Wage garnishment in Illinois

Most a card or medical judgment can take

15% of gross pay or take-home pay above $675 a week if lesssource

Illinois minimum wage used in the floor

$15.00 an hoursource

Bank money protected automatically

$1,000 or less in an accountsource

Wildcard exemption you can claim

Up to $4,000 of any money or propertysource

How much can be garnished from my paycheck in Illinois?

Illinois uses two numbers and the smaller one wins. The first is 15% of your gross pay, meaning pay before any taxes. The second is the amount by which your take-home pay (after the deductions the law requires) is above 45 times the federal or Illinois minimum wage, whichever is higher. The Illinois Department of Labor lists the state minimum at $15.00 an hour, so the protected amount is $675 a week.

Say you earn $1,000 a week gross and take home $780. Fifteen percent of gross is $150. Take-home pay above $675 is $105. The deduction is $105. If you take home $675 or less, nothing can be withheld. Illinois Legal Aid Online notes the judge cannot lower a correct amount because of hardship.

Wage deduction orders and employer citations

What most states call wage garnishment, Illinois calls a wage deduction order. Creditors can also serve a Citation to Discover Assets on your employer to reach the same pay. The court’s employer citation form tells employers to withhold nothing when take-home pay is at or below the 45-hour amount.

According to Illinois Legal Aid Online’s guide to wage deductions, the order lasts until the judgment is paid, you leave the job or you no longer earn enough to be garnished. Your employer cannot fire or suspend you over a wage deduction for one debt.

How to fight a wage deduction in Illinois

The Wage Deduction Notice mailed to you must list the court date and time, the limits on what can be taken and how to ask for a hearing. That court date is your main chance to say some or all of your wages are exempt.

• Find out how much your employer withholds from each check.
• Read the employer’s answer to the interrogatories. It must show the math used.
• If the employer takes more than the formula allows, tell the employer and follow the notice’s steps to get a hearing.

Call and a garnishment specialist reads your notice and checks the employer’s numbers with you before the court date.

Can my bank account be garnished in Illinois?

Yes, usually through a Citation to Discover Assets served on your bank, which freezes the account. Illinois court forms approved in January 2026 explain two protections. If you have $1,000 or less in an account, that amount is automatically exempt through the court date on the citation. Beyond that, a wildcard exemption lets you protect up to $4,000 in any money or property you choose.

Social Security, SSI, pensions, public aid, child support, unemployment, workers’ compensation and veterans’ benefits are exempt too. To get frozen money released quickly, file the Emergency Motion to Claim Exemption with the circuit clerk and send copies to the creditor and the bank.