Guide · by the Garnishment Calc Editorial Team · updated
Child support garnishment limits
Support orders are the one kind of debt that can take more than a quarter of a paycheck. Federal law sets four ceilings — 50%, 55%, 60% and 65% of disposable earnings — depending on your household and how old the debt is.
The federal ceilings
where such individual is supporting his spouse or dependent child (other than a spouse or child with respect to whose support such order is used), 50 per centum of such individual’s disposable earnings for that week; and … where such individual is not supporting such a spouse or dependent child … 60 per centum
Each figure rises by five points — to 55% and 65% — “if and to the extent that such earnings are subject to garnishment to enforce a support order with respect to a period which is prior to the twelve-week period which ends with the beginning of such workweek,” that is, for arrears more than 12 weeks old.
These are ceilings. The amount actually withheld is what the support order or income-withholding notice says, as long as it stays under the ceiling. The 30-times-minimum-wage floor that protects ordinary debtors does not apply to support (§ 1673(b)(1)(A)).
The four cases on one paycheck
A parent paid every two weeks earns $2,400.00 gross with $430.00 of taxes and required deductions — $1,970.00 disposable.
| Situation | Ceiling | Most that can be withheld |
|---|---|---|
| Supports another spouse or child; current support only | 50% | $985.00 |
| Supports another spouse or child; arrears over 12 weeks | 55% | $1,083.50 |
| No other dependents; current support only | 60% | $1,182.00 |
| No other dependents; arrears over 12 weeks | 65% | $1,280.50 |
When state law is lower
A state can set a lower ceiling. Arizona exempts “one-half of the disposable earnings of a debtor for any pay period” under a support order (A.R.S. § 33-1131(C)), so the same parent with old arrears in Arizona can have at most $985.00 withheld rather than the federal 65%. The calculator applies Arizona’s cap automatically in support mode; for other states it shows the federal ceiling.
Support comes first
Support withholding takes priority over ordinary garnishments, and it uses up the room an ordinary creditor would have had. Michigan, for example, gives an order of income withholding for support priority over every other garnishment regardless of when it arrives (MCL 600.4012). Under the federal rule, a credit-card creditor can take only what is left of the 25% ceiling after support: with $300.00 already withheld for support from the $1,970.00 check, the creditor’s share falls to $192.50.
Support also reaches wages in states that bar ordinary garnishment. The Texas Constitution keeps current wages exempt “except for the enforcement of court-ordered: (1) child support payments; or (2) spousal maintenance,” and Pennsylvania’s wage exemption lists support and divorce proceedings as exceptions.
What to check on your own order
- Whether the withholding notice includes an amount for arrears, which is what moves the ceiling up five points.
- Whether you support another spouse or child who is not covered by the order — that keeps you at the 50% / 55% ceiling.
- That the percentage is taken from disposable earnings, after taxes and other required deductions, not from gross pay.