Your Paycheck
Wage Garnishment Calculator
Federal law caps how much of your paycheck can be garnished for consumer debt or a support order. Enter your disposable earnings to see the legal maximum — and check it against what your employer actually withheld.
Informational only — not financial or legal advice. Covers federal (CCPA) limits only, not federal tax levies or state-specific protections.
Enter your disposable earnings to see the federal garnishment maximum.
How this calculator works
Ordinary garnishment (consumer debt)
Title III of the Consumer Credit Protection Act (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)) limits garnishment for consumer debt, medical debt, and most creditor judgments to the lesser of:
- 25% of disposable earnings, or
- the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30× the federal minimum wage ($7.25 an hour), scaled to your pay period per 29 CFR § 870.10.
The 30× floor works out to $217.50/week, $435.00 biweekly, $471.25 semi-monthly, and $942.50 monthly at the current federal minimum wage. If your disposable earnings are at or below that floor for your pay period, nothing can be garnished for ordinary debt at all.
Support orders (child support / alimony)
Support orders get a higher cap under 15 U.S.C. § 1673(b):
- 50% of disposable earnings if you're currently supporting another spouse or child
- 60% if you are not
- add 5 percentage points to either rate if you're 12 or more weeks behind on payments
What this calculator doesn’t cover
Federal tax levies use a different, table-based exemption formula in IRS Publication 1494, not the CCPA percentage test above — it isn't computed here. State law can protect more income than the federal floor (some states cap ordinary garnishment lower, or bar it entirely for consumer debt); this calculator shows the federal maximum only, so treat it as an upper bound, not a guarantee. Disposable earnings is a number you enter directly — StubTrue doesn't calculate federal or state income tax withholding, so use your own stub or the Paycheck Calculator to help estimate the FICA portion of that figure.
Last reviewed: July 2026
Frequently asked questions
What counts as “disposable earnings” for garnishment?
Disposable earnings are your pay after legally required deductions are subtracted — federal, state, and local income tax withholding, your share of FICA (Social Security and Medicare), and any state unemployment tax or mandatory retirement contributions. Voluntary deductions (401(k), health insurance, union dues) are not subtracted first — the garnishment percentage applies before those come out.
Can more than one garnishment order apply to the same paycheck?
Yes, but the combined total generally can't exceed the CCPA maximum for the highest-priority order type. Child support and alimony orders take priority over ordinary creditor garnishments, and the support-order percentage caps (50–65%) apply to the combined total of all support withholding, not each order separately.
Does this calculator cover IRS tax levies?
No. Federal tax levies use a completely different formula — the IRS exempts a fixed amount based on filing status, pay frequency, and number of dependents (Publication 1494), not the CCPA's 25%/30×-minimum-wage test used for consumer debt and support orders. If you're dealing with a levy, use the exempt-amount table in IRS Publication 1494 instead.
Can my state protect more of my paycheck than federal law requires?
Yes. The CCPA sets a federal floor, not a ceiling. Several states cap ordinary garnishment below 25% of disposable earnings, exempt more income for low earners, or prohibit wage garnishment for most consumer debt entirely. Always check your state's garnishment law in addition to this federal calculation.
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