Wage Garnishment Limits by State — Consumer Debt
Updated · every row cites the statute it comes from · quotes machine-checked verbatim against archived primary sources
Federal law caps wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debts at the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings, or the amount above 30× the federal minimum wage per week (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a) — the 30× floor is currently $217.50/week). States may only protect more: 4 states — North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas — bar consumer wage garnishment entirely, Arizona caps it at 10% under a 2022 ballot measure, and several others hold the line at 15–20% or use stricter two-part formulas. The table below shows the rule for every jurisdiction, with the statute it comes from.
Scope: private consumer debts, after a judgment. This table covers post-judgment wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debts — credit cards, personal loans, medical bills. Child support, taxes and federal student loans follow separate, higher limits everywhere. Many states add head-of-family or low-income exemptions on top of the headline cap — where our research found one, it is noted in the row. Statutes change; if a citation link shows a different rule than this table, the statute wins.
The 4 states where consumer creditors cannot garnish wages
In these states, wages are off the table for ordinary consumer judgments — the quote is the statute’s own wording. Creditors there collect through other routes (bank levies, liens), and special debts still follow their own rules.
Ordinary consumer-debt wage garnishment (credit cards, personal loans, medical bills, car loans, etc.) is not authorized under North Carolina law; North Carolina courts may not order an employer to withhold an employee's wages to satisfy this type of private judgment. Garnishment is permitted only for a narrow statutory list of debts: taxes, student loans, child support, alimony, and (in certain counties) ambulance-service bills.
“the courts of North Carolina are not permitted to order an employer to withhold wages for other types of debts such as car loans, credit card debt, and other personal debt items”
Pennsylvania
42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 8127(a)Pennsylvania generally prohibits wage garnishment altogether for ordinary consumer debts (credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, etc.). Wages are exempt from attachment/execution except for a closed list: divorce, support, board/lodging charges of four weeks or less, certain residential-lease judgments against a tenant (capped separately), PHEAA (state) student loan debt, and criminal restitution/costs/fines/bail.
“The wages, salaries and commissions of individuals shall while in the hands of the employer be exempt from any attachment, execution or other process except upon an action or proceeding:”
South Carolina
S.C. Code Ann. § 37-5-104South Carolina prohibits a creditor from garnishing a debtor's wages for a debt arising from a consumer credit sale, consumer lease, consumer loan, or consumer rental-purchase agreement — ordinary consumer-debt wage garnishment is not permitted. (Separate carve-outs exist for taxes, child/spousal support, and certain out-of-state judgments domesticated in SC.)
“With respect to a debt arising from a consumer credit sale, a consumer lease, a consumer loan, or a consumer rental-purchase agreement, regardless of where made, the creditor may not attach unpaid earnings of the debtor by garnishment or like proceedings.”
Texas exempts current wages for personal service from garnishment altogether, except as otherwise provided by state or federal law (recognized exceptions: child support, spousal maintenance, federal student loan defaults, and unpaid taxes/IRS levies). An ordinary private judgment creditor (e.g., credit card debt) cannot garnish wages in Texas.
“Sec. 63.004. CURRENT WAGES EXEMPT. Except as otherwise provided by state or federal law, current wages for personal service are not subject to garnishment. The garnishee shall be discharged from the garnishment as to any debt to the defendant for current wages.”
Garnishment limits in all 51 jurisdictions
“Cap” is the maximum share of disposable earnings a consumer-judgment creditor can reach. Formula means the state uses a stricter two-part test or a dollar floor instead of a single percentage — the rule column spells it out. Click a citation to read the statute itself. Rows marked † are still under verification against the statute text — we show our best-supported reading rather than a guess.
| State | Cap | The rule | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 25% | Lesser of 25% of the debtor's disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage — identical in structure to the federal CCPA formula, codified specifically for consumer credit transactions (loans, credit sales, leases) under the Alabama Consumer Credit Act.Note: A separate, broader statute (Ala. Code § 6-10-7) exempts 75% of wages/salary (i.e., caps garnishment at 25%) for judgments generally, including tort judgments; it lacks the minimum-wage floor of § 5-19-15 but converges on the same 25% ceiling for higher earners. | Ala. Code § 5-19-15 (1975) |
| Alaska | Formula | The greater of $473 per week (adjusted periodically by regulation) or 75% of weekly disposable earnings is exempt from garnishment — equivalently, no more than the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed $473/week may be garnished. Not reducible to a single percent-of-earnings figure.Note: A sole wage earner supporting a household may file a sworn affidavit to raise the automatic exemption to $743/week. Non-residents instead get the greater of 30 times the federal minimum wage or 75% of disposable earnings. The $473 dollar exemption is periodically adjusted for inflation by Department of Labor regulation, so this figure changes over time. | Alaska Stat. § 09.38.030(a); exemption amount fixed by 8 AAC 95.030 |
| Arizona | 10% | Lesser of 10% of the debtor's disposable earnings for the workweek, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 60 times the applicable minimum hourly wage (highest of federal, state, or local). Enacted via Proposition 209 (2022), replacing a former 25%/30x-federal-minimum-wage formula. | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1131(B) |
| Arkansas | 25% | Arkansas has not enacted its own statutory percentage cap for ordinary consumer-judgment wage garnishment; the federal CCPA formula (lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage) applies directly of its own force. The Arkansas Attorney General's official consumer guide confirms the maximum withholding at 25% of net disposable income.Note: Ark. Code Ann. § 16-66-208 separately grants laborers and mechanics an absolute exemption of the first $25/week of net wages, plus an optional full 60-day exemption on filing a sworn statement under the state constitutional exemption — an additional, narrower protection layered on top of, not a replacement for, the 25% cap. | 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a), as applied in Arkansas absent a stricter state statute; confirmed by the Arkansas Attorney General's Guide to Small Claims Court |
| California | 20% | Lesser of 20% of the individual's disposable earnings for the week, or 40% of the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 48 times the state (or higher local) minimum hourly wage. Effective September 1, 2023 (SB 1477 / Stats. 2022, Ch. 849), replacing a prior 25%/40x-federal-minimum-wage formula. | Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 706.050(a) |
| Colorado | 20% | For ordinary debts, the lesser of: 20% of disposable earnings for the week; the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times the federal minimum hourly wage; or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times the Colorado state minimum hourly wage. A debtor may also petition for a greater exemption at a hearing if garnishment would leave insufficient funds for necessary living expenses.Note: A judgment debtor may file a written objection and obtain a court hearing to have a greater share of earnings exempted for necessary living expenses (§13-54-104(2)(a)(I)(D)); a separate, higher 35%/30x threshold applies to fraudulently-obtained public-assistance debts (not consumer debt). | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-54-104(2)(a)(I) |
| Connecticut | 25% | Lesser of 25% of disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times the higher of the federal minimum wage (FLSA §6(a)(1)) or the Connecticut minimum fair wage — i.e., the debtor keeps the greater of 75% of disposable earnings or 40 times minimum wage. | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-361a(f) |
| Delaware | 15% | Flat 15% of wages is subject to garnishment for ordinary judgment debts (85% is exempt) — one of the most protective flat caps of any state. Does not apply to fines, costs, or taxes owed to the State. | Del. Code Ann. tit. 10, § 4913(a) |
| District of Columbia | Formula | DC's cap is not a simple percent-of-disposable-earnings test: garnishment is limited to 25% of the amount by which the judgment debtor's weekly disposable wages exceed 40 times the DC minimum hourly wage. Only earnings above that 40x-minimum-wage floor are exposed, and only 25% of that excess may be taken.Note: DC's threshold multiplier (40x DC minimum hourly wage) is higher than the federal 30x-minimum-wage floor, making DC's protection stronger than the federal CCPA baseline for most low-to-middle income debtors. | D.C. Code § 16-572(1)(A) |
