Well a levy is where you go one day to check your bank balance and it's zero because they have emptied it. A garnishment is where you go to get your paycheck one day and a big chunk of it is missing because they have garnished your paycheck. Both result in you having substantially less money than you knew about. Many times they can catch you off guard even though they have to mail you certain notices before they can do so. In some cases, for whatever reason, maybe you didn't get the mail, maybe you didn't see it, maybe the notice came months and months ago and you just didn't take them seriously. I promise you if you get hit with a levy or garnishment you will never forget.