A garnishee shall be entitled to $3 as garnishee fee, and shall not be required to answer unless such fee is first paid. When a corporation is garnisheed such fee shall be paid to the person upon whom the garnishee summons and complaint is served. Such fee shall be taxed as costs in the action the same as witness fees are taxed.
812.06.Garnishee fees, costs.
Ch. 812: Garnishment · Last amended 1993 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceSection 812.06 entitles a garnishee to a three-dollar fee before having to answer the garnishment, treats that fee as a taxable cost like a witness fee, and specifies that a served corporate employee collects it on the corporation’s behalf.
Full Text of Section 812.06
Plain-English Summary
Section 812.06 gives a garnishee a small but firm right: payment before performance. A garnishee is entitled to a $3 fee, and is not required to answer the garnishee summons and complaint until that fee is paid. Being pulled into someone else’s dispute over money or property comes with at least this modest compensation up front.
When the garnishee is a corporation, the fee is not paid to the corporation as an entity but to the individual on whom the garnishee summons and complaint are served, since that person is the one handling the paperwork the fee is meant to cover. The section closes by folding the fee into the cost structure of the litigation: it is taxed as costs in the action the same way witness fees are taxed, so the losing party ultimately bears it as part of the case’s expenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a garnishee get paid anything for being pulled into a garnishment action?
Yes. Section 812.06 entitles the garnishee to a $3 fee.
Does a garnishee have to answer before receiving the fee?
No. Section 812.06 says the garnishee is not required to answer unless the fee is first paid.
Who receives the fee when the garnishee is a corporation?
The fee is paid to the person upon whom the garnishee summons and complaint is served, rather than to the corporation as an abstract entity.
How is this garnishee fee treated for purposes of the case’s costs?
Section 812.06 says the fee is taxed as costs in the action the same as witness fees are taxed.
Can a garnishee ignore the summons if the fee is never paid?
The section conditions the duty to answer on payment of the fee, so a garnishee is not required to answer until the $3 fee is paid.
Amendment History
History: Sup. Ct. Order, 67 Wis. 2d 585, 759 (1975); Stats. 1975 s. 812.06; 1993 a. 213.
Source & verification. Section text and official notes are
reproduced verbatim from the Wisconsin Statutes, published by the
Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau). Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: garnishee fee wisconsinthree dollar garnishee fee wisconsindoes garnishee get paid wisconsincorporate garnishee fee payment wisconsin