Virginia Code 40.1-31: Assignment of wages and salaries; requirements.
No assignment, transfer, pledge or hypothecation of wages or salary due or to become due to any person shall be valid and enforceable against any employer of the assignor, except with the express consent in writing of such employer given to the creditor or assignee, unless and until all of the following requirements have been fully met:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 40.1-31
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Employer: means an individual, partnership, association, corporation, legal representative, receiver, trustee, or trustee in bankruptcy doing business in or operating within this Commonwealth who employs another to work for wages, salaries, or on commission and shall include any similar entity acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an employee. See Virginia Code 40.1-2
- in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Virginia Code 1-257
- 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 any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- Process: includes subpoenas, the summons and complaint in a civil action, and process in statutory actions. See Virginia Code 1-237
(1) Such assignment is printed in type not smaller than pica, is a separate instrument not incorporated in or made a part of any other contract or instrument, and is plainly designated “Wage Assignment.”
(2) Such assignment is executed in triplicate and in person by the assignor, is dated on the date on which it is executed, one executed copy thereof is delivered to the assignor, and one executed copy is mailed to the employer therein named within fifteen days after the execution thereof; provided, however, that such copy mailed to the employer shall be for his information only, and shall not be construed as giving such employer legal notice of the assignee’s intention to enforce the terms thereof or as constituting the notice referred to in § 8.01-13.
(3) The name of employer of the assignor is written therein before the signing thereof and the total amount, if any, which is to be secured thereby is plainly stated therein.
(4) The assignor is, at the time of the execution of the assignment, employed by the employer therein named.
(5) Ten days before any notice of the assignee’s intention to enforce the terms of the assignment is served upon the employer, the assignee gives the assignor notice in writing sent by mail to his last known address that default has been made in his obligation.
(6) Notice of the assignee’s intention to enforce the terms of an assignment has been served on the employer by an officer or other person authorized to serve civil process. Such notice shall be valid to make the assignment effective only from the time it is served.
(7) Whenever the assignor changes his employment after executing an assignment contemplated by this section then any assignee who has otherwise fully complied with the provisions of this section may enforce his assignment against the new employer of the assignor provided that he mails a copy of the assignment to the new employer within fifteen days after learning of such change of employment and gives the same notice or notices to the new employer as is required to be given to the original employer and complies with the conditions of subdivision (5) hereof.
Code 1950, § 40-30; 1970, c. 321.