Minnesota Statutes
Chapter 550 — Executions, Redemption, Exemptions
Section 550.136 — Sheriff's Levy Of Earnings.

Subdivision 1. Procedure. When earnings are levied upon by the sheriff, this section must be complied with, in addition to the general provisions specified in section 550.135.
Subd. 2. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given them:
(a) "Earnings" means:
(1) compensation paid or payable to an employee for personal service whether denominated as wages, salary, commissions, bonus, or otherwise, and includes periodic payments pursuant to a pension or retirement program;
(2) compensation paid or payable to the producer for the sale of agricultural products; livestock or livestock products; milk or milk products; or fruit or other horticultural products produced when the producer is operating a family farm, a family farm corporation, or an authorized farm corporation, as defined in section 500.24, subdivision 2; or
(3) maintenance as defined in section 518.003, subdivision 3a.
(b) "Disposable earnings" means that part of the earnings of an individual remaining after the deduction from those earnings of amounts required by law to be withheld.
(c) "Employee" means an individual who performs services subject to the right of the employer to control both what is done and how it is done.
(d) "Employer" means a person for whom an individual performs services as an employee.
Subd. 3. Limitation on levy on earnings. (a) Unless the judgment is for child support, the maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings of an individual for any pay period subjected to an execution levy may not exceed the lesser of:
(1) 25 percent of the judgment debtor's disposable earnings; or
(2) the amount by which the judgment debtor's disposable earnings exceed the greater of: (i) 40 times the hourly wage described in section 177.24, subdivision 1, paragraph (b), clause (1), item (iii); or (ii) 40 times the federal minimum hourly wages prescribed by section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, United States Code, title 29, section 206(a)(1), in effect at the time the earnings are payable, times the number of work weeks in the pay period. When a pay period consists of other than a whole number of work weeks, each day of that pay period in excess of the number of completed work weeks shall be counted as a fraction of a work week equal to the number of excess workdays divided by the number of days in the normal work week.
(b) If the judgment is for child support, the levy may not exceed:
(1) 50 percent of the judgment debtor's disposable income, if the judgment debtor is supporting a spouse or dependent child and the judgment is 12 weeks old or less (12 weeks to be calculated to the beginning of the work week in which the execution levy is received);
(2) 55 percent of the judgment debtor's disposable income, if the judgment debtor is supporting a spouse or dependent child, and the judgment is over 12 weeks old (12 weeks to be calculated to the beginning of the work week in which the execution levy is received);
(3) 60 percent of the judgment debtor's disposable income, if the judgment debtor is not supporting a spouse or dependent child and the judgment is 12 weeks old or less (12 weeks to be calculated to the beginning of the work week in which the execution levy is received); or
(4) 65 percent of the judgment debtor's disposable income, if the judgment debtor is not supporting a spouse or dependent child, and the judgment is over 12 weeks old (12 weeks to be calculated to the beginning of the work week in which the execution levy is received).
Execution levies under this section on judgments for child support are effective until the judgments are satisfied if the judgment creditor is a county and the employer is notified by the county when the judgment is satisfied.
(c) No court may make, execute, or enforce an order or any process in violation of this section.
Subd. 4. Multiple levies on earnings. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter or section 518A.53, the priority of multiple earnings execution levies is determined by the order in which the execution levies were served on the employer. If the employer is served with two or more writs of execution at the same time on the same day, the writ of execution issued pursuant to the first judgment entered has priority. If two or more execution levies are served on the same day and are based on judgments entered on the same day, then the employer shall select the priority of the earnings levies. However, in all cases except earnings execution levies on judgments for child support if the judgment creditor is a county and the employer is notified by the county when the judgment is satisfied, the execution levies shall be effective no longer than 90 days from the date of the service of the writ of execution.
Subd. 5. Earnings attachable. (a) Subject to the exemptions provided by sections 550.37 and 571.922, and any other applicable statute, and except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b), the service of a writ of execution under this chapter attaches all unpaid nonexempt disposable earnings owing or to be owed by the third party and earned or to be earned by the judgment debtor before and within the pay period in which the writ of execution is served and within all subsequent pay periods whose paydays occur within the 90 days after the date of service of the writ of execution. "Paydays" means the days upon which the third party pays earnings to the judgment debtor in the ordinary course of business. If the judgment debtor has no regular paydays, paydays means the 15th day and the last day of each month. If the levy attaches less than $10, the third party shall not retain and remit the sum.
(b) The service of a writ of execution on a judgment for child support attaches to all unpaid nonexempt disposable earnings owing or to be owed by the third party and earned or to be earned by the judgment debtor before and within the pay period in which the writ of execution is served and within all subsequent pay periods until the judgment is satisfied if the judgment creditor is a county and the third party is notified by the county when the judgment is satisfied.
