Wage Garnishment Calculator

What Is the Wage Garnishment Calculator?

Under the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act (Title III), wage garnishment for most debts is capped at the lesser of 25% of disposable weekly earnings, or the amount by which disposable weekly earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage ($7.25/hr). This is a federal floor -- many states set their own, more protective (lower) limits, so check your specific state's rule too. Different, often higher limits apply to child support, alimony, and certain tax debts, which aren't modeled here.

How to Use This Tool

Enter your disposable weekly earnings (pay after legally required deductions like taxes). Your maximum federal garnishment limit appears instantly.

How the Two Tests Interact

The federal ceiling has two parts, and the tool applies both and returns the smaller. Test one takes 25 percent of your disposable weekly earnings. Test two takes the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage, which at 7.25 dollars an hour is 217.50 dollars a week. The lower of the two is the most that can be taken for an ordinary consumer debt. If earnings are at or below 217.50 dollars, the second test gives zero and nothing can be garnished under the federal limit.

Worked Examples With Hypothetical Numbers

• Disposable earnings of 200 dollars a week. Earnings are below 217.50, so the maximum is 0 dollars.
• Disposable earnings of 250 dollars. Test one gives 62.50; test two gives 250 minus 217.50, or 32.50. The lower amount, 32.50 dollars, is the limit. In this range the second test is the one that protects the worker.
• Disposable earnings of 800 dollars (the tool's default). Test one gives 200; test two gives 582.50. The limit is 200 dollars, or 25 percent.

The crossover happens near 290 dollars a week: below that the second test is lower, above that the 25 percent test controls.

What Counts as Disposable Earnings

Disposable earnings are what remains after legally required deductions, such as federal, state and local taxes and Social Security and Medicare contributions. Voluntary deductions like health insurance premiums, retirement contributions and union dues generally are not subtracted, so entering your take-home pay after those may understate what a creditor could take. Enter the correct figure for a single week; if you are paid biweekly or monthly, convert your pay to a weekly equivalent first, and note that federal rules treat pay periods in specific ways, so check with a legal aid organization for details.

What This Calculator Does Not Cover

• Many states set lower limits or ban wage garnishment for some debts entirely. The tool shows only the federal ceiling, so your actual limit could be smaller.
• Child support, alimony, defaulted federal student loans, and unpaid taxes follow other rules with different, often higher, limits.
• A garnishment requires legal process. In most consumer debt cases a creditor must sue and get a court judgment before an employer receives an order, though certain government debts can be collected administratively.
• Multiple garnishments are subject to further priority and total limits.

If You Are Facing a Garnishment

Read any notice carefully, note response deadlines, and ask whether exemptions apply to your income or state. Many areas have free legal aid or consumer protection agencies that can review the papers, and the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division publishes guidance on the federal limits. This tool is informational only and is not legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions