Oregon Statutes 18.845 – Notice of exemptions form; instructions for challenge to garnishment
A notice of exemptions form must be in substantially the form set forth in this section. Nothing in the notice form described in this section is intended to expand or restrict the law relating to exempt property. A determination as to whether property is exempt from execution, attachment and garnishment must be made by reference to other law. The form provided in this section may be modified to provide more information or to update the notice based on subsequent changes in exemption laws.
Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 18.845
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
- Court administrator: means a trial court administrator in a circuit court that has a trial court administrator and the clerk of the court in all other courts. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
- Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
- Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
- Execution: means enforcement of the money award portion of a judgment or enforcement of a judgment requiring delivery of the possession or sale of specific real or personal property, by means of writs of execution, writs of garnishment and other statutory or common law writs or remedies that may be available under the law. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
- Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
- Judgment: means the concluding decision of a court on one or more requests for relief in one or more actions, as reflected in a judgment document. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Person: includes individuals, corporations, associations, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
- Personal property: All property that is not real property.
- Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
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NOTICE OF EXEMPT PROPERTY
AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR
CHALLENGE TO GARNISHMENT
Property belonging to you may have been taken or held in order to satisfy a debt. The debt may be reflected in a judgment or in a warrant or order issued by a state agency. Important legal papers are enclosed.
YOU MAY BE ABLE TO GET YOUR PROPERTY BACK, SO READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY.
State and federal law specify that certain property may not be taken. Some of the property that you may be able to get back is listed below.
(1) Wages or a salary as described in ORS § 18.375 and 18.385. Whichever of the following amounts is greater:
(a) 75 percent of your take-home wages; or
(b) $254 per workweek.
(2) Social Security benefits.
(3) Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
(4) Public assistance (welfare).
(5) Unemployment benefits.
(6) Disability benefits (other than SSI benefits).
(7) Workers’ compensation benefits.
(8) All Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income benefits, and up to $7,500 in exempt wages, retirement benefits, welfare, unemployment benefits and disability benefits, that are held in a bank account. You may attach copies of bank statements to the Challenge to Garnishment form if you claim this exemption.
(9) Spousal support, child support or separate maintenance to the extent reasonably necessary for your support or the support of any of your dependents.
(10) A homestead (house, manufactured dwelling or floating home) occupied by you, or occupied by your spouse, parent or child. Up to $40,000 of the value of the homestead is exempt. If you jointly own the homestead with another person who is also liable on the debt, up to $50,000 of the value of the homestead is exempt.
(11) Proceeds from the sale of a homestead described in item 10, up to the limits described in item 10, if you hold the proceeds for less than one year and intend to use those proceeds to procure another homestead.
(12) Household goods, furniture, radios, a television set and utensils with a combined value not to exceed $3,000.
*(13) An automobile, truck, trailer or other vehicle with a value not to exceed $3,000.
*(14) Tools, implements, apparatus, team, harness or library that are necessary to carry on your occupation, with a combined value not to exceed $5,000.
*(15) Books, pictures and musical instruments with a combined value not to exceed $600.
*(16) Wearing apparel, jewelry and other personal items with a combined value not to exceed $1,800.
(17) Domestic animals and poultry for family use with a combined value not to exceed $1,000 and their food for 60 days.
(18) Provisions and fuel for your family for 60 days.
(19) One rifle or shotgun and one pistol. The combined value of all firearms claimed as exempt may not exceed $1,000.
(20) Public or private pensions.
(21) Veterans’ benefits and loans.
(22) Medical assistance benefits.
(23) Health insurance proceeds and disability proceeds of life insurance policies.
(24) Cash surrender value of life insurance policies not payable to your estate.
(25) Federal annuities.
(26) Other annuities to $250 per month (excess over $250 per month is subject to the same exemption as wages).
(27) Professionally prescribed health aids for you or any of your dependents.
*(28) Rental assistance to an elderly person allowed pursuant to ORS § 458.375.
(29) Your right to receive, or property traceable to:
(a) An award under any crime victim reparation law.
(b) A payment or payments, not exceeding a total of $10,000, on account of personal bodily injury suffered by you or an individual of whom you are a dependent.
