll processors reporting wage data. See what databases do skip tracers use for detailed information.

When to Use Skip Tracing

Consider professional skip tracing when: the debtor refuses to disclose employment through discovery, discovery produces suspicious or evasive answers you want to verify independently, you need faster results than the discovery process provides, you want to confirm employment exists before investing significant time and money in garnishment proceedings, or the debtor has moved and you need to locate them before you can even begin discovery. The cost of skip tracing is typically modest—often under $100—compared to the potential garnishment recovery over time. See skip tracing services for available options.

🗄️ Employment Databases Explained

Understanding where employment information comes from helps you know what skip tracing can find and what limitations exist.

State New Hire Databases

Federal law requires employers to report new hires to state agencies within 20 days of hire. This data is primarily used for child support enforcement but may be accessible to other creditors depending on state law. New hire data captures recent employment—helpful for debtors who’ve recently started new jobs.

National Directory of New Hires

The federal government maintains a National Directory of New Hires aggregating state new hire data. Access is restricted, but certain creditors (particularly those with child support orders) can use this resource. For most judgment creditors, this data is accessed indirectly through professional skip tracers who have appropriate access.

Commercial Employment Databases

Private companies aggregate employment data from multiple sources and make it available to authorized users. These commercial databases may include information from payroll processors, employer verification services, credit reporting, and other sources. Professional skip tracers use these databases to find employment information.

Limitations

Employment databases aren’t perfect. Information may lag—a debtor who started a new job last week won’t appear in databases for weeks or months. Self-employed individuals and those working under the table don’t appear in standard employment databases. Some employers are slow to report or don’t report to all databases. Database searches find most employed debtors but not all.

📱 Social Media Methods

Social media can reveal employment information without database searches or legal process. Many people publicly share where they work, especially on professional networking sites, making this a valuable free investigation resource.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is designed specifically for professional networking, and most users list their current employer prominently. Searching for the debtor on LinkedIn often reveals their employer, job title, employment history, and sometimes even their work contact information. Even if the debtor has privacy settings enabled, basic employment information is often visible to anyone searching. LinkedIn is the single most useful social media platform for finding employment information quickly.

When searching LinkedIn, try different name variations—maiden names, nicknames, middle names. Look at the debtor’s connections for coworkers who may reveal the workplace. Check company pages where the debtor might be listed among employees. LinkedIn’s robust search features make it an essential first step in employment investigation.

Facebook

Facebook profiles sometimes include employer information in the “About” section. Even when employment isn’t explicitly listed, posts about work, check-ins at workplace locations, photos in work settings, or references to coworkers may reveal where someone works. Photos in work uniforms or at workplace events provide strong evidence of employment location even without explicit statements.

Review the debtor’s friends list for coworkers—people who work together often connect on Facebook. Group memberships may reveal workplace or industry connections. Event attendance might show work-related functions. Even privacy-conscious users often reveal workplace clues through their Facebook activity over time.

Other Platforms

Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok, and other platforms may contain employment clues—workplace photos, references to work activities, complaints about bosses or coworkers, or connections to colleagues. While less directly informative than LinkedIn, these platforms can supplement your research and may reveal information the debtor hasn’t shared elsewhere. Cross-reference findings across multiple platforms for verification.

Social Media Limitations

Social media research depends on the debtor having public profiles with employment information. Someone who doesn’t use social media or keeps all profiles completely private won’t be findable this way. Information may also be outdated—people don’t always update profiles immediately when changing jobs. Always verify social media findings through other sources when possible before relying on them for garnishment proceedings.

🔎 Other Investigation Methods

Beyond databases and social media, other investigation methods can reveal employment information.

Professional Licensing

Licensed professionals—doctors, lawyers, nurses, real estate agents, contractors—have licensing records that often include employer information or business addresses. State licensing boards maintain searchable databases. If you know the debtor’s profession, checking licensing records may reveal where they work.

Business Records

If the debtor owns a business or is a registered agent for a company, Secretary of State records reveal this. The business itself may be where the debtor works, or business filings may list their position and workplace. UCC filings, assumed name registrations, and other business records can reveal employment or business connections.

Vehicle Observations

If you know where the debtor lives, observing when they leave for work and noting any company vehicles or work uniforms can reveal employment. Following someone to their workplace (within legal limits) is a direct way to find where they work. This method is time-intensive but effective when other methods fail.

Asking Around

Neighbors, mutual acquaintances, and family members may know where the debtor works. A carefully worded inquiry—”I’m trying to reach John Smith about a business matter—do you know where he’s working now?”—may produce information. This requires tact and shouldn’t cross into harassment or misrepresentation.

