Maryland Writ of Garnishment — Wage and Bank Garnishment Explained

A writ of garnishment is the most common tool Maryland judgment creditors use to actually collect the money they're owed. It works by directing a third party — an employer or a bank — to hand over the debtor's funds directly to you.

Maryland uses two separate garnishment tracks, each with its own form, its own rules and its own timeline. Getting them confused is the fastest way to have a filing rejected.

Two Types of Garnishment

Wage garnishment targets the debtor's paycheck. You file Form DC-CV-065 (Request for Writ of Garnishment of Wages) with the District Court. The court issues a writ to the employer, who then withholds a portion of each paycheck and sends it to you until the judgment is satisfied. This is governed by Maryland Rule 3-646.

Non-wage garnishment — officially called "Garnishment of Property Other Than Wages" — targets bank accounts, security deposits, or any debt a third party owes to the debtor. You file Form DC-CV-060, and the court issues a writ to the bank or other garnishee. This falls under Maryland Rule 3-645.

The key difference: wage garnishment creates a continuing lien (payments come each pay period until the debt is cleared), while a bank garnishment is a one-time freeze of whatever funds are in the account when the writ is served.

Filing and Service

Each writ costs $10 to file, plus $60 per defendant for Sheriff/Constable service or $20 if the clerk mails it; private-server fees vary. You can file as soon as the mandatory 10-day post-judgment stay under Rule 3-632(a) expires.

Service on the garnishee (the employer or bank) can be done three ways:

• Certified mail, restricted delivery
• Private process server
• County sheriff

The writ must include the case number, the judgment amount, accrued interest and court costs. If you're listing bank account numbers or Social Security numbers, you must also file Form MDJ-008 (Notice Regarding Restricted Information) to comply with Maryland Rule 20-201.1.

What Happens After Service

Once served, the garnishee has 30 days to file a written Answer with the court.

For wage garnishment, the employer's Answer confirms employment and pay details. Withholding begins from the first pay period after service — you don't wait for the Answer. The employer remits withheld funds within 15 days after each calendar month. You must send a monthly report (Form DC-CV-066) to both the debtor and the employer within 15 days of each month's close.

For bank garnishment, the bank immediately freezes funds up to the judgment amount and files a Confession of Assets (Form DC-CV-061) disclosing the frozen balance. The debtor then has 30 days to assert exemptions. After that window passes, you file a Request for Judgment — Garnishment (Form DC-CV-062) to get the court to release the money to you.

When a Garnishee Doesn't Respond

If an employer fails to file an Answer or remit withheld funds, Rule 3-646(i) allows a motion for an order to show cause or a direct judgment against the employer. If a bank fails to answer, the current DC-CV-060 writ warns that a default judgment may be entered against the garnishee; use the bank-garnishment procedure and Form DC-CV-062 when seeking payment.

One timing trap to watch: under the 120-day inactivity rule in Rule 3-645, if you take no action on a non-wage garnishment for 120 days after the garnishee files its Answer, the garnishee or debtor can petition the court to terminate the writ. Don't let a bank garnishment sit idle.

Serving Multiple Garnishments

You can file wage and bank garnishments simultaneously — there's no rule limiting you to one type at a time. If you know both the debtor's employer and their bank, filing both at once maximizes your chances of recovery.

For wage garnishments, Maryland applies a "first in time, first in right" priority rule. If another creditor already has an active wage garnishment on the same debtor, the employer satisfies that one first. Child support and tax liens always take priority regardless of filing order.

For the full form-by-form workflow, fee schedule and escalation steps, see the Maryland Small Claims Judgment Collection Guide.

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