(1) The creditor shall pay a $15 fee to the garnishee for each earnings garnishment or each stipulated extension of that earnings garnishment. This fee shall be included as a cost in the creditor’s claim in the earnings garnishment.
812.33.Garnishee fees.
Ch. 812: Garnishment · Last amended 2015 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceSection 812.33 requires the creditor to pay the garnishee a fifteen-dollar fee for each earnings garnishment or stipulated extension, folded into the creditor’s costs, plus a smaller three-dollar fee for each payment the garnishee delivers after the first.
Full Text of Section 812.33
(2) In addition to the $15 garnishee fee under sub. (1), the garnishee shall receive a $3 fee for each payment delivered to the creditor under s. 812.39 after the first payment. That additional fee shall be deducted from the moneys delivered to the creditor. This subsection does not apply to a garnishment under s. 812.42.
Official Notes
NOTE: 1993 Wis. Act 80 contains Judicial Council notes.
Plain-English Summary
Section 812.33 sets the compensation an employer or other garnishee receives for administering an earnings garnishment. The creditor must pay the garnishee $15 for each earnings garnishment, and again for each stipulated extension of that garnishment. That fee does not stay with the creditor; it becomes a cost included in the creditor’s claim in the earnings garnishment, ultimately shifting the expense toward the debtor as part of the amount owed.
The section adds a second, smaller fee tied to ongoing administration. Beyond the initial $15 fee, the garnishee receives $3 for each payment it delivers to the creditor after the first one, deducted directly from the money the garnishee sends. That additional per-payment fee does not apply to garnishments handled under the specific provision covering a different kind of earnings garnishment elsewhere in the subchapter.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a creditor have to pay the garnishee to start an earnings garnishment?
Section 812.33(1) requires a $15 fee for each earnings garnishment, and the same fee applies again for each stipulated extension of that garnishment.
Does the debtor end up bearing the cost of this fee?
Indirectly, yes. The $15 fee is included as a cost in the creditor’s claim in the earnings garnishment.
Does the garnishee get paid anything beyond the initial fifteen dollars?
Yes. Section 812.33(2) gives the garnishee an additional $3 fee for each payment delivered to the creditor after the first payment, deducted from the money delivered.
Does this additional three-dollar fee apply to every kind of earnings garnishment?
No. Section 812.33(2) says it does not apply to a garnishment handled under the separate provision addressed elsewhere in the subchapter.
Who pays the garnishee fee, the creditor or the garnishee?
The creditor pays it, though the fee is folded into the creditor’s claim as a cost.
Amendment History
History: 1993 a. 80; 2015 a. 55, 337.
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: wisconsin earnings garnishment feefifteen dollar garnishee fee wisconsincost of earnings garnishment wisconsingarnishee payment fee wisconsin