Your Stimulus Check Can't Be Taken by Debt Collectors In This State New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation last week that will prevent private debut collectors from garnishing coronavirus stimulus money. Not long after Congress passed the American Rescue Plan in March, some noticed that the law did not have a provision that kept private debt collectors from garnishing the bill’s $1,400 stimulus checks. When the CARES Act passed in early 2020, such garnishments were forbidden. The stimulus checks cannot be garnished by unpaid federal debts or back taxes, although private debt collectors can collect medical bills, credit card debts, and other debts, providing that is ordered by a court order.