Michigan Garnishment Timeline: Step-by-Step Process From Filing to Payment

The Timeline Nobody Tells You About

You won your Michigan small claims case. You waited 21 days. You filed a writ of garnishment. And now you're wondering why the money hasn't shown up yet.

Michigan garnishment follows a specific sequence of deadlines, and each one adds time before a dollar reaches your hands. Understanding this timeline is the difference between a plan that works and months of confusion.

Filing the Writ: Day Zero

Your garnishment timeline starts the day the court clerk issues your writ — either Form MC 12 for periodic garnishment (wages) or Form MC 13 for nonperiodic garnishment (bank accounts). You'll pay a $15 filing fee to the court.

Before the clerk will issue it, your judgment must be at least 21 calendar days old under MCR 2.614(A)(1). If the 21st day falls on a weekend or court holiday, the enforcement window doesn't open until 5:00 PM on the next business day.

The 182-Day Service Window

Once the clerk stamps your writ, you have exactly 182 calendar days to serve it on the garnishee (the employer or bank). Miss this window and the writ expires — you'd need to file a new one and pay another $15.

Service can happen by personal delivery or certified mail (return receipt requested). Along with the writ, you must include:

• Two copies of the writ
• Blank copies of Form MC 14 (Garnishee Disclosure)
• The $35 statutory disclosure fee ($6 if the garnishee is the State of Michigan)

A legally competent adult who is not a party handles service. Court officers and sheriffs charge a $38 personal-service fee plus civil-process mileage at $1.0875 per mile; a private server may charge a different amount.

The Garnishee's 14-Day Disclosure Deadline

Within 14 calendar days after service of the writ, the garnishee must complete Form MC 14 — the Garnishee Disclosure. This form tells the court (and you) what the garnishee is holding or withholding.

For wage garnishment, the disclosure shows the debtor's pay frequency, gross and disposable earnings, and the calculated withholding amount. For a bank account, it shows the balance at the moment the writ was served.

The garnishee sends copies of the completed MC 14 to the court, to you, and to the debtor.

For a periodic wage garnishment, if the employer misses the 14-day disclosure deadline or another required act, serve a notice of failure under MCL 600.4012 and allow 28 days to cure before requesting entry of default. After default is entered, you may request a default judgment up to the unpaid judgment, interest, and costs. For a nonperiodic garnishment, MCR 3.101(S) allows a default if the garnishee fails to disclose or perform a required act, but a judgment against the garnishee cannot exceed its liability.

The 28-Day Holding Period

Here's where patience gets tested. The garnishee must hold withheld funds for 28 calendar days after service of the writ on the garnishee, then remit them unless notified that objections have been filed. The debtor may file Form MC 49 within 14 days after service of the writ on the debtor.

During these 28 days, the money sits with the garnishee. It's not in your account and it's not back with the debtor — it's in limbo.

If the debtor files an objection, the court sends hearing notice within 7 days and sets the hearing within 21 days after the objection is filed. The garnishee keeps holding the funds until the court rules.

After 28 days from service of the writ, the garnishee remits withheld funds unless it has been notified that an objection was filed.

Putting It All Together: The Realistic Timeline

Here's what a wage garnishment actually looks like from start to finish:

1. Day 0 — Court issues your writ (MC 12)
2. Days 1–7 — You arrange service on the employer
3. Within 7 days of service — Employer sends a copy of the writ to the debtor
4. Within 14 days of service — Employer files the MC 14 disclosure
5. After 28 days from service — Withheld funds may be remitted if no objection is pending

For a bank garnishment (MC 13), the timeline compresses somewhat because the bank freezes funds immediately upon receiving the writ. But the 14-day disclosure and 28-day hold still apply before you see the money.

The first wage payment depends on the employer's pay period and when withholding begins. The initial 28-day holding period runs from service of the writ; later periodic payments are remitted as they become due while the writ remains effective, unless an objection or court order stops payment.

When the Writ Expires

A periodic garnishment writ (MC 12) automatically covers all pay periods ending within its 182-day window. After 182 days, the writ expires. If the judgment still isn't satisfied, you file a new MC 12, pay another $15 filing fee and $35 disclosure fee, and start again.

A nonperiodic writ (MC 13) is a one-shot tool — it captures whatever's in the bank account at the moment of service and nothing more. Each new attempt requires a new filing and new fees.

Staying Organized Through the Process

Tracking these overlapping deadlines across multiple garnishment writs — each with its own 182-day window, disclosure due date, and holding period — gets complicated fast.

The Michigan Judgment Collection Guide includes an enforcement timeline tracker and garnishee compliance log to help you manage each writ from filing through payment. When you're juggling wage garnishment on one writ and a bank garnishment on another, having every deadline in one place keeps the process from falling apart.

See more Michigan guides →