Subd. 6. Earnings exemption notice. Before the first levy on earnings under this chapter, the judgment creditor shall serve upon the judgment debtor no less than ten days before the service of the writ of execution, a notice that the writ of execution may be served on the judgment debtor's employer. The notice must: (1) be substantially in the form set forth below; (2) be served personally, in the manner of a summons and complaint, or by first class mail to the last known address of the judgment debtor; (3) inform the judgment debtor that an execution levy may be served on the judgment debtor's employer in ten days, and that the judgment debtor may, within that time, cause to be served on the judgment creditor a signed statement under penalties of perjury asserting an entitlement to an exemption from execution; (4) inform the judgment debtor of the earnings exemptions contained in section 550.37, subdivision 14; and (5) advise the judgment debtor of the relief set forth in this chapter to which the debtor may be entitled if a judgment creditor in bad faith disregards a valid claim and the fee, costs, and penalty that may be assessed against a judgment debtor who in bad faith falsely claims an exemption or in bad faith takes action to frustrate the execution process. The notice requirement of this subdivision does not apply to a levy on earnings being retained by an employer pursuant to a garnishment previously served in compliance with chapter 571.
The ten-day notice informing a judgment debtor that a writ of execution may be used to levy the earnings of an individual must be substantially in the following form:
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a levy may be served upon your employer or other third parties, without any further court proceedings or notice to you, ten days or more from the date hereof. Your earnings are completely exempt from execution levy if you are now a recipient of relief based on need, if you have been a recipient of relief within the last six months, or if you have been an inmate of a correctional institution in the last six months.
Relief based on need includes Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Emergency Assistance (EA), Work First, Medical Assistance (MA), General Assistance (GA), Emergency General Assistance (EGA), Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA), MSA Emergency Assistance (MSA-EA), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Energy Assistance.
If you wish to claim an exemption, you should fill out the appropriate form below, sign it, and send it to the judgment creditor's attorney.
You may wish to contact the attorney for the judgment creditor in order to arrange for a settlement of the debt or contact an attorney to advise you about exemptions or other rights.
PENALTIES
(1) Be advised that even if you claim an exemption, an execution levy may still be served on your employer. If your earnings are levied on after you claim an exemption, you may petition the court for a determination of your exemption. If the court finds that the judgment creditor disregarded your claim of exemption in bad faith, you will be entitled to costs, reasonable attorney fees, actual damages, and an amount not to exceed $100.
(2) HOWEVER, BE WARNED if you claim an exemption, the judgment creditor can also petition the court for a determination of your exemption, and if the court finds that you claimed an exemption in bad faith, you will be assessed costs and reasonable attorney's fees plus an amount not to exceed $100.
(3) If after receipt of this notice, you in bad faith take action to frustrate the execution levy, thus requiring the judgment creditor to petition the court to resolve the problem, you will be liable to the judgment creditor for costs and reasonable attorney's fees plus an amount not to exceed $100.
JUDGMENT DEBTOR'S EXEMPTION CLAIM NOTICE
I hereby claim that my earnings are exempt from execution because:
(1) I am presently a recipient of relief based on need. (Specify the program, case number, and the county from which relief is being received.)
If the execution levy has not been served within one year after service of the exemption notice, the judgment creditor or its attorney shall serve another notice upon the judgment debtor before serving the execution levy on the judgment debtor's employer. If more than one year has passed since the service of the judgment creditor's most recent execution levy, the judgment creditor shall, no less than ten days before service of a subsequent execution levy, serve notice that another execution levy may be served.
Subd. 8. Proceedings if no exemption statement is received. If no statement of exemption is received by the judgment creditor's attorney (or the creditor if not represented by an attorney) on an earnings levy within ten days after the service of the notice, the judgment creditor may proceed with the execution levy. Failure of the judgment debtor to serve a statement does not constitute a waiver of any right the judgment debtor may have to an exemption. If the statement of exemption is received by the judgment creditor, the judgment creditor may still cause a levy to be served subject to sanctions provided in section 550.143, subdivision 10.
Subd. 9. Execution earnings disclosure form and worksheet. The judgment creditor shall provide to the sheriff for service upon the judgment debtor's employer an execution earnings disclosure form and an earnings disclosure worksheet with the writ of execution, that must be substantially in the form set forth below.
DEFINITIONS
"EARNINGS": For the purpose of execution, "earnings" means compensation paid or payable to an employee for personal services or compensation paid or payable to the producer for the sale of agricultural products; milk or milk products; or fruit or other horticultural products produced when the producer is operating a family farm, a family farm corporation, or an authorized farm corporation, as defined in section 500.24, subdivision 2, whether denominated as wages, salary, commission, bonus, or otherwise, and includes periodic payments pursuant to a pension or retirement.
"DISPOSABLE EARNINGS": Means that part of the earnings of an individual remaining after the deduction from those earnings of amounts required by law to be withheld. (Amounts required by law to be withheld do not include items such as health insurance, charitable contributions, or other voluntary wage deductions.)
