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Wage-garnishment decoder

Enter your state, paycheck, debt type, and head-of-family status. The decoder shows the federal §1673 cap, your state's stricter rule (if any), and the procedural path to assert your exemption.

  1. 1State
  2. 2Paycheck
  3. 3Debt type
  4. 4Head-of-family
  5. 5Result
1Your state
2This paycheck
3Debt type
4Head-of-household status

Fill in your state and paycheck to see your federal + state cap.

Output appears here · all values cite primary-source statute · no inputs are logged

Common questions

How much can be garnished from my paycheck for a consumer judgment?
Under federal 15 USC §1673(a), no more than 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 at $7.25/hr). Many states (NY, IL, MA, NJ) cap consumer-judgment garnishment well below the federal 25%; Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina prohibit it outright for consumer debts.
What does 'disposable earnings' mean?
Per 15 USC §1672(b), disposable earnings = gross minus amounts required by law to be withheld (federal/state income tax, FICA, court-ordered withholdings). Voluntary deductions — 401(k), health insurance, union dues — do not reduce disposable for §1673 purposes.
Can a creditor garnish more for child support?
Yes. Per 15 USC §1673(b)(2), child support can take 50% of disposable (if you support another family) or 60% (if not), plus 5% if 12+ weeks in arrears. Child support has priority over consumer-judgment writs.
Are Social Security or VA benefits garnishable?
Generally not, per 42 USC §407 and 38 USC §5301. When direct-deposited, federal regulation 31 CFR §212 requires the bank to automatically protect two months of benefits without you filing anything. Exceptions: child support, certain federal tax debts, and a few other narrow federal claims.
What is the head-of-family or head-of-household exemption?
A state-specific protection above the federal §1673 cap. Florida (§222.11) is the strongest: ≤$750/week disposable is automatically exempt for head-of-family debtors; >$750/week is protected unless the debtor signed a written waiver. Most other states have no separate head-of-family wage exemption; a few (Tennessee, Missouri) have narrow variants.
What if my paycheck is below the federal floor?
If disposable earnings are below 30 × federal minimum wage for the workweek (currently $217.50/week), the §1673 cap protects the entire paycheck from consumer-judgment garnishment. The decoder shows this as 'full protection.'
Does this calculator log my inputs?
No. The decoder runs in your browser; we do not log paycheck amounts, debt types, or head-of-family selections. Aggregate state and debt-type counts may be retained for editorial planning, but no identifying detail.