| Florida | 25% | For a person who is NOT a 'head of family', disposable earnings may not be attached or garnished in excess of the amount allowed under the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act — i.e., the standard federal test (lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30x the federal minimum wage).Note: Florida's 'head of family' exemption (providing more than half the support for a child or other dependent) is far stronger than the general rule: ALL disposable earnings are exempt if disposable earnings are <= $750/week, and earnings above $750/week cannot be garnished at all unless the debtor signed a specific written waiver (Fla. Stat. § 222.11(2)(a)-(b)). Head-of-family status is common, so the actual cap for many Florida debtors is effectively 0%, not 25%. | Fla. Stat. § 222.11(2)(c) |
| Georgia | 25% | Georgia follows the federal CCPA formula: garnishment is capped at the lesser of 25% of the defendant's disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed $217.50/week (= 30 times the $7.25 federal minimum wage).Note: If the underlying judgment arose from a private student loan, the percentage prong drops from 25% to 15%. | O.C.G.A. § 18-4-5(a)(2) |
| Hawaii | Formula | Hawaii uses a graduated monthly-bracket schedule, not a flat percentage: 5% of the first $100/month of net wages, 10% of the next $100/month, and 20% of everything over $200/month (or an equivalent weekly portion).Note: The effective marginal rate above $200/month net wages is 20%, well below the federal 25% ceiling — Hawaii's bracket schedule is more protective than the federal floor for essentially all wage earners. | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 652-1(a)(4) |
| Idaho | 25% | Idaho follows the federal CCPA formula verbatim: garnishment capped at the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage. | Idaho Code § 11-207(1) |
| Illinois | Formula | Illinois caps wage-deduction orders at the lesser of (1) 15% of GROSS wages paid for the week, or (2) the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 45 times the applicable minimum hourly wage (federal or Illinois, whichever is greater).Note: Illinois is significantly stricter than the federal 25% floor: the percentage prong is only 15% and is measured against GROSS pay (not disposable earnings), and the exemption threshold uses a 45x minimum-wage multiplier versus the federal 30x. | 735 ILCS 5/12-803 |
| Indiana | 25% | Indiana follows the federal CCPA formula: garnishment capped at the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings for the week (reducible to as low as 10% on a court finding of good cause), or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage.Note: A court may reduce the percentage prong below 25% (down to a floor of 10% of disposable earnings) on a showing of good cause by the debtor. | Ind. Code § 24-4.5-5-105(2) |
| Iowa | Formula | Iowa does not cap garnishment as a weekly percentage of disposable earnings. Instead it caps the TOTAL amount any single creditor may garnish per calendar year on a sliding dollar scale tied to the debtor's expected annual earnings: $250/year if expected earnings are under $12,000; $400 ($12,000-<$16,000); $800 ($16,000-<$24,000); $1,500 ($24,000-<$35,000); $2,000 ($35,000-<$50,000); and 10% of expected annual earnings if $50,000 or more.Note: This is a per-creditor ANNUAL dollar cap, not a per-paycheck percentage of disposable earnings — it is structurally incomparable to the federal 25% test used by most other states. | Iowa Code § 642.21(1) |
| Kansas | 25% | Kansas follows the federal CCPA formula: wage garnishment capped at the lesser of 25% of the individual's aggregate disposable earnings for the workweek, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage (also subject to a third cap: the amount of the plaintiff's claim). | Kan. Stat. § 60-2310(b) |
| Kentucky | Formula | Lesser of 25% of disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which disposable earnings for that week exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage (currently $217.50/week at $7.25/hr). | KRS 427.010(2) |
| Louisiana | Formula | 75% of disposable earnings for the week is exempt (i.e., garnishable amount capped at 25%), but the exemption is never less than 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage — a lesser-of formula structurally identical to the federal CCPA floor. | La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(1)(a) |
| Maine | Formula | Lesser of 25% of the individual's disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times the higher of the federal or Maine minimum hourly wage — more protective than the federal 30x multiplier. | 9-A M.R.S. § 5-105(2) |
| Maryland | Formula | Exempt from attachment: the greater of 75% of disposable wages due, or 30 times the State minimum hourly wage multiplied by the number of weeks the wages were earned — i.e., the garnishable amount is capped at the lesser of 25% of disposable wages or the excess over 30x the state minimum wage.Note: Older secondary sources describe a lower two-tier system (fixed $145/week floor, or a separate federal-minimum-wage rule for Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne's, and Worcester counties) — that structure was superseded when HB 365 / SB 425 (2020, Ch. 184) unified the exemption statewide to '30 times the State minimum hourly wage.' The current official statute text shows no county carve-out. | Md. Code Ann., Com. Law § 15-601.1(b) |
| Massachusetts | Formula | An amount not exceeding the greater of 85% of the debtor's GROSS wages or 50 times the higher of the federal or Massachusetts hourly minimum wage per week is exempt from attachment — meaning at most 15% of gross wages (often less, due to the minimum-wage floor) may ever be garnished. Unlike most states, the calculation runs off gross wages, not disposable earnings.Note: Basis is GROSS wages, not disposable earnings after deductions — do not treat the 15% remainder as directly comparable to other states' 25%-of-disposable-earnings figure; Massachusetts is materially more protective in practice. | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 246, § 28 |
| Michigan † | 25% | Michigan has no independent statutory percentage; state law explicitly incorporates the federal CCPA limit (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)): lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage. | MCL 408.476(1) (incorporating 15 U.S.C. § 1673) |
| Minnesota | Formula | Tiered cap, not a flat percentage: lesser of (1) 25% of disposable earnings if weekly income exceeds 80x the applicable minimum wage; (2) 15% if weekly income is between 60x and 80x; or (3) 10% if weekly income is between 40x and 60x. Below 40x the applicable minimum wage, earnings are not garnishable at all. 'Applicable hourly wage' is the greater of the Minnesota or federal minimum wage.Note: Minnesota is substantially more protective than the federal CCPA floor for lower-income debtors — a debtor earning less than 40x the applicable minimum wage per week cannot be garnished for consumer debt at all, and the 25% cap only applies above 80x minimum wage. | Minn. Stat. § 571.922(a)-(b) |
| Mississippi | Formula | After the first 30 days from service of the writ (during which wages are fully exempt), lesser of 25% of disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which disposable earnings for that week exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage.Note: Wages are wholly exempt from any garnishment (not just 0%, but no garnishment permitted at all) for the first 30 days after the writ is served — a Mississippi-specific timing rule with no equivalent in the federal CCPA formula. | Miss. Code Ann. § 85-3-4(1)-(2) |
| Missouri | Formula | Lesser of (a) 25% of aggregate earnings after mandatory deductions, (b) the amount by which weekly earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage, or (c) 10% if the employee is head of a family and a Missouri resident.Note: Head-of-family Missouri residents get a stricter 10% cap instead of 25% — a status-dependent exception, so the effective consumer-debt cap for many actual debtors is 10%, not 25%. Reported value/value_text reflect the general (non-head-of-family) formula per task scope; the head-of-family carve-out is flagged here rather than folded into the main value. | RSMo § 525.030.2(1) |
| Montana | 25% | 25% of disposable earnings, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is less — follows the federal CCPA formula with no stricter state variant. | Mont. Code Ann. § 25-13-614(2) |
| Nebraska | 25% | 25% of disposable earnings, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is less — the general (non-head-of-family) rule follows the federal CCPA formula.Note: Reduced to 15% of disposable earnings (instead of 25%) if the judgment debtor qualifies as 'head of a family' under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1558(1)(c) and (4)(d). | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1558(1) |
| Nevada | Formula | Tiered cap: 18% of disposable earnings if the debtor's gross weekly wage was $770 or less on the date the writ of garnishment was issued; 25% of disposable earnings if gross weekly wage exceeded $770; in both cases further limited to the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever test yields the lower figure.Note: Nevada's own two-tier percentage structure (18%/25% split at the $770 gross-weekly-wage threshold) plus a 50x-minimum-wage floor (not federal's 30x) — not a single simple percentage. | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 31.295(2) |
| New Hampshire | Formula | No percentage-of-earnings cap for ordinary judgment debts. Wages the debtor earns AFTER the trustee-process writ is served on the employer are exempt outright, so a creditor cannot obtain continuing/ongoing wage garnishment. Only wages already earned but unpaid at the moment of service may be reached, and even that pool is exempt up to 50 times the FLSA minimum hourly wage per week — the creditor can take only the amount above that weekly dollar floor from the already-accrued unpaid wages.Note: Structurally different from a percent-of-disposable-earnings cap: ordinary creditors cannot set up continuing wage garnishment in NH at all — each reach into wages requires a new writ served while those specific wages are still unpaid, and even then a dollar-based (not percentage-based) floor of 50x minimum wage/week is protected. | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 512:21(I), (II) |
| New Jersey † | Formula | For ordinary (non-State) judgment wage executions, New Jersey withholds the LESSER of: (a) 10% of the debtor's GROSS weekly pay [N.J.S.A. 2A:17-56(a)]; (b) 25% of disposable earnings for that week; or (c) the amount by which disposable weekly earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage ($217.50/week at the current $7.25 federal floor; equivalent thresholds of $435.00 biweekly / $471.25 semi-monthly / $942.50 monthly). Tests (b) and (c) implement the federal CCPA floor (15 U.S.C. § 1673) and are printed directly on the standard Superior Court of New Jersey Wage Execution order (Appendix XI-J) used for private-creditor garnishments — they apply regardless of the debtor's income, including above the 250%-of-poverty-level threshold. A separate provision, N.J.S.A. 2A:17-56(b), lets the STATE of New Jersey (not private creditors) seek up to 25% of GROSS earnings, subject to a 250%-FPL income floor — a distinct '25%' figure from the 25%-of-DISPOSABLE test that governs private executions.Note: Not verified against the njcourts.gov primary PDF directly — every automated fetch attempt (WebFetch, curl with browser UA) was blocked by Incapsula/403. Confirmed instead via 3 independent, non-affiliated mirrors (forms.justia.com court-forms repository, courtcaddy.com PDF mirror, and a New Jersey employment-law firm's client-facing page) that all reproduce identical, unusually specific dollar thresholds ($217.50/$435.00/$471.25/$942.50), which is strong but not primary-source proof. | N.J. Stat. Ann. § 2A:17-56(a)-(b); Superior Court of New Jersey Wage Execution Order, Appendix XI-J (implementing 15 U.S.C. § 1673) |
| New Mexico | Formula | 25% of disposable earnings, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times the highest applicable minimum hourly wage rate, whichever is less (equivalently: exempt is the GREATER of 75% of disposable earnings or 40x minimum wage/week) — the headline percentage matches federal, but the 40x multiplier is stricter than the federal 30x.Note: Uses a 40x-minimum-wage multiplier (not the federal 30x), making New Mexico's protection stricter than the federal CCPA floor even though the headline percentage (25% subject to garnishment / 75% exempt) looks identical to federal. | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 35-12-7(A) |
| New York | Formula | Lesser of 10% of gross income or 25% of disposable earnings; in no event may withholding reduce weekly disposable earnings below 30 times the greater of the federal or New York state minimum hourly wage.Note: Dual-basis cap: the 10%-of-GROSS-income limit under CPLR 5231(b)'s main clause is a separate, independently binding ceiling on top of the 25%-of-disposable-earnings/30x-minimum-wage test — creditors may take only the lower of the two results, making New York more protective than the plain federal 25% cap. | N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 5231(b) |
| North Carolina | Not allowed | Ordinary consumer-debt wage garnishment (credit cards, personal loans, medical bills, car loans, etc.) is not authorized under North Carolina law; North Carolina courts may not order an employer to withhold an employee's wages to satisfy this type of private judgment. Garnishment is permitted only for a narrow statutory list of debts: taxes, student loans, child support, alimony, and (in certain counties) ambulance-service bills. | N.C. Dept. of Labor, "Garnishments in North Carolina" (official state-agency guidance under the N.C. Wage and Hour Act); cf. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-362 |
| North Dakota | Formula | 25% of disposable earnings, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is less; the resulting maximum is further reduced by $20 per dependent family member residing with the debtor (if properly claimed within 10 days). Headline percentage matches federal, but the 40x multiplier is stricter than the federal 30x.Note: Uses a 40x-minimum-wage multiplier (not the federal 30x) plus an additional $20-per-dependent reduction — both make North Dakota's effective cap stricter than the plain federal 25% test even though the headline percentage matches. | N.D. Cent. Code § 32-09.1-03(1)-(2) |
| Ohio | 25% | Ohio caps ordinary wage garnishment at the lesser of 25% of the judgment debtor's disposable earnings, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30x (weekly) / 60x (biweekly) / 65x (semimonthly) / 130x (monthly) the federal minimum hourly wage — an exact codification of the federal CCPA formula (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)). | Ohio Rev. Code § 2716.07 (statutory 'Interim Report and Answer of Garnishee' form) |
