Wage garnishment laws by state
Every state sets its own limit for card, medical and collector judgments. Federal law is the ceiling and many states protect more.
Garnishment limits in every state
The table shows the most a card company, hospital or collector with a court judgment can take from wages in each state. Federal law sets the ceiling in 15 U.S.C. 1673: 25% of take-home pay or what you earn above $217.50 a week if that is less. A state can only protect more, never less, says the Department of Labor. Tap a state for its papers, its deadline and how to stop it there.
| State | Most a card or medical judgment can take | Compared with federal |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Alaska | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $473 a week if that is less | More protected |
| Arizona | 10% of take-home pay or the part above $909 a week if less | More protected |
| Arkansas | 25% of take-home pay, never touching the first $217.50 a week | Federal limit |
| California | 20% of take-home pay or 40% of the part above $811.20 a week, whichever is less | More protected |
| Colorado | 20% of take-home pay or the part above $606.40 a week if less | More protected |
| Connecticut | 25% of disposable pay or the part above $677.60 a week if less | More protected |
| Delaware | 15% of take-home pay or the part above $450 a week if less | More protected |
| Florida | All take-home pay is exempt | Federal limit |
| Georgia | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Hawaii | 5% of the first $100 a month, 10% of the next $100, 20% of the rest | More protected |
| Idaho | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Illinois | 15% of gross pay or take-home pay above $675 a week if less | More protected |
| Indiana | 25% of disposable earnings or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Iowa | Federal cap: 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week | Federal limit |
| Kansas | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Kentucky | 25% of disposable pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Louisiana | 25% of disposable pay | Federal limit |
| Maine | 25% of take-home pay plus exempt income, counted together | More protected |
| Maryland | 25% of take-home pay | More protected |
| Massachusetts | 15% of gross pay | More protected |
| Michigan | 25% of disposable pay | Federal limit |
| Minnesota | 10%, 15% or 25% of take-home pay, by income level | More protected |
| Mississippi | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Missouri | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Montana | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Nebraska | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Nevada | 18% of take-home pay if you gross $770 a week or less; 25% if you gross more | More protected |
| New Hampshire | Pay above $362.50 a week and never more than 25% of take-home pay | More protected |
| New Jersey | The least of 10% of gross pay, 25% of take-home or take-home above $217.50 | More protected |
| New Mexico | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $480 a week if that is less | More protected |
| New York | 10% of gross pay, never above 25% of take-home or the part above the floor | More protected |
| North Carolina | Taxes, student loans, child support, alimony, ambulance bills in some counties | Wages protected |
| North Dakota | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $290 a week if less | More protected |
| Ohio | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Oklahoma | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Oregon | 25% of take-home pay and never below the weekly floor | More protected |
| Pennsylvania | Support, divorce orders, PHEAA loans, criminal restitution, some landlords | Wages protected |
| Rhode Island | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| South Carolina | No wage garnishment, wherever the debt was made | Wages protected |
| South Dakota | 20% of take-home pay | More protected |
| Tennessee | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Texas | Nothing: current wages are exempt | Wages protected |
| Utah | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
| Vermont | 15% of take-home pay | More protected |
| Virginia | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $510.80 a week if less | More protected |
| Washington | 20% of take-home pay or the part above $599.55 a week if less | More protected |
| Washington, D.C. | 25% of the part of weekly take-home pay above $736 | More protected |
| West Virginia | 20% of after-tax pay | More protected |
| Wisconsin | 20% of take-home pay | More protected |
| Wyoming | 25% of take-home pay or the part above $217.50 a week if less | Federal limit |
Download the table as a CSV with each state’s time to object and the official source for every limit. Free to reuse; please credit Wage Garnishment Help and link to this page.
States that don’t allow wage garnishment
Four states keep card, medical and collector judgments off your paycheck entirely.
- North Carolina courts are not allowed to garnish wages for a credit card, car loan or other personal debt, so a judgment like that takes $0 from your check.
- Pennsylvania exempts wages in your employer’s hands from card, medical and collector judgments, so nothing can come out of your paycheck for them.
- South Carolina bars wage garnishment for consumer credit debts and does not let a judge apply your earnings to a judgment, so nothing comes out of your check for a card, medical or collector debt.
- Texas law exempts current wages from garnishment for card, medical and collection debts, so the amount an ordinary creditor can take from your paycheck is $0.
Florida goes further for a head of family: all take-home pay up to $750 a week is exempt and pay above that too unless you signed a waiver. A creditor kept away from your wages often freezes the bank account instead and a bank levy has its own exemptions.
What the state limit does not change
Three kinds of garnishment follow federal rules wherever you work. Federal student loans can take up to 15% without a court case. The IRS keeps everything above its own exempt table. Child support can reach 50% to 65% of take-home pay. The state limits in the table apply to private creditors with a court judgment.
Check the limit against your pay stub
If payroll takes more than your state allows, an exemption claim can lower it and the window to file is short. Call with your order and your last pay stub.
Call 833-991-9547