Wage garnishment calculator
Pick your state and how often you are paid, then enter your disposable pay for one pay period to see how much a judgment creditor can take.
Federal rule: 15 U.S.C. §1673 (CCPA), for ordinary consumer-debt judgments. Amounts for other pay periods follow 29 CFR 870.10. Child support, taxes and student loans use different (higher) limits.
If your wages are being garnished
- A garnishment requires a judgment, except for taxes, child support and federal student loans. If you were never served with a lawsuit, you may be able to reopen the case.
- You can claim exemptions. Every state has a form for this, often called a claim of exemption, and low-income debtors can sometimes get a garnishment reduced or stopped.
- Head-of-household exemptions in states like Florida and Missouri can protect most or all of your pay, but you usually have to file to claim them.
- If the debt is old, check whether it can still be enforced with our free statute-of-limitations checker.
Kits For That is not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice. The calculator covers ordinary consumer-debt judgments; support, tax and student-loan garnishments use different limits. Its figures are estimates and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney, and laws change, so check your state’s current rules. Facts verified against official sources in August 2026.