| Oklahoma † | 25% | Oklahoma's garnishment statute states a 25% ceiling on disposable earnings withheld by a garnishee, matching the federal CCPA formula (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a): lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30x the federal minimum wage). Oklahoma's own text states the 25% cap explicitly only within the provision governing a debtor who is ALSO subject to a child-support income assignment; no separate Oklahoma statute independently restates a standalone 25%/30x rule for a debtor with no competing support order.Note: The 25% cap is explicitly codified only inside the child-support-overlap subsection (§ 1173.4(I)(1), mirrored in § 1173(I)(1)); for a debtor with no competing support order, Oklahoma statute does not independently restate the 25%/30x-minimum-wage formula, so this appears to rely on the federal CCPA floor by default rather than an explicit standalone state provision. | Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 1173.4(I)(1) |
| Oregon | Formula | Oregon exempts 75% of an individual's disposable earnings from garnishment execution (i.e. no more than 25% may be taken), but that cap is further limited by a minimum net-earnings floor that is NOT the standard federal 30x-minimum-wage figure: for wages payable 7/1/2026-6/30/2027 the floor is $400/week ($832 biweekly, $912 semimonthly, $1,792 monthly), on a fixed escalating schedule; only from 7/1/2027 does the floor switch to being indexed as 30x/60x/65x/130x Oregon's own minimum wage. Whichever protection leaves the debtor more money controls.Note: The dollar-floor exemption changes on a fixed statutory schedule (last step before minimum-wage indexing: $400/week for wages payable 7/1/2026-6/30/2027), so any cited figure needs its effective-date window checked. | Or. Rev. Stat. § 18.385(1)-(2) |
| Pennsylvania | Not allowed | Pennsylvania generally prohibits wage garnishment altogether for ordinary consumer debts (credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, etc.). Wages are exempt from attachment/execution except for a closed list: divorce, support, board/lodging charges of four weeks or less, certain residential-lease judgments against a tenant (capped separately), PHEAA (state) student loan debt, and criminal restitution/costs/fines/bail.Note: Narrow statutory exceptions exist (divorce, support, board ≤4 weeks, residential-lease judgments capped at 10% of net wages, PHEAA student loans, criminal restitution/fines) — none of these covers an ordinary private judgment creditor's consumer debt such as a credit card or medical bill. | 42 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 8127(a) |
| Rhode Island † | 25% | Rhode Island's own Department of Labor & Training states that wage garnishment may not exceed the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage — i.e. Rhode Island follows the federal CCPA formula (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)).Note: The DLT guide cites 'General Law 9-26-4' for this formula, but the current codified text of R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-26-4 (verified directly against the official legislature site) contains NO 25%/30x-minimum-wage formula — it instead lists a flat $50 wage exemption for an ordinary debtor (subsection (8)(iii)), an old provision pre-dating the federal CCPA. Because federal law sets a floor states cannot fall below, the federal 25%/30x formula controls in practice, but no current RI statute was found that independently codifies it under this citation. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-26-4 (as cited by R.I. Dept. of Labor & Training); cf. 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a) |
| South Carolina | Not allowed | South Carolina prohibits a creditor from garnishing a debtor's wages for a debt arising from a consumer credit sale, consumer lease, consumer loan, or consumer rental-purchase agreement — ordinary consumer-debt wage garnishment is not permitted. (Separate carve-outs exist for taxes, child/spousal support, and certain out-of-state judgments domesticated in SC.) | S.C. Code Ann. § 37-5-104 |
| South Dakota | Formula | South Dakota caps ordinary wage garnishment at the LESSER of: (1) 20% of disposable earnings for that week; or (2) the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times the federal (or, if greater, applicable state) minimum hourly wage, less $25/week for each dependent family member residing with the debtor other than the debtor. This is stricter (more debtor-protective) than the federal CCPA floor of 25%/30x.Note: The 40x-minimum-wage multiplier and the $25/week-per-dependent reduction make this materially different from (and stricter than) the plain federal 25%/30x formula; support orders and bankruptcy-court orders are explicitly excluded from this cap by the same statute. | S.D. Codified Laws § 21-18-51 |
| Tennessee | 25% | Tennessee caps wage garnishment at the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage — an exact codification of the federal CCPA formula (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)). | Tenn. Code Ann. § 26-2-106(a) |
