Legal Aid NSW offices will be closed from Monday 23 December 2024 and will reopen on Monday 6 January 2025. During this time you can contact LawAccess NSW via web chat or by calling 1300 888 529. See Christmas closedown 2024–25 for more information.
Step by step guide
You need a judgment from the court before you can apply for a garnishee order for wages or salary.
A garnishee order for wages or salary is a court order that allows you to recover the judgment debt from the other party's wages. The other party's employer will be required to pay some of the other party's pay (their wages or salary) to you until the debt is paid off. To get a garnishee order for wages or salary, follow the steps in the guide on this page.
You need two forms:
You can get a copy of the form from:
The notice of motion has an affidavit attached.
You can file the Notice of motion garnishee order (Form 69) using the NSW Online Registry.
You can fill out your form:
To fill out the notice of motion form you will need to have the following information ready:
When have completed the notice of motion form, you need to swear or affirm the affidavit section in front of an approved witness, a lawyer or Justice of the Peace (JP).
For more information about where to find a Justice of the Peace, see Finding a JP on the Department of Communities & Justice website.
The affidavit must be signed and witnessed on each page no more than 14 days before the date you file the notice of motion.
To fill out the garnishee order form you will need to have the following information ready:
Instructions: Notice of motion - Garnishee order (PDF, 137KB)
Sample: Notice of motion - Garnishee order for wages or salary (PDF, 128KB)
Instructions: Garnishee order for wages or salary (PDF, 144KB)
Sample: Garnishee order for wages or salary (PDF, 145KB)
You can file the forms on the NSW Online Registry or the Local Court registry.
If you are filing the forms at the Local Court, you can take or send both forms to the Local Court where the statement of claim was filed.
You should file an original and two extra copies of the forms. There is no filing fee.
Send or take a sealed (stamped) copy of the garnishee order to the other party's employer. You do not have to give a copy to the other party.
The employer will take money out of the other party's wages until the debt is paid.
The other party must be left with a minimum amount of money to live on, currently $593.40 per week (as at 1 October 2024). The amount left for the other party is based on a weekly compensation amount adjusted in April and October each year. To check the current amount, see Garnishee amounts on the Local Court website.
Once paying you, the garnishee is allowed to deduct up to $13.00 for administration expenses. This doesn't come out of the money owed to you.
Often the other party is not aware of the garnishee order until the money has been taken out of their wage. The other party may apply to the court to pay by instalments. If the instalment application is approved by the court, the order becomes an instalment garnishee order and the employer can only take out the instalment amount from the other party's wage.
For more information, see Being paid in instalments, in After court .
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. By clicking OK, you agree to our cookie policy.
Share with
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn