Wage garnishment
A wage garnishment is a legal order requiring you to take part of an employee's pay and send it to a creditor, a court or a government agency.
Also called: garnishment, garnishee order, requirement to pay, support deduction order, wage seizure
What wage garnishment means
A wage garnishment is a legal order telling you, the employer, to hold back part of an employee's pay and send it to someone the employee owes money to. The order can come from a court, a provincial family support program, or a government body such as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
When you receive one, you become part of the process: the order is addressed to you, and it tells you what to deduct and where to send it. That is why garnishments need prompt, careful handling even in a very small business.
A garnishment is one of the few deductions you must make without the employee's agreement.
How it works
Read the order as soon as it arrives and note who issued it, the employee's name, the amount or percentage to deduct, where to send the money, and when to start. Some orders set a fixed amount per pay; others set a share of wages up to a limit.
There are limits on how much of an employee's pay can be taken, so the employee keeps enough to live on. The limit and how it is calculated depend on the type of order and on the law that applies. The order or the issuing office will tell you the method to use.
Deduct from each pay as the order says, send the money to the right place on time, and show the deduction on the employee's pay statement. Keep copies of the order and every payment. If the employee leaves, tell the issuing office.
Deal with the employee respectfully and privately. Getting a garnishment can be stressful, and you should not discuss it with co-workers. Check your province's employment standards law for any protection against disciplining or dismissing an employee because of a garnishment.
Wage garnishment by province
Garnishment limits and procedures are set by provincial law and by the issuing body. This is the rule we confirmed on an official page.
| Where the work is done | The rule |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | An employer may withhold or deduct from an employee's tips only if there is a court order in place, such as a garnishment order or a family maintenance order. |
We did not confirm garnishment limits for any province in this update. Follow the instructions in the order, and contact the issuing court or office if anything is unclear.
Example: A support order arrives
Tariq runs an 11-person HVAC company in Moncton, New Brunswick. A letter arrives from the province's family support office with a support deduction order for one of his technicians.
Tariq reads the order, sets up the deduction in payroll from the next pay as instructed, and sends the payments to the address in the order. He speaks with the technician privately to let him know, shows the deduction on each pay statement, and keeps a copy of the order and each payment in his payroll records.
Employee records in the Staffkin HR Suite
Staffkin HR Suite employee records keep each person's documents together, so a garnishment order and related letters stay with the right employee file.
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Questions about wage garnishment
Do I have to follow a wage garnishment order?
Yes. A garnishment is a legal order addressed to you as the employer. Follow its instructions, and contact the issuing office if anything is unclear.
How much of an employee's pay can be garnished?
It depends on the type of order and the province. The order or the issuing office will tell you how to calculate the amount to deduct.
Can I fire an employee because of a garnishment?
Check your province's employment standards law and get advice before taking any action connected to a garnishment.
Related terms
Official sources
General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.
Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.