(c) A payment in compensation of loss of future earnings of you or an individual of whom you are or were a dependent, to the extent reasonably necessary for your support and the support of any of your dependents.
(30) Amounts paid to you as an earned income tax credit under federal tax law.
(31) Your right to the assets held in, or right to receive payments under, a medical savings account or health savings account authorized under section 220 or 223 of the Internal Revenue Code.
*(32) Interest in personal property to the value of $400, but this cannot be used to increase the amount of any other exemption.
(33) Equitable interests in property.
(34) Security deposits or prepaid rent held by a residential landlord under ORS § 90.300.
(35) If the amount shown as owing on the Debt Calculation form exceeds the amount you actually owe to the creditor, the difference between the amount owed and the amount shown on the Debt Calculation form.
(36) Amounts paid to you as a tax credit under ORS § 315.273.
Note: If two or more people in your household owe the claim or judgment, each of them may claim the exemptions marked by an asterisk (*).
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SPECIAL RULES APPLY FOR DEBTS THAT ARE OWED FOR CHILD SUPPORT AND SPOUSAL SUPPORT. Some property that may not otherwise be taken for payment against the debt may be taken to pay for overdue support. For instance, Social Security benefits, workers’ compensation benefits, unemployment benefits, veterans’ benefits and pensions are normally exempt, but only 50 percent of a lump sum payment of these benefits is exempt if the debt is owed for a support obligation.
YOU MUST ACT PROMPTLY IF YOU WANT TO GET YOUR MONEY OR PROPERTY BACK. You may seek to reclaim your exempt property by doing the following:
(1) Fill out the Challenge to Garnishment form that you received with this notice.
(2) Mail or deliver the Challenge to Garnishment form to the court administrator at the address shown on the writ of garnishment, and mail or deliver a copy of the form to the Garnishor at the address shown on the writ of garnishment. If you wish to claim wages or salary as exempt, you must mail or deliver the form within 120 days after you receive this notice. If you wish to claim that any other money or property is exempt, or claim that the property is not subject to garnishment, you must mail or deliver the form within 30 days after you receive this notice. You have the burden of showing that your challenge is made on time, so you should keep records showing when the challenge was mailed or delivered.
(3) The law only requires that the Garnishor hold the garnished money or property for 10 days before applying it to the Creditor’s use. You may be able to keep the property from being used by the Creditor by promptly following (1) and (2) above.
You should be prepared to explain your exemption in court. If you have any questions about the garnishment or the debt, you should see an attorney.
YOU MAY USE THE CHALLENGE TO GARNISHMENT FORM ONLY FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES:
(1) To claim such exemptions from garnishment as are permitted by law.
(2) To assert that property is not garnishable property under ORS § 18.618.
(3) To assert that the amount specified in the writ of garnishment as being subject to garnishment is greater than the total amount owed.
YOU MAY NOT USE THE CHALLENGE TO GARNISHMENT FORM TO CHALLENGE THE VALIDITY OF THE DEBT.
IF YOU FILE A CHALLENGE TO A GARNISHMENT IN BAD FAITH, YOU MAY BE SUBJECT TO PENALTIES IMPOSED BY THE COURT THAT COULD INCLUDE A FINE. Penalties that you could be subject to are listed in ORS § 18.715.
When you file a Challenge to Garnishment form, the Garnishee may be required to make all payments under the garnishment to the court, and the Garnishor may be required to pay to the court all amounts received by the Garnishor that are subject to the challenge to the garnishment. The Garnishee and Garnishor are subject to penalties if they do not. For a complete explanation of their responsibilities, see ORS § 18.705 and 18.708.
______________________________________________________________________________ [2001 c.249 § 64; 2001 c.538 § 2a; 2003 c.79 § 2; 2003 c.85 § 21; 2003 c.576 § 77; 2005 c.391 § 2; 2005 c.456 § 6; 2005 c.568 § 25b; 2007 c.71 § 6; 2007 c.496 11,16; 2009 c.430 § 10; 2009 c.612 § 6; 2011 c.93 § 2; 2011 c.228 § 3; 2011 c.317 § 6; 2013 c.597 § 2; 2015 c.348 § 24; 2019 c.263 § 3; 2023 c.538 § 10]