"PAYDAY": For the purpose of execution, "payday(s)" means the date(s) upon which the employer pays earnings to the debtor in the ordinary course of business. If the judgment debtor has no regular payday, payday(s) means the 15th and the last day of each month.
THE THIRD PARTY/EMPLOYER MUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
(1) Do you now owe, or within 90 days from the date the execution levy was served on you, will you or may you owe money to the judgment debtor for earnings?
AFFIRMATION
I, ................... (person signing Affirmation), am the third party/employer or I am authorized by the third party/employer to complete this earnings disclosure, and have done so truthfully and to the best of my knowledge.
*If you entered any amount in column H for any payday(s), you must describe below either your claims, or the claims of others. For amounts claimed by others, you must both state the names and addresses of such persons, and the nature of their claim, if known.
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AFFIRMATION
I, ................. (person signing Affirmation), am the third party or I am authorized by the third party to complete this earnings disclosure worksheet, and have done so truthfully and to the best of my knowledge.
The judgment creditor shall provide to the sheriff for service upon a child support judgment debtor's employer an execution earnings disclosure form and an earnings disclosure worksheet with the writ of execution, that must be substantially in the form set forth below.
DEFINITIONS
"EARNINGS": For the purpose of execution, "earnings" means compensation paid or payable to an employee for personal services or compensation paid or payable to the producer for the sale of agricultural products; milk or milk products; or fruit or other horticultural products produced when the producer is operating a family farm, a family farm corporation, or an authorized farm corporation, as defined in section 500.24, subdivision 2, whether denominated as wages, salary, commission, bonus, or otherwise, and includes periodic payments pursuant to a pension or retirement, workers' compensation, or unemployment benefits.
"DISPOSABLE EARNINGS": Means that part of the earnings of an individual remaining after the deduction from those earnings of amounts required by law to be withheld. (Amounts required by law to be withheld do not include items such as health insurance, charitable contributions, or other voluntary wage deductions.)
"PAYDAY": For the purpose of execution, "payday(s)" means the date(s) upon which the employer pays earnings to the debtor in the ordinary course of business. If the judgment debtor has no regular payday, payday(s) means the 15th and the last day of each month.
THE THIRD PARTY/EMPLOYER MUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:
(1) Do you now owe, or within 90 days from the date the execution levy was served on you, will you or may you owe money to the judgment debtor for earnings?
*If you entered any amount in column E for any payday(s), you must describe below either your claims, or the claims of others. For amounts claimed by others, you must both state the names and addresses of such persons, and the nature of their claim, if known.
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.
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AFFIRMATION
I, ................. (person signing Affirmation), am the third party or I am authorized by the third party to complete this earnings disclosure worksheet, and have done so truthfully and to the best of my knowledge.
The judgment creditor shall serve by mail upon the judgment debtor not later than five days after service is made on the judgment debtor's employer, a copy of the writ of execution and copies of all other papers served on the judgment debtor's employer.
Subd. 12. Third-party disclosure and remittance obligation. If there are no attachable earnings, the third party shall serve the execution earnings disclosure form upon the sheriff within 20 days after service of the writ of execution. However, if the judgment debtor has attachable earnings, the third party shall serve the execution earnings disclosure form and remit to the sheriff the attached earnings within ten days of the last payday to occur within the 90 days after the date of the service of the execution. If the judgment is wholly satisfied or if the judgment debtor's employment ends before the expiration of the 90-day period, the disclosure and remittance should be made within ten days after the last payday for which earnings were attached. The amount of the third party's execution earnings disclosure form and remittance need not exceed 110 percent of the amount of the judgment creditor's judgment that remains unpaid, after subtracting the total of setoffs, defenses, exemption, or other adverse interests. If the disclosure is by a corporation, it shall be made by an officer or an authorized agent having knowledge of the facts.
Subd. 13. Penalty for retaliation or discharge. (a) An employer shall not discharge or otherwise discipline an employee as a result of an earnings levy authorized by this chapter.
(b) If an employer violates this section, a court may order the reinstatement of an aggrieved party who demonstrates a violation of this section, and other relief the court considers appropriate. The aggrieved party may bring a civil action within 90 days of the date of the prohibited action. If an employer-employee relationship existed before the violation of this section, the employee shall recover twice the wages lost as a result of this violation.
(c) The rights guaranteed by this section are not subject to abridgment and may not be altered by employment contract.
1990 c 606 art 1 s 3; 1991 c 156 s 15,16; 1993 c 156 s 2-4; 1994 c 488 s 8; 1997 c 203 art 6 s 92; 1998 c 382 art 2 s 18; 1999 c 107 s 66; 1999 c 159 s 141; 2000 c 343 s 4; 2000 c 405 s 2; 2005 c 164 s 29; 1Sp2005 c 7 s 28; 2015 c 21 art 1 s 109; 2020 c 86 art 4 s 1-6

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