Previous Employment

If you know where the debtor previously worked, that employer might know where the debtor went. HR departments may or may not share this information, but coworkers sometimes will. People often stay in the same industry or geographic area, so previous employers can suggest where to look.

💼 Self-Employed Debtors

Self-employed debtors present special challenges—there’s no employer to garnish. However, alternative collection methods may work effectively against self-employed individuals.

No Employer to Garnish

Traditional wage garnishment doesn’t work when the debtor is their own boss. There’s no third-party employer to receive the garnishment order and withhold payments from wages. Self-employed debtors are often aware of this limitation and may emphasize their self-employment status to discourage collection efforts, hoping you’ll simply give up trying to collect.

Accounts Receivable Garnishment

Self-employed individuals have customers or clients who owe them money for goods or services. You can garnish these accounts receivable by serving garnishment orders directly on the debtor’s customers. When a customer pays the debtor for work performed, that payment is intercepted by your garnishment before it reaches the debtor. This requires identifying the debtor’s customers—through discovery, investigation, business records, or public filings showing who does business with the debtor.

Business Bank Accounts

If the debtor operates as a sole proprietorship (not an LLC or corporation), business bank accounts are personal assets subject to levy just like personal accounts. Finding and levying business bank accounts collects directly from the debtor’s business income. This is often more effective and simpler than trying to garnish self-employment “wages” through the accounts receivable approach.

Is the Debtor Really Self-Employed?

Some debtors falsely claim self-employment to avoid garnishment when they’re actually traditional employees. Investigation can reveal the truth. Does the “self-employed” debtor work regular hours at one company’s location, use company equipment, have a company email address, and take direction from company management? They may be an employee misclassified by their employer or simply lying about their status. Evidence of actual employment can support garnishment despite claims of self-employment, and misrepresenting employment status during discovery constitutes perjury.

⚙️ The Garnishment Process

Once you’ve identified the employer, here’s how wage garnishment works.

Obtaining the Garnishment Order

With your judgment and employer information, you apply to the court for a wage garnishment order (sometimes called a writ of garnishment). The application specifies the debtor’s employer. The court issues the order directing the employer to withhold wages and remit them to satisfy your judgment.

Serving the Employer

The garnishment order must be properly served on the employer. Service requirements vary by state—some require personal service, others allow certified mail. Serve the employer’s registered agent, HR department, or other designated recipient. Proper service is essential; improper service may invalidate the garnishment.

Employer Obligations

Once served, the employer must withhold the garnishment amount from each paycheck and remit it according to the order. Employers who fail to comply can become liable for the judgment amount themselves. Most employers comply once they receive valid garnishment orders—they don’t want the liability.

Continuing Garnishment

Garnishment continues automatically until: the judgment is satisfied, you file a release, the debtor leaves employment, or the order expires (some states require periodic renewal). Monitor to ensure the employer is actually withholding and paying. If payments stop, investigate whether the debtor left employment.

When Debtors Change Jobs

If the debtor leaves employment, garnishment at that employer ends. You’ll need to find their new employer and serve a new garnishment order. This is where ongoing monitoring and skip tracing help—if you know the debtor changed jobs, you can quickly identify the new employer and resume garnishment with minimal interruption to collection.

✅ Verifying Employment Information

Before investing in garnishment proceedings, verify that employment information is accurate and current. Outdated or incorrect information wastes time and money on garnishment orders that fail.

Cross-Reference Sources

Don’t rely on a single source. Cross-reference employment information from multiple sources—skip trace databases, social media, discovery responses, and other investigation. When multiple sources agree, confidence is high. When sources conflict, investigate further before proceeding with garnishment.

Verify Current Employment

Employment information may be outdated. Someone who worked at a company six months ago may have left. Before serving garnishment, verify current employment through recent sources—recent social media activity at the workplace, confirmed recent paychecks through discovery, or current database hits showing ongoing employment at that location.

Confirm Employer Details

Make sure you have the correct employer entity. Large companies may have multiple subsidiaries, and employees may work for a different legal entity than the parent company name suggests. Get the correct legal entity name, address, and registered agent for proper service of the garnishment order to avoid procedural issues.

👥 Debtors with Multiple Jobs

Some debtors work multiple jobs. Understanding how garnishment applies to multiple employers helps maximize collection opportunities.

Garnishing Multiple Employers

You can generally serve garnishment orders on multiple employers simultaneously. Each employer withholds from their payments according to the order. However, total garnishment from all employers is still subject to legal limits—if one garnishment captures 25% of disposable income, another employer may have little or nothing to withhold based on the combined income calculation.

Prioritizing Employers

If the debtor has multiple jobs, prioritize the primary employer with higher wages. Garnishment from a $60,000/year job produces more than from a part-time $15,000/year job. Investigation should identify all employment but focus garnishment efforts where they’ll produce the most recovery for your collection efforts.