| Texas | Not allowed | Texas exempts current wages for personal service from garnishment altogether, except as otherwise provided by state or federal law (recognized exceptions: child support, spousal maintenance, federal student loan defaults, and unpaid taxes/IRS levies). An ordinary private judgment creditor (e.g., credit card debt) cannot garnish wages in Texas.Note: This prohibition is also anchored in the Texas Constitution, Art. 16, § 28, which likewise bars wage garnishment except for child support, spousal maintenance, and a short list of other debts. | Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 63.004 |
| Utah | 25% | For a judgment arising from a consumer credit agreement, wage garnishment may not exceed the lesser of: 25% of the individual's disposable earnings for the pay period, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 hours/week times the federal minimum hourly wage (the same construct as the federal CCPA limit). A stricter 15% cap applies if the judgment relates to an education loan.Note: A separate, lower 15% cap (instead of 25%) applies specifically to judgments relating to an education loan, per the same subsection. | Utah Code § 70C-7-103(2) |
| Vermont | 15% | If the judgment debt arose from a consumer credit transaction, 85% of the debtor's weekly disposable earnings (or 40 times the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is greater) is exempt from wage garnishment — leaving a maximum of 15% garnishable. This is stricter than Vermont's general (non-consumer) garnishment exemption of 75%/30x minimum wage (25% max) and stricter than the federal 25% CCPA limit.Note: Wages are wholly exempt from garnishment if the judgment debtor received public assistance from the Vermont Dept. for Children and Families or the Dept. of Vermont Health Access within the two months before the garnishment hearing (§ 3170(a)). A court may also order a greater exemption if it finds the debtor's reasonable weekly living expenses exceed the statutory amounts (§ 3170(b)(3)). | 12 V.S.A. § 3170(b)(2) |
| Virginia | 25% | For an ordinary (non-support) judgment, garnishment may not exceed the lesser of: 25% of the individual's disposable earnings for the workweek, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times the greater of the federal or Virginia minimum hourly wage. This is the currently effective version and is identical in substance to the version scheduled to take effect July 1, 2027. | Va. Code § 34-29(A) |
| Washington | 20% | In the case of a garnishment based on a judgment or other order for the collection of consumer debt, the amount exempt from garnishment each week is the greater of 35 times the state minimum hourly wage or 80% of the defendant's disposable earnings — leaving a maximum of 20% garnishable. This is a specific, more protective rule than Washington's general garnishment exemption (75% exempt / 25% max) that applies to non-consumer-debt judgments.Note: A less protective general garnishment rule (75% exempt / effectively 25% max) applies under RCW 6.27.150(1) to judgments that do not qualify as 'consumer debt'; private student loan debt gets an even higher exemption (85%) under subsection (3). Amended by 2021 c 35 s 3. | RCW 6.27.150(4) |
| West Virginia | 20% | A judgment creditor's suggestee execution against wages/salary from private employment is limited to 20% of the amount due after deduction of state and federal taxes, and may never reduce the judgment debtor's weekly take-home pay below 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage. | W. Va. Code § 38-5A-3(a) |
| Wisconsin | 20% | Unless the court grants relief, 80% of a debtor's disposable earnings are exempt from earnings garnishment on an ordinary civil judgment — leaving a maximum of 20% garnishable. This exemption does not apply to judgments for support, unpaid taxes, or certain bankruptcy-plan-related debts.Note: Earnings are wholly exempt from garnishment if the debtor's household income is below the federal poverty line, or if the debtor has received need-based public assistance within the prior 6 months (§ 812.34(2)(b)). If a 20% garnishment would push household income below the poverty line, the garnishment is capped at the amount by which household income exceeds the poverty line (§ 812.34(2)(c)). | Wis. Stat. § 812.34(2)(a) |
| Wyoming | 25% | The maximum portion of an individual's aggregate disposable earnings subject to garnishment is the lesser of: 25% of the defendant's disposable earnings for that week, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage — the same construct as the federal CCPA limit. | Wyo. Stat. § 1-15-408(b) |
What consumer creditors cannot touch — the federal layer
The federal floor on wages
Federal floor: garnishment for an ordinary judgment debt may not exceed the lesser of (1) 25% of the debtor's disposable earnings for the workweek, or (2) the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage. States may set a stricter (lower) cap but never a laxer one.
