In the federal government’s ongoing effort to revive the U.S. economy and help people harmed by the economic damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, an important detail has gone under-noticed: the most recent set of federal stimulus payments to individuals are subject to garnishment by creditors. And this fact is creating legal and operational challenges
EIPs
New COVID-19 Economic Relief Legislation Provides Exemption for Economic Impact Payments from Garnishment by Private Creditors and Debt Collectors
By Lori J. Sommerfield on
On December 21, Congress overwhelmingly passed a consolidated bill (H.R. 133) that contains $1.4 trillion in appropriations to keep the federal government funded until October 2021 and $900 billion in coronavirus economic relief. The latter is found in Division N of the lengthy bill (which runs over 5600 pages) entitled “Additional Coronavirus Response and Relief.”…