Garnishment Disposable Income Calculator

About this calculator

Under U.S. federal wage garnishment law (Title III of the Consumer Credit Protection Act), most creditors can only garnish the lesser of two amounts: 25% of an employee's weekly disposable earnings, or the amount by which those earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage. Whichever figure is smaller sets the legal cap.

This dual test protects low-income workers — someone earning close to minimum wage may owe little or nothing under the second rule even though the 25% figure would otherwise be sizable. Employers running payroll and workers checking a garnishment order use this calculator to see both the garnishable amount and the protected income that must stay untouched.