Wage Garnishment Calculator: How Much of Your Paycheck Can Be Taken?

For most consumer debts (credit cards, personal loans, medical debt), federal law caps garnishment at the lesser of: (1) 25% of disposable earnings, or (2) the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage ($217.50/week, $942.50/month). Many states set lower caps — Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina largely prohibit wage garnishment for consumer debts. For child support and alimony: up to 50% if supporting another family, 60% if not (add 5% if 12+ weeks in arrears). Federal student loans: 15% of disposable income without court order. IRS tax levies: based on filing status and dependents — the IRS provides an exempt amount table and takes the rest.

Yes — several options exist. (1) Pay the debt in full or negotiate a settlement. (2) Negotiate a voluntary payment plan — most creditors prefer guaranteed payments to the garnishment process. (3) File an exemption claim if your income is below the protected threshold or you have a qualifying exemption (head of household in some states). (4) File for bankruptcy — an automatic stay immediately stops most garnishments, typically within days of filing. Chapter 7 can permanently discharge the underlying debt; Chapter 13 creates a repayment plan under court protection. (5) Challenge the judgment if the underlying debt is invalid, the statute of limitations has expired, or procedural errors occurred. The right option depends on the debt type, your financial situation, and your state's laws.

Disposable earnings are your gross pay minus legally required deductions. Legally required deductions include federal, state, and local income taxes; Social Security and Medicare (FICA); and mandatory retirement contributions required as a condition of employment. Disposable earnings do NOT include voluntary deductions — health insurance premiums, voluntary 401k contributions, union dues, or voluntary retirement savings are not subtracted from gross pay before the garnishment calculation. This means your disposable earnings for garnishment purposes are typically higher than your actual take-home pay. Employers often make this error by calculating garnishment on net take-home pay instead of disposable earnings.

Yes, but the total cannot exceed the federal maximum. If you have both a child support garnishment and a consumer debt garnishment, the total withholding cannot exceed the applicable cap. Child support generally takes priority and is paid first; consumer debt garnishments are subordinate. If your child support garnishment already equals or exceeds the consumer debt cap (25% or 30x federal minimum), the creditor garnishment cannot legally take anything more. The exception is an IRS tax levy, which operates independently and has its own calculation method separate from CCPA limits.

A wage garnishment continues until the debt is paid in full (including interest and court costs), the judgment is vacated, you file bankruptcy (automatic stay), or the court issues an order to stop. Unlike some judgments that expire, garnishment orders typically continue as long as the underlying judgment remains valid — in most states, judgments last 10–20 years and can be renewed. For ongoing support obligations (child support, alimony), garnishment continues indefinitely as new payments come due. There is no federal time limit on how long a garnishment can continue. The payoff timeline section in this calculator shows how long garnishment will continue at your current wage and debt level.