A garnishment order does not give a creditor your whole paycheck. Federal law protects the greater of 75% of your disposable earnings or 30 times the minimum wage — and support orders, tax levies and student loans each follow a different cap. Enter your pay details to see exactly how much is protected and how much can legally be withheld.
Support-order questions — these change the cap from 25% to as much as 65%.
Federal law sets the maximum that can be taken. Several states — including Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and South Carolina — protect a larger share of wages, so check your state rule before assuming the federal number applies.
Situation: A credit card judgment creditor has a writ of garnishment against you. You earn $2,000 gross bi-weekly and pay $310 in legally required deductions, leaving $1,690 of disposable earnings. The 2025 federal minimum wage is $7.25/hr.
Calculation: Two limits apply and the creditor must satisfy both, so the lower amount governs. The 30× floor protects $435.00 for a bi-weekly period ($7.25 × 30 × 52 ÷ 26), leaving $1,255.00 above it. The 25% cap is $1,690 × 25% = $422.50. Since $422.50 is lower than $1,255.00, the creditor is limited to $422.50.
Situation: You owe current support and are more than 12 weeks behind. You support a second child from a different relationship. You earn $3,000 gross bi-weekly with $400 of required deductions, so disposable earnings are $2,600.
Calculation: The CCPA allows up to 65% of disposable earnings for support when you are 12+ weeks in arrears and supporting another dependent (60% if you are not supporting another dependent). 65% × $2,600 = $1,690 — and the 30× minimum wage floor does not apply to support orders.
Situation: You owe back federal taxes and the IRS has issued a continuing levy. You earn $2,600 gross bi-weekly with $400 of required deductions. The IRS exemption is based on the standard deduction plus personal exemptions divided by the number of pay periods.
Calculation: The IRS levies everything above the exempt amount, which commonly lands between 50% and 75% of disposable earnings for a single filer with no dependants. The CCPA 25% cap does not apply to a federal tax levy.
Disposable earnings = gross pay − legally required deductions (taxes, FICA, court-ordered support)
30× floor = 30 × the applicable minimum wage for the pay period (CCPA, 15 U.S.C. §1673)
25% cap = consumer-debt garnishment cannot exceed 25% of disposable earnings
Support cap = 50% (no other dependants) to 65% (12+ weeks in arrears plus another dependant)
State overlay = where a state protects more, the lower of state and federal applies
Most people assume a creditor can take 25% of a paycheck. That is only half the rule. The Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) at 15 U.S.C. §1673 sets two limits and applies whichever is more protective to the employee — a creditor must satisfy both:
Because the 30× floor is pro-rated per period, it behaves differently depending on how often you are paid — a subtlety that trips up most DIY calculations.
| Pay frequency | 30× minimum wage floor | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | $217.50 | Baseline |
| Bi-weekly | $435.00 | Floor doubles per check |
| Semi-monthly | $471.25 | Highest protected amount |
| Monthly | $942.50 | Floor quadruples |
If your disposable earnings are below the floor for your pay frequency, nothing can be garnished for a consumer debt — even if the writ is valid.
The cap depends entirely on what kind of debt is being collected. These are three different legal regimes that happen to share a paycheck.
Credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, apartment judgments. Capped at 25% of disposable earnings with the 30× minimum-wage floor in force. Most beneficial to the employee.
50% of disposable earnings for current support, 55% if supporting another dependant, 60% for arrears, 65% for arrears while supporting another dependant. The 30× floor does not apply.
Governed by IRC §6334, not the CCPA. The IRS exempts an amount based on the standard deduction and personal exemptions divided by pay periods, so the practical take can exceed 70% of disposable earnings.
Administrative wage garnishment for defaulted federal student loans is capped at 15% of disposable earnings — tighter than the consumer-debt rule. The HEART Act of 2025 raised the exemption floor for borrowers.
This is the single most contested line in garnishment math, because every deduction you can legitimately subtract lowers your disposable earnings and shrinks what a creditor may take. Federal law recognises only deductions required by law:
| Deduction | Reduces disposable earnings? |
|---|---|
| Federal, state and local income tax | Yes |
| Social Security and Medicare | Yes |
| State unemployment / disability insurance | Yes |
| Court-ordered child support already in place | Yes |
| Retirement contributions (401k, pension) | No — voluntary |
| Health, dental, life insurance premiums | No — voluntary |
| Union dues, charitable giving | No — voluntary |
| 401(k) loan repayments, wage advances | No — voluntary |
Voluntary deductions come out after the garnishment is computed, which is why a paycheck with heavy benefit deductions can still be garnished aggressively — and why the take-home figure at the bottom of your pay stub may be far below the protected amount you calculated.
Garnishments are frequently miscalculated, applied to the wrong person, or continued after the underlying debt is satisfied. You have concrete remedies:
Unemployment compensation, Social Security benefits and most public-assistance payments are exempt from garnishment for consumer debts entirely — but those funds lose their protection once commingled in a general bank account, which is why benefit recipients should keep a separate account.
⚠️ Important Disclaimer: This calculator applies the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act limits as they stand for 2025 — the $7.25 federal minimum wage, the 25% cap and the 30-times rule at 15 U.S.C. §1673. State garnishment law varies widely and often protects more, and multiple concurrent garnishments are subject to a combined cap rather than separate ones. Tax levies, bankruptcy orders and support orders follow entirely different statutes that this tool only summarises. The result is an educational estimate, not legal advice — a wage garnishment is a legal proceeding and you should consult a licensed attorney in your state about your specific order.