Gig Economy Workers

Debtors who work through gig platforms (Uber, DoorDash, freelance websites) present challenges similar to self-employment. They may have multiple income sources with no single traditional employer. Identifying and garnishing each payment source may be impractical. Alternative collection methods like bank levies may be more effective for gig workers who receive payments electronically.

🚫 Debtors Who Try to Avoid Garnishment

Debtors who learn about garnishment efforts often try to avoid or minimize collection. Understanding these tactics helps you respond effectively.

Quitting Jobs

Some debtors quit jobs when garnished, hoping to escape collection by becoming unemployed. This is usually temporary—most people can’t stay unemployed indefinitely. Monitor for new employment and serve new garnishment orders promptly. The debtor may cycle through jobs, but persistent garnishment eventually wears down resistance and they need steady income.

Working Under the Table

Debtors may take cash-only jobs to avoid garnishment entirely. This limits their employment options and income potential significantly. It also doesn’t protect them from other collection methods—bank levies still work, and lifestyle beyond apparent income suggests hidden sources. Cash workers also face serious tax consequences for unreported income that create additional legal problems.

Reducing Hours

Some debtors reduce work hours to stay below garnishment thresholds or minimize withheld amounts. This is self-defeating behavior—they earn less overall just to avoid paying what they legitimately owe. Garnishment continues at whatever level they work, and they’ve reduced their own income and quality of life in the process.

Claiming Exemptions

Debtors may claim head-of-household exemptions or other protections that reduce garnishment amounts. Verify that claimed exemptions are legitimate—some debtors falsely claim exemptions they don’t actually qualify for. If exemptions are proper, garnishment continues at the reduced rate; if false, the debtor faces consequences for fraudulent claims including potential contempt of court.

📋 Special Employment Situations

Certain employment situations require special handling for garnishment purposes and different procedural approaches.

Government Employees

Government employees can be garnished, but procedures may differ from private employment. Federal employees are subject to specific federal garnishment procedures. State and local government employees follow applicable state rules which vary by jurisdiction. Identify the correct procedures for government employment before serving garnishment to ensure compliance.

Military Personnel

Active duty military members have some protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, but garnishment for civil judgments is generally permitted with proper procedures. Military finance offices handle garnishment for service members through specific channels. Special procedures may apply, and some garnishment limits differ from civilian employment situations.

Union Members

Union members receive wages through their employer, not the union itself, so garnishment is served on the employer directly. However, union dues and other deductions affect disposable income calculations that determine garnishment amounts. Union workers may also have irregular employment patterns that affect garnishment collection timing and amounts.

Seasonal and Temporary Workers

Workers with seasonal or temporary employment present collection challenges. They may work only part of the year, limiting garnishment opportunities to those periods. Garnishment ends when each temporary job ends, requiring you to find and garnish subsequent employers. For highly seasonal workers, other collection methods may be more effective during off-seasons when garnishment isn’t producing.

Remote Workers

Remote workers may work for out-of-state employers while living in your jurisdiction. This doesn’t prevent garnishment, but you may need to domesticate your judgment in the employer’s state or follow that state’s garnishment procedures. Remote work can actually make employer identification easier—LinkedIn and other sources often clearly identify remote employment relationships with company names.

💰 Costs and ROI Analysis

Pursuing wage garnishment involves various costs. Understanding these costs helps you assess whether garnishment is worthwhile for your particular judgment.

Investigation Costs

Finding the employer may require skip tracing ($50-150 typically), discovery costs (court fees, service fees), or significant investigation time. For small judgments, these costs may represent a significant percentage of potential recovery. For larger judgments, investigation costs are minor compared to total potential recovery through ongoing garnishment.

Legal Costs

Obtaining and serving garnishment orders involves court filing fees and service costs. If you’re using an attorney, their fees add to overall costs. Some jurisdictions allow recovering these costs from the debtor as part of the judgment amount, but out-of-pocket costs must be paid first regardless.

Return on Investment

Calculate expected return before pursuing garnishment. If the debtor earns $40,000/year and you can garnish 25% of disposable income, you might collect $500-800/month depending on deductions and exemptions. For a $10,000 judgment, full collection takes about a year—worthwhile despite investigation and legal costs. For a $500 judgment, the same costs may not be justified by the recovery.

Alternative Methods

Compare garnishment ROI to other collection methods. Bank levies may be faster but require finding accounts and timing levies when funds are present. Property liens wait for eventual sale. Each method has different cost/benefit profiles depending on debtor circumstances. Garnishment is often best for employed debtors with steady income and judgments large enough to justify the process and ongoing monitoring.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions