(a) Writ of Sequestration—Application for Issuance. The state, municipal, or other political subdivision employer served with a garnishment shall have the same duties and obligations as those imposed upon a private employer when served with a garnishment.
Rule 90.16.Compensation of State and Municipal Employees Subject to Writ of Garnishment.
Part III · Rule 90: Garnishments and Sequestration · Last amended January 1, 2016 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceRule 90.16 makes state and municipal employers subject to garnishment on the same terms as private employers, makes public employees' pay garnishable the same as any other wages, and allows service on the officer who handles payment or audit of the employee's salary.
Full Text of Rule 90.16
(b) Duties of Officers—Fees—Exemptions. Pay of any officer, appointee, or employee of the state of Missouri, or any municipal corporation or other political subdivision of the state, shall be subject to garnishment to the same extent as in any other garnishment. All garnishments against such employee shall proceed in the same manner as any other garnishment.
(c) Other Procedures in Rule 90 Applicable. Service of legal process to which a department, municipal corporation, or other political subdivision of the state is subject under this Rule 90.16 may be accomplished by personal service upon the paying, disbursing, or auditing officer of the state, municipal corporation, or other political subdivision of the state, charged with the duty of payment or audit of such salary, wages, fees or earnings of such employees.
Amendment History
Adopted May 15, 1998, eff. Jan. 1, 1999; Amended June 25, 2015, eff. Jan. 1, 2016.
Plain-English Summary
Government employers do not get special protection from garnishment under Missouri’s rules. Rule 90.16 states that the state of Missouri, a municipal corporation, or any other political subdivision that is served with a garnishment carries the same duties and obligations that a private employer would have when served with the same garnishment.
That parity runs to the substance as well as the process: the pay of any officer, appointee, or employee of the state or of a municipal corporation or political subdivision is subject to garnishment to the same extent as pay owed by any private employer, and all such garnishments proceed the same way as any other garnishment under Rule 90.
The rule also addresses the practical question of how to serve a government entity in this context. Service of the legal process a department, municipal corporation, or political subdivision is subject to under Rule 90.16 can be accomplished by personally serving the officer charged with paying or auditing the salary, wages, fees, or earnings of the employee whose pay is being garnished. That gives a garnishor a clear, workable path to serve government employers without having to identify some other official within the government structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are state and municipal employers treated differently from private employers under Rule 90.16?
No. They have the same duties and obligations as a private employer when served with a garnishment.
Can a state or municipal employee's pay be garnished?
Yes, to the same extent as any other garnishment, and all such garnishments proceed in the same manner as any other garnishment case.
Who can be served on behalf of a government employer under this rule?
Service may be made by personally serving the paying, disbursing, or auditing officer charged with handling the employee’s salary, wages, fees, or earnings.
Does Rule 90.16 create separate deadlines or procedures for public-employee garnishments?
No. It applies the same garnishment procedures used for any other garnishment, with the difference being how service is accomplished and confirming that public employers share private employers’ duties.
Does this rule cover employees of political subdivisions other than municipalities?
Yes. It applies to the state, municipal corporations, and any other political subdivision of the state.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Missouri State & Federal Court Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Missouri. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: garnishing state employee wagesmunicipal employee garnishment Missourigovernment employer garnishmentpublic employee wage garnishmentserving garnishment on government