Wage-garnishment · FL
Florida wage-garnishment cap & exemptions
Florida's wage-garnishment rule, head-of-family exemption, exempt-property table, and bank-account-levy defense — statute-cited (Fla. Stat. §222.11).
FL · wage-garnishment + debtor-exemption
Florida
- Cap statute
- Fla. Stat. §222.11 (opens in a new tab)verified May 11
- Head-of-family exemption
- Strong, two-tier (auto-floor + waiver-above-floor).
- Claim-of-exemption form
- Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.912(a) / Florida Rules of Civil Procedure Form 1.977 (Claim of Exemption / Affidavit)
deadline20 days from service of writ (Fla. Stat. §77.041) — confirm with issuing court.
FL §222.11 is the canonical strong-tiered head-of-family state — $750/week automatic floor + written-waiver carve-out above floor. NOT 'unlimited' — the calculator encodes the threshold + waiver branch separately. Primary-source verified 2026-05-07 (per project audit).
What this means for Florida
Florida has the strongest head-of-family wage protection in the United States. Under Fla. Stat. §222.11, all disposable earnings of $750/week or less of a 'head of family' (statutory definition: a natural person providing more than half the support for a child or other dependent) are automatically exempt from consumer-judgment garnishment — no claim required, no waiver possible at this tier. Earnings above $750/week may not be garnished UNLESS the debtor has voluntarily signed a written waiver, which the vast majority of debtors have not. For a single parent in Tampa earning $1,000/week disposable, this typically means $0 garnishable on a typical credit-card or medical-bill judgment. Non-head-of-family Florida workers fall under the standard federal §1673 cap (25% of disposable / 30× FMW floor) — Florida's state framework does NOT replace federal mechanics for them.
Calculate your protected amount
Pre-filled to Florida. Add your paycheck details to see the federal §1673 cap and any stricter state overlay.
- State
- 2Paycheck
- 3Debt type
- 4Head-of-family
- 5Result
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
Federal vs Florida — at three reference paychecks
Comparative shape of Florida's cap relative to the federal §1673 default. Your actual output above reflects your specific paycheck and head-of-family status.
Exempt-property table — Florida
The categories below cover what creditors generally cannot reach. Each row carries the controlling state statute. Verify against the current statute text before relying on a specific dollar amount — state legislatures amend exempt-property caps regularly.
| Category | Amount / scope | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Homestead | Unlimited (acreage-based: 0.5 acre municipal / 160 acres outside municipality) | Fla. Const. art. X, §4 (opens in a new tab) |
| Motor vehicle | $1,000 | Fla. Stat. §222.25(1) (opens in a new tab) |
| Wildcard | $4,000 (if homestead exemption is not claimed) | Fla. Stat. §222.25(4) |
| Household goods | $1,000 personal property | Fla. Const. art. X, §4(a)(2) |
| Retirement | Generally unlimited (qualified plans + IRAs) | Fla. Stat. §222.21 |
| Public benefits | Federal 31 CFR §212 + state-protection for public assistance, SSA, unemployment | Fla. Stat. §222.201, §222.18 |
| Wages already deposited | Earnings retain wage character up to 6 months after deposit | Fla. Stat. §222.11(2)(c) |
| Tools of trade | State-statute research pending | — |
Head-of-family exemption
Two-tier protection under §222.11: (1) all disposable earnings ≤$750/week of a head of family are automatically exempt (no claim required, no waiver possible at this tier); (2) earnings >$750/week may not be garnished unless the debtor has voluntarily signed a written waiver agreeing otherwise. Most debtors have not signed such a waiver, but it is NOT an unconditional unlimited exemption.
Bank-account levy defense — Florida
If your account is frozen, federal protection of SSA-class direct deposits is automatic (no claim required). Other categories require a timely claim-of-exemption filing.
What's protected, and what you do next
- State claim-of-exemption form: Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.912(a) / Florida Rules of Civil Procedure Form 1.977 (Claim of Exemption / Affidavit)deadline20 days from service of writ (Fla. Stat. §77.041) — confirm with issuing court.
- Select what's in the frozen account to see the procedural pathway. Federal SSA-class benefits have automatic protection; state-protected categories require a timely claim-of-exemption filing.
Free lawyer-referral option — Florida
The Florida Bar runs a lawyer-referral service offering low-cost (typically $0–$30) 30-minute consultations. Find your local referral service.
Free lawyer-referral option — Florida
The Florida Bar runs a lawyer-referral service offering low-cost (typically $0–$30) 30-minute consultations. Find your local referral service.
Other Wave-1 states
Citations
- Fla. Stat. §222.11 (opens in a new tab)verified May 11— Florida exempts all disposable earnings ≤$750/week of a 'head of family' from wage garnishment automatically. Earnings >$750/week may not be garnished unless the debtor has signed a written waiver. Non-head-of-family workers fall under the federal §1673 cap.
- Fla. Const. art. X, §4 (opens in a new tab)verified May 11
- Fla. Stat. §222.25(1) (opens in a new tab)verified May 11
- Fla. Stat. §222.25(4)verified May 11
- Fla. Const. art. X, §4(a)(2)verified May 11
- Fla. Stat. §222.21verified May 11
- Fla. Stat. §222.201, §222.18verified May 11
- Fla. Stat. §222.11(2)(c)verified May 11