“the maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings of an individual for any workweek which is subjected to garnishment may not exceed (1) 25 per centum of his disposable earnings for that week, or (2) the amount by which his disposable earnings for that week exceed thirty times the Federal minimum hourly wage prescribed by section 206(a)(1) of title 29 in effect at the time the earnings are payable, whichever is less.” — 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)
Social Security and federal benefits
Social Security benefits are exempt from “execution, levy, attachment, garnishment, or other legal process” for consumer debts (42 U.S.C. § 407(a)). And since 2011, a bank that receives a garnishment order must automatically protect two months’ worth of directly deposited federal benefits — the “lookback period” rule of 31 C.F.R. Part 212. The common misconception runs the other way: benefits do not lose protection just because they land in a bank account. For direct deposits, the two-month shield applies with no paperwork; amounts beyond it may require claiming the exemption in court.
How a credit-card debt reaches a paycheck
- Lawsuit first. For ordinary consumer debts, a private creditor must sue and win a judgment before wages can be touched. Government-type debts — taxes, federal student loans, support orders — run on separate tracks with their own limits.
- Then a garnishment order. With a judgment, the creditor applies for a garnishment or wage execution, which is served on the employer.
- The employer withholds — up to the cap. That cap is the number in your state’s row above: the federal 25%/30× formula unless your state protects more.
- Exemptions are claimed, not automatic. Outside the automatic federal-benefits shield, most state exemptions (head-of-family, low-income) only work if the debtor files the exemption claim the state provides.
Frequently asked questions
How much of my paycheck can a credit-card company garnish?
Federal law caps garnishment for ordinary consumer debts at the lesser of 25% of your disposable earnings or the amount by which your weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage — currently $217.50 a week (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)). That is only the floor: states may protect more, and many do. North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas bar wage garnishment for consumer debts entirely, and states like Arizona cap it at 10%.
Which states do not allow wage garnishment for credit-card debt?
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas generally do not permit private creditors to garnish wages for ordinary consumer debts such as credit cards, personal loans or medical bills. Court-ordered support, taxes and a few other special debts follow different rules everywhere, and creditors in these states can still pursue bank accounts and other non-wage collection.
Is Social Security protected from garnishment?
Yes — for consumer debts. Social Security benefits are exempt from execution, levy, attachment and garnishment by statute (42 U.S.C. § 407(a)). Since 2011, banks are also required to automatically protect two months' worth of directly deposited federal benefits when they receive a garnishment order (31 C.F.R. Part 212) — no paperwork is required for that baseline protection.
Can a creditor garnish wages without going to court first?
For ordinary consumer debts, a private creditor generally must sue, win a judgment, and then apply for a garnishment or wage-execution order before an employer withholds anything. Government-type debts run on separate tracks — federal agencies, tax authorities and support orders can reach wages without the same lawsuit-first requirement. The table on this page covers the private consumer-debt route only.
Sources, method & reuse. Every rule on this page was taken from the cited statute (or the state’s official publication of it) by a primary-source research pass, then independently challenged by a second adversarial verification pass; supporting quotes were additionally machine-checked verbatim against archived copies of the sources. Rows where verification remains open are marked † rather than silently asserted. This page covers post-judgment garnishment for ordinary consumer debts only and is legal information, not legal advice. The table is published under CC BY 4.0 — journalists and researchers may reuse it with attribution to Settlement Insight Research.
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