Wage Garnishment Calculator

For most consumer debts, federal law (the Consumer Credit Protection Act) limits garnishment to the lesser of 25% of your disposable earnings or the amount by which your weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage ($7.25), which is $217.50 per week. If your disposable earnings are $217.50 or less per week, nothing can be garnished for ordinary debt.

Disposable earnings are what is left of your pay after legally required deductions — federal, state, and local taxes and your share of Social Security, Medicare, and state unemployment insurance. Voluntary deductions like health insurance or retirement contributions are not subtracted when calculating disposable earnings.

The CCPA allows up to 50% of disposable earnings if you are supporting another spouse or child, and up to 60% if you are not. An additional 5% may be taken if you are more than 12 weeks behind on support, raising the limits to 55% and 65%.

Yes. For defaulted federal student loans, the Department of Education's guaranty agencies can administratively garnish up to 15% of your disposable earnings, and the 30-times-minimum-wage floor still protects part of your pay.

No. Federal law always protects at least 30 times the federal minimum wage per week ($217.50) from garnishment for ordinary debts, and caps support and student-loan garnishments by percentage. Many states protect even more of your pay.

Often, yes. When state and federal garnishment laws differ, the law more protective of the employee applies. Some states cap garnishment below 25%, use a higher state minimum wage for the exemption, or prohibit garnishment for certain consumer debts entirely. This calculator shows the federal limit — always check your state's rules.