Varying or ceasing a garnishee notice to recover debts 107-05050060

For Debt Staff only.

This document outlines when and how to vary or cease an existing garnishee notice.

Varying the garnishee

Base variations in the instalment amounts on the customer's financial situation and review it after 3 months.

If varying the garnishee:

Lump sums, such as termination pay, can also be garnisheed. A new notice must be issued.

Cancel the garnishee if:

the third party is unable to comply with the notice, even for a short time
the customer is still employed but has not, or will not, work for a long time. For example, the customer works seasonally or has a long period of unpaid leave
a larger financial asset than the one currently being garnished becomes available. Consider any liquid asset that can be used to pay the debt in a shorter time frame than the original garnishee
the garnishee was applied incorrectly
the customer:

no longer has a recoverable debt
paid their debt in full after the garnishee was issued and has provided proof of payment

If a customer offers to pay their debt in full, do not cancel the garnishee until the payment is received.

The References page contains links to Accountable Authority instructions (AAI).

The Resources page contains examples of varying Notice or instalment amounts.