Wage Garnishment Calculator
Work out the most you may withhold from a paycheck for a garnishment, a support order or a student loan order, under federal and state law. Free, no sign-up.
The order
Deductions required by law
Wage garnishment limit
Enter the gross pay and the deductions the law requires.
General information, not legal, tax or HR advice. See our Terms.
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Federal garnishment limits
| Order | The most a paycheck can lose |
|---|---|
| Creditor (consumer debt) | The lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 30 × $7.25 a week ($217.50; $435 biweekly, $471.25 semimonthly, $942.50 monthly) |
| Support, with another spouse or child to support | 50% of disposable earnings (55% when more than 12 weeks in arrears) |
| Support, without | 60% of disposable earnings (65% when more than 12 weeks in arrears) |
| Federal student loan or federal agency | 15% of disposable earnings |
Sources: 15 USC 1673; 29 CFR 870.10; US DOL Fact Sheet 30. Federal and state tax levies and bankruptcy orders follow their own rules.
Wage garnishment limits by state
The most an ordinary creditor's garnishment can take from a paycheck in each state; the federal limit applies wherever it is tighter.
| State | The most a creditor can take |
|---|---|
| Alabama | The federal limit |
| Alaska | The amount above $473 of weekly net earnings ($743 for a household's sole support) |
| Arizona | The lesser of 10% of disposable earnings or the amount above 60 times the highest federal, state or local minimum wage ($15.15 statewide) a week |
| Arkansas | The federal limit |
| California | The lesser of 20% of disposable earnings or 40% of the amount above 48 times the minimum wage that applies a week ($16.90 statewide) |
| Colorado | The lesser of 20% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the higher of the federal and Colorado minimum wage ($15.16) a week |
| Connecticut | The lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the higher of the federal and Connecticut minimum wage ($16.94) a week |
| Delaware | 15% of gross pay |
| District of Columbia | 25% of the amount above 40 times the District of Columbia minimum wage ($18.40) a week |
| Florida | The federal limit; a head of family keeps all disposable earnings up to $750 a week, and more unless they agreed otherwise in writing |
| Georgia | The federal limit |
| Hawaii | 5% of the first $100 of monthly earnings, 10% of the next $100 and 20% above $200 |
| Idaho | The federal limit |
| Illinois | The lesser of 15% of gross pay or the amount above 45 times the higher of the federal and Illinois minimum wage a week ($15) |
| Indiana | The federal limit; a court may set as little as 10% of disposable earnings for good cause |
| Iowa | For a consumer credit judgment: the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the federal minimum wage a week; per creditor at most $250 to 10% of expected earnings a year |
| Kansas | The federal limit |
| Kentucky | The federal limit |
| Louisiana | The federal limit |
| Maine | The lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the higher of the federal and Maine minimum wage ($15.10) a week |
| Maryland | The lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 30 times the Maryland minimum wage ($15) a week |
| Massachusetts | The lesser of 15% of gross pay or gross pay above 50 times the higher of the federal and Massachusetts minimum wage ($15) a week |
| Michigan | The federal limit |
| Minnesota | 10%, 15% or 25% of disposable earnings as weekly gross pay passes 40, 60 and 80 times the higher of the federal and Minnesota minimum wage ($11.41), and never into 40 times it |
| Mississippi | The federal limit |
| Missouri | The federal limit; a head of family at most 10% of disposable earnings |
| Montana | The federal limit |
| Nebraska | The federal limit; a head of family at most 15% of disposable earnings |
| Nevada | The lesser of 18% of disposable earnings (25% when gross pay is above $770 a week) or the amount above 50 times the federal minimum wage a week |
| New Hampshire | The amount above 50 times the federal minimum wage a week |
| New Jersey | 10% of gross pay |
| New Mexico | The lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the highest federal, state or local minimum wage ($12 statewide) a week |
| New York | The lesser of 10% of gross pay or 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 30 times the higher of the federal and New York minimum wage ($17) a week |
| North Carolina | None: wages can't be garnished for an ordinary creditor's debt |
| North Dakota | The lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the federal minimum wage a week, less $20 a week per dependent |
| Ohio | The federal limit |
| Oklahoma | The federal limit |
| Oregon | The lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above $400 a week ($832 biweekly, $912 semimonthly, $1,792 monthly) |
| Pennsylvania | None: wages can't be garnished for an ordinary creditor's debt |
| Rhode Island | The federal limit |
| South Carolina | None: wages can't be garnished for an ordinary creditor's debt |
| South Dakota | The lesser of 20% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the higher of the federal and South Dakota minimum wage ($11.85) a week plus $25 per dependent |
| Tennessee | The federal limit; $2.50 a week more kept for each dependent child under 16 |
| Texas | None: wages can't be garnished for an ordinary creditor's debt |
| Utah | The federal limit |
| Vermont | For a consumer credit judgment: the lesser of 15% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the federal minimum wage a week |
| Virginia | The lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 40 times the higher of the federal and Virginia minimum wage ($12.77) a week |
| Washington | For consumer debt: the lesser of 20% of disposable earnings or the amount above 35 times the Washington minimum wage ($17.13) a week |
| West Virginia | The lesser of 20% of disposable earnings or the amount above 50 times the federal minimum wage a week |
| Wisconsin | 20% of disposable earnings |
| Wyoming | The federal limit |
Minimum wages as of November 10, 2026. Sources: each state's statute, Ezel's 50-state survey (2026) and NCLC's No Fresh Start (December 2025); support orders, taxes and federal student loans follow their own limits.
Frequently asked questions
For a creditor, the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage a week ($217.50). For support, up to 50% or 60% of disposable earnings, and 5 points more when more than 12 weeks in arrears.
Pay left after the deductions the law requires: income taxes, Social Security, Medicare and state disability taxes. Voluntary deductions such as health insurance or 401(k) contributions are not subtracted.
Support comes first. If support already takes 25% or more of disposable earnings, the creditor gets nothing; if less, the creditor's share is limited to the difference.
15% of disposable earnings, and never pay below the 30-times protected amount.
Often, and the tighter limit applies. New York caps a creditor at 10% of gross pay, New Jersey at 10%, Massachusetts at 15%; Arizona at 10% of disposable earnings; California at the lesser of 20% or 40% of the amount above 48 times the minimum wage. Others protect more hours of the minimum wage, give a head of family more, or take less for each dependent. The table below has every state, and the calculator applies the one you pick.
For an ordinary creditor's debt: North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas. A support order and federal orders, such as a defaulted federal student loan, can still take wages there.
Yes. Pick «Work them out» and it takes federal income tax on the W-4's filing status, Social Security, Medicare, the state's income tax and its disability or paid leave contributions from the gross pay. Pre-tax benefits such as a 401(k) lower the tax, so the pay stub's own figures are exact.
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