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Garnishment
Collecting money from another party.

A garnishment is a legal process by which one party may collect money from another party, after a money judgment has been entered. A money judgment is an order signed by a judicial officer that awards money to one party against another party. One of the options to collect a judgment is known as a garnishment, by which a money judgment may be collected from either earnings or non-earnings.

The procedures and forms used to collect judgments from earnings are different from the procedures and forms needed to collect judgments from non-earnings. Separate packets are available for these two types of garnishment. At the beginning of each packet you will find a Process Checklist for the judgment creditor.
 
Proposition 209 was approved by voters in November 2022 and went into effect on December 5, 2022. It amends several statutes regarding debt collection. Review the Proposition 209 Information Sheet for important details before you use the garnishment forms.
 
 
ALL PARTIES TO A GARNISHMENT ARE STRONGLY URGED TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE FROM AN ATTORNEY. Garnishment procedures are governed by Arizona law and are extremely complicated. All parties involved must follow these procedures correctly. The court may issue an order for monetary penalties against any party who does not proceed properly, including the judgment creditor.
 
Collecting judgments from earnings v. non-earnings.
 

Earnings

The term "earnings" refers to compensation payable for work performed by the judgment debtor and not yet paid by the employer.

Some examples of earnings include wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, pensions, retirement payments, or other compensation.

Non-Earnings

A "non-earnings" garnishment targets personal property belonging to a judgment debtor but held by a third party, or money other than “earnings” that is owed to the debtor by a third party.

Some examples of non-earnings include money in a bank account, the contents of a safe deposit box, a rent payment owed but not yet paid, or an account receivable.