Short answer: For ordinary consumer-debt garnishments, federal law caps withholding at the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage per week. Child support, student loans, tax levies and bankruptcy orders follow different rules.
Federal maximums by order type
| Order type | Federal limit | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary creditor garnishment (consumer-debt judgment) | The lesser of 25% of weekly disposable earnings, or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 × the federal minimum wage. | 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a) |
| Child support or alimony, employee supports another spouse or child | Up to 50% of disposable earnings; up to 55% if payments are more than 12 weeks in arrears. | 15 U.S.C. § 1673(b)(2) |
| Child support or alimony, employee supports no other spouse or child | Up to 60% of disposable earnings; up to 65% if payments are more than 12 weeks in arrears. | 15 U.S.C. § 1673(b)(2) |
| Federal student loans (administrative wage garnishment) | Up to 15% of disposable pay. | 20 U.S.C. § 1095a; 31 C.F.R. § 285.11 |
| IRS levy (Form 668-W) | No percentage. A fixed exempt amount, based on filing status and dependents, is protected; the remainder is subject to levy. Use the tables in IRS Publication 1494. | 26 U.S.C. § 6334(d); IRS Pub. 1494 |
| Chapter 13 bankruptcy orders | Set by the court order. The ordinary CCPA limit does not apply. | 15 U.S.C. § 1673(b)(1)(B) |
| State and federal tax debts | The ordinary CCPA limit does not apply; the governing tax law and the order control. | 15 U.S.C. § 1673(b)(1)(C) |
“Disposable earnings” means pay after legally required deductions. If you are not sure which deductions count, start with what are disposable earnings.
The minimum-wage floor by pay period
The 30× floor is stated per week. For longer pay periods it is multiplied up so that the protected amount stays equivalent. With the federal minimum wage at $7.25 per hour, the protected floor is:
| Pay frequency | Multiple of minimum wage | Protected floor at $7.25 |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 30× | $217.50 |
| Biweekly | 60× | $435.00 |
| Semimonthly | 65× | $471.25 |
| Monthly | 130× | $942.50 |
Disposable earnings at or below the floor cannot be garnished for an ordinary creditor. Above it, you may withhold the lesser of 25% or the excess over the floor. The wage garnishment calculator applies these multiples automatically.
When state law is stricter
Federal limits are a ceiling on what any creditor can take. They do not override state laws that protect more of an employee's pay, and in that case the more protective limit applies (15 U.S.C. § 1677). Some states, for example, bar ordinary creditor wage garnishment entirely, and others use a larger multiple of minimum wage or a smaller percentage.
Recent state developments we have covered:
- Arizona 2026 Creditor Garnishment Update (September 2026)
- California Electronic Garnishment Service (September 2026)
- California SB 1477: Heightened Disposable Earnings Exemptions (August 2026)
Employees are protected from being fired over one garnishment
Federal law prohibits discharging an employee because their earnings have been garnished for any one indebtedness (15 U.S.C. § 1674(a)). A willful violation is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both (§ 1674(b)). Many states extend protection to multiple garnishments. See the employer FAQ.
More than one order?
The ordinary-garnishment limit applies to an employee's earnings in the aggregate, not to each writ separately, and different order types interact differently. Read how multiple garnishments are prioritized.
Sources & further reading
- 15 U.S.C. § 1673 — Restriction on garnishment (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1674 — Restriction on discharge from employment by reason of garnishment (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1677 — Effect on State laws (Cornell LII)
- 29 C.F.R. § 870.10 — Maximum part of aggregate disposable earnings subject to garnishment (Cornell LII)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #30: Wage Garnishment Protections of the CCPA
- IRS Publication 1494: Table for Figuring Amount Exempt from Levy on Wages, Salary, and Other Income
Please note: Information and computational tools on this site are provided for operational benchmarking and compliance reference. They do not constitute formal legal advice. State laws may provide exemptions exceeding federal baseline formulas.