What Is Wage Garnishment and How Does It Affect Take Home Pay?

Key takeaways

• For ordinary consumer-debt garnishments, federal law generally limits the weekly amount to the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage.
• Disposable earnings for this rule are not the same as net pay after every voluntary deduction.
• Child support, alimony, bankruptcy and federal or state tax debt can follow different limits.
• A state may protect more wages than the federal floor.
• The CCPA generally protects an employee from discharge because wages are garnished for one debt, but that protection is limited.

What counts as disposable earnings

The U.S. Department of Labor defines disposable earnings for federal garnishment limits as earnings left after deductions required by law. Examples include federal, state and local taxes and the employee shares of Social Security and Medicare. A retirement-system deduction required by law can also qualify.

Voluntary items such as health or life insurance, union dues, charitable contributions and most retirement-plan contributions usually are not subtracted when calculating CCPA disposable earnings. Therefore, “disposable earnings” can be higher than the bank deposit commonly called take home pay.

The federal limit for an ordinary garnishment

As of August 29, 2026, Department of Labor Fact Sheet 30 uses the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. For an ordinary debt, the amount garnished in a workweek may not exceed the lesser of:

• 25% of disposable earnings; or
• the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage.

Thirty times $7.25 is $217.50. If weekly disposable earnings are $217.50 or less, the federal formula allows no ordinary garnishment. Between $217.50 and $290, only the amount above $217.50 is available. At $290 or more, 25% becomes the lower federal cap. Later changes to the federal minimum wage or official guidance would change this calculation.

The example does not include voluntary deductions that may still reduce the actual deposit, and a state rule may cap the garnishment below $125. The order balance can also make the actual amount smaller.

Different debts can have different limits

The ordinary 25% formula does not govern every order. Fact Sheet 30 says child-support or alimony garnishment may reach 50% of disposable earnings when the worker supports another spouse or child, or 60% when the worker does not. Another 5 percentage points may apply when support is more than 12 weeks in arrears.

Certain bankruptcy orders and federal or state tax levies follow other rules. For defaulted federal student loans, Federal Student Aid describes administrative wage garnishment as potentially withholding up to 15% of disposable pay, subject to its program rules and notices. Priority among simultaneous orders is determined by applicable state or federal law, not by the CCPA’s general percentage section alone.

Employment protection and state law

Title III of the Consumer Credit Protection Act generally prohibits an employer from discharging an employee because earnings were garnished for any one debt, regardless of the number of proceedings for that debt. The Department of Labor cautions that the federal protection does not extend in the same way when earnings are garnished for a second or later debt.

State law may protect a larger portion of wages or provide broader job protection. When federal and state limits differ, the more protective restriction may control. Questions about the order’s validity, debt amount, priority or exemptions often belong with the issuing court or agency rather than payroll.

How to check a garnishment deduction

• Request the order or notice and identify the creditor, court or agency.
• Confirm the type of debt because the ordinary formula may not apply.
• Rebuild disposable earnings using only deductions allowed by the governing rule.
• Apply the federal pay-period limit and then check whether state law is more protective.
• Account for any order balance and higher-priority withholding.
• Use the order’s challenge or hearing process promptly if the debt, identity or calculation is disputed.

Where this comes from

• U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet 30: CCPA garnishment protections (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Department of Labor: garnishment overview (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Department of Labor: federal wage garnishment resources (opens in a new tab)
• Federal Student Aid: default and administrative wage garnishment (opens in a new tab)
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: wage and benefit garnishment (opens in a new tab)