12-801.Definitions.

Section 12-801 is the glossary for Part 8. Rather than spell out each term where it first appears, the statute front-loads six definitions that later sections lean on without repeating. A 'deduction order' is the order a court enters under Section 12-811 once a wage deduction case is tried. 'Employer' is not defined by who pays the debtor day to day -- it means whoever the judgment creditor named as employer in the affidavit filed under Section 12-805, which is why getting that affidavit right matters.

The remaining definitions draw lines around who can use this procedure and against whom. A 'judgment creditor' is anyone who holds a judgment, with one exception: someone holding a confession judgment that has not been confirmed under Part 8 does not count, since Section 12-813 requires that confirmation first. A 'judgment debtor' is just the person the judgment runs against. A 'federal agency employer' is an agency of the federal government as defined in the federal wage-garnishment statute for federal employees, 5 USC 5520a(a)(1) -- a category that matters because Part 8 treats federal agency employers differently in several places, including how they pay over withheld wages and answer interrogatories.

Finally, 'wages' covers hourly pay, salaries, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation an employer owes the judgment debtor. That broad, catch-all phrasing is what lets Part 8 reach compensation beyond a fixed hourly rate or salary.