1. One pay stub
Use the current period figures. Required deductions are the ones the law requires; health insurance and 401(k) go under voluntary.
2. The garnishment (up to three orders)
Leave the amount blank to see the most each type could take. Support is processed first, then a student loan, then ordinary debt.
Fill in section 1, add the garnishment type, then click Calculate the limit.
Result
Order by order
| Order | Asks for | Federal cap | Most taken |
|---|
Is extra pay worth it?
Send it to payroll or the party directing the garnishment. Edit it first, and read the order itself.
The rules, and what they leave out
- Disposable earnings: gross pay minus deductions required by law (15 U.S.C. 1672(b)). Voluntary deductions are not subtracted.
- Ordinary debt: the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the excess over 30 times the federal minimum wage per week (15 U.S.C. 1673(a)). The floor is 60, 65 and 130 times the wage for two-week, twice-a-month and monthly pay (29 CFR 870.10).
- Defaulted federal student loan: up to 15% of disposable earnings, and student loan plus ordinary debt together stay within 25% (31 CFR 285.11).
- Child support or alimony: 50% if you support another spouse or child, 60% if not, plus 5 points for arrears over 12 weeks (15 U.S.C. 1673(b)). Total garnishments stay within that percentage.
- Amount in question is the most that could be affected over a year if the amount on the stub repeats, not a refund you are owed.
- Not checked: state law, which is often stricter and sometimes forbids garnishment for ordinary debt; federal tax levies and government benefit offsets; bankruptcy plans; exemptions you can claim in court; whether the order itself is valid; and anything not typed above.
- Unverified: the rules were read from the published statute and regulations, but the arithmetic has been run only against invented pay stubs and worked by hand, not against a real payroll worksheet. If a real stub disagrees, that is the priority report.
Common questions
How much of my paycheck can be garnished?
For an ordinary debt such as a credit card or medical bill, federal law lets a creditor with a court judgment take the lesser of 25% of your disposable earnings or the amount by which your disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage per week. At $7.25 that floor is $217.50 a week, $435 every two weeks, $471.25 twice a month and $942.50 a month. Some states protect more, and a few do not allow wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debt at all.
What counts as disposable earnings?
Your gross pay minus deductions the law requires: federal, state and local income tax, Social Security and Medicare, state unemployment or disability insurance, and mandatory contributions to a government pension. Health insurance premiums, voluntary retirement contributions and union dues are not subtracted, so they do not lower the amount that can be garnished.
How much can be taken for child support or alimony?
Up to 50% of disposable earnings if you support another spouse or child, or 60% if you do not. Those rise by 5 points, to 55% and 65%, when the payments are more than 12 weeks behind. All garnishments together cannot exceed the support percentage.
How much can be taken for a defaulted federal student loan?
Administrative wage garnishment by the government is capped at 15% of disposable earnings, and it may not take pay that would leave you with less than 30 times the federal minimum wage per week. Student loan and ordinary debt garnishments together are limited to 25%.
Can I be fired for being garnished?
Federal law protects a worker from being fired because of garnishment for any one debt. It does not stop discipline for garnishments on several debts, and it does not stop support orders from being enforced.
Does my state change these limits?
Often, yes. Federal law is a floor and the lower limit applies. Some states use a smaller percentage or a higher protected amount, and some forbid garnishing wages for ordinary consumer debt. The tool has a box for a state limit you have confirmed, and it does not guess one for you.
Does this prove my employer withheld too much?
No. It works from the numbers you type and cannot see the court order or the payroll worksheet. A difference is a question for payroll, and it can come from a different disposable-earnings figure, a second order, or a state rule. The amounts shown are what is in question, not money you are owed.
Is my pay information uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything you type stays in this browser tab. There are no accounts, cookies or analytics vendors.