Order of Priority When an Employee Has Multiple Garnishments

Short answer: Support withholding generally comes first, then the other order types in a sequence that depends on the kind of order, state law and when each was served. The federal 25% limit applies to ordinary garnishments in the aggregate, and it does not apply to support, Chapter 13 or tax orders.

A commonly applied sequence

Payroll teams often work down a list like the one below when several orders arrive for the same employee. Treat it as a practical starting point, not a statute: the exact sequence can change with state law, the date each order was served, and the specific order language.

1. Priority 1
   01
   Child Support

   Highest non-tax priority. Up to 50%–65% of disposable pay.

2. Priority 2
   02
   Bankruptcy (Ch. 13)

   Federal court bankruptcy trustee orders are paid ahead of most other legal process.

3. Priority 3
   03
   Federal Tax Levies

   IRS Form 668-W. Governed by IRS Pub. 1494 tables.

4. Priority 4
   04
   Student Loans

   Department of Education AWG orders are capped at 15% of disposable pay.

5. Priority 5
   05
   Creditor Writs

   Lowest priority. Limited to what remains under the ordinary caps once higher-ranked orders are satisfied.

Check the specifics before you rely on it. Priority between tax levies, student loan orders and bankruptcy orders turns on facts and jurisdiction. When orders conflict, confirm with the issuing agency or your counsel.

Rules that hold regardless of order type

• Support comes first under state process. Federal law requires that income withholding for child support be given priority over any other legal process under state law against the same income (42 U.S.C. § 666(b)(7)).
• The 25% limit is an aggregate cap on ordinary garnishments. It limits the total taken from an employee's disposable earnings across ordinary creditor writs, not each writ separately (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)).
• Some orders sit outside the ordinary cap. Support orders, Chapter 13 bankruptcy orders and state or federal tax debts are not subject to the 25% limit (15 U.S.C. § 1673(b)(1)); support has its own, higher limits.
• State law decides among ordinary creditors. Between competing creditor writs, state law, and generally the order of service, determines who is satisfied first. States can also be stricter than federal law (15 U.S.C. § 1677).

Practical steps when orders overlap

1. Log the date and time you received every order, and keep the original.
2. Calculate disposable earnings once for the pay period (see what counts).
3. Apply the highest-priority order first, using its own limit (see federal limits by order type), then recompute what remains.
4. Continue down the list until the available amount is used.
5. Tell the issuing party when you cannot honor an order in full, and document why.

The wage garnishment calculator shows the maximum for a single order. For stacked orders, work through them one at a time.

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.