Generally, no. A creditor with a Pennsylvania judgment cannot typically garnish the wages of a resident or a nonresident in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania law prohibits the garnishment of wages except for specific purposes such as support, restitution to crime victims, and certain other limited circumstances. This prohibition applies regardless of the residency status of the debtor. (Pennsylvania courts have held that the laws of attachment and exemption are governed by the law of the forum, meaning PA law applies.)

This situation usually arises when a Pennsylvania resident moves to another state but continues to work for their Pennsylvania employer.

Example: Lawrence lives in Pennsylvania and works for an employer based in the state. A creditor sues him in a Pennsylvania court and obtains a judgment. However, Lawrence later moved to New Jersey and continued to work for his PA employer. The Judgment creditor cannot garnish his wages from his Pennsylvania Employer.

Note: This FAQ addresses Pennsylvania Judgments and Pennsylvania employers only. (We will address out-of-state or "foreign" judgments in another FAQ.) Resident or not, debtors who work for a non-Pennsylvania employer or an employer with out-of-state branches may not be protected against wage garnishment in another state. For example, if you work for a New Jersey employer, it is possible for the creditor to domesticate the PA Judgment in NJ and obtain a wage garnishment there. It is not necessarily common, but it is possible.

We will address out-of-state or "foreign" judgments in another FAQ.