Wage-garnishment · TN

Tennessee wage-garnishment cap & exemptions

Tennessee's wage-garnishment rule, head-of-family exemption, exempt-property table, and bank-account-levy defense — statute-cited (Tenn. Code §26-2-106).

Federal-floor mirror

TN · wage-garnishment + debtor-exemption

Tennessee

Federal-floor mirror

Cap statute: Tenn. Code §26-2-106 (opens in a new tab)verified May 11
Head-of-family exemption: Narrow exemption — confirm dollar threshold.

verified May 11Research-side reviewAnnual attorney review in progress

Wave-2 state — framework classified from secondary-source consensus; full per-asset exempt-property table + primary-source verification pending Wave-2 ship.

Calculate your protected amount

Pre-filled to Tennessee. Add your paycheck details to see the federal §1673 cap and any stricter state overlay.

State
2Paycheck
3Debt type
4Head-of-family
5Result

1Your state

2This paycheck

Pay frequencyGross earnings this pay periodTipped employees: include reported tips in gross.Legally-required deductionsFederal + state income tax, FICA, court-ordered withholdings.Voluntary deductions (informational only)401k, health insurance, union dues — these do NOT reduce disposable earnings for §1673 purposes.

3Debt type

Consumer judgmentCredit card, medical bill, personal loan, deficiency, etc.Child supportSeparate 50%–65% federal cap.Federal tax debtIRS Publication 1494 separate regime.Federal student loanAdministrative wage garnishment — 15% disposable.State tax debtState-specific tax-collection regime.OtherAlimony, restitution, federal-agency offset, etc.

4Head-of-household status

Yes — primary support of dependentsNoNot sure

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

Exempt-property table — Tennessee

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.

Tennessee exempt-property categories — what creditors generally cannot reach. Each row carries the controlling state statute.
Category	Amount / scope	Statute
Homestead	State-statute research pending	—
Motor vehicle	State-statute research pending	—
Wildcard	State-statute research pending	—
Tools of trade	State-statute research pending	—
Retirement	State-statute research pending	—
Public benefits	Federal 31 CFR §212 + state-protection · state-statute research pending	—
Wages already deposited	State-statute research pending	—

Head-of-family exemption

Tennessee provides a per-dependent floor adjustment (~$2.50/wk per dependent) under §26-2-106 / §26-2-107, not a flat percentage cap. Calculator currently routes Tennessee through the federal §1673 cap; the narrow per-dependent adjustment is research-pending and not yet encoded. Primary-source URL is the TN Secretary of State public-acts repository — re-verify at Gate 4.

Bank-account levy defense — Tennessee

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.

1 · Your state

2 · What's in the frozen account?

Select all that apply.

Recently-deposited wages (last 60 days)Earnings paid into the account from your employer.Social Security / SSI / SSDI / VA / federal benefitsFederal anti-attachment + 31 CFR §212 two-month look-back applies.Unemployment direct depositState-protected; federal anti-attachment overlap.State tax refundState-specific protection varies.Other (unprotected funds)Funds that are not statutorily protected.

What's protected, and what you do next

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 — Tennessee

The Tennessee Bar runs a lawyer-referral service offering low-cost (typically $0–$30) 30-minute consultations. Find your local referral service.

Free lawyer-referral option — Tennessee

The Tennessee 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

Tenn. Code §26-2-106 (opens in a new tab)verified May 11