Wage garnishment in Washington

Most a consumer debt judgment can take

20% of take-home pay or the part above $599.55 a week if lesssource

Pay you always keep

$599.55 a week (35 x $17.13 state minimum wage)source

Time to claim an exemption

28 days after the date on the writsource

Bank accounts

$2,000 protected automatically for consumer debtsource

Washington wage garnishment limits for consumer debt

Washington Law Help explains that debts from credit cards, doctor and hospital bills, utility and phone bills, personal loans and other household spending count as consumer debt. For those judgments, RCW 6.27.150 exempts the larger of 80% of your disposable earnings (pay after required deductions such as taxes) or 35 times the state minimum hourly wage.

With the 2026 state rate of $17.13, that floor is $599.55 a week.

• $550 of weekly take-home: nothing can be taken.
• $700: the cap is $100.45.
• $1,000: the cap is $200, which is 20%.

Other debts get less help: 75% or 35 times the federal minimum wage. Private student loans get more: 85% of take-home pay or 50 times the minimum wage under the state’s highest minimum wage law, whichever is greater.

The writ of garnishment and its 60-day lien

The creditor needs a court judgment first and the legal aid guide warns you may get no warning before your pay or bank account is hit. The court paper sent to your employer is a writ of garnishment. Under RCW 6.27.350, it becomes a lien on your non-exempt pay that lasts until the amount on the writ is reached or the payroll period ending on or before 60 days after the writ took effect, whichever comes first. It also ends if you leave the job or the judgment is paid or vacated.

Check the writ’s total. It may include interest of up to 12% a year and a garnishment attorney fee capped at $300, as set by RCW 6.27.090.

How to stop wage garnishment in Washington: the claim of exemption

The exemption claim statute, RCW 6.27.160, gives you 28 days after the date printed on the writ to act. Deliver or mail a signed claim of exemption to the clerk of the court that issued the writ and mail a copy to the creditor or its lawyer at the address on the writ. If service on your employer was delayed more than seven days, you get 21 days from that service instead.

What happens next:

• The creditor has seven days to object and the hearing must be set within 14 days of receiving your claim.
• If it does not object, it must get the exempt money released within ten days or owe you $50 plus damages.

You carry the burden of proof, so attach pay stubs and benefit letters. Call and a garnishment specialist checks the writ math and the 28-day date with you.

Can my bank account be garnished in Washington?

Yes, but part of it is protected without a claim. RCW 6.15.010 sets automatic amounts that apply no matter how many accounts you have:

• Consumer debt: $2,000.
• Private student loan debt: up to $2,500, of which $1,000 is automatic.
• All other debts: $500.

These dollar figures will be adjusted for inflation every three years starting July 1, 2027 and published by the Department of Revenue. Money above them can be frozen, so file the claim of exemption if it came from a protected source such as Social Security.