New Jersey Wage Garnishment Calculator
A New Jersey wage execution is capped at 10% of wages unless the debtor’s income is above 250% of the poverty level for their family size — and even then a larger share needs a court order and can never pass the federal limit.
Ten percent unless a judge says otherwise
In no case shall the amount specified in an execution issued out of any court against the wages, debts, earnings, salary, income from trust funds or profits due and owing … to a judgment debtor, exceed 10%, unless the income of such debtor shall exceed 250 % of the poverty level for an individual taking into account the size of the individual’s family, in which case the court out of which the execution shall issue may order a larger percentage.
A Newark paycheck under the 10% cap
A Newark warehouse worker grossing $2,400.00 every two weeks with $450.00 withheld has $1,950.00 disposable. The execution may specify no more than 10% of the wages — $240.00 — compared with the $487.50 federal law alone would permit. Only if the worker’s income is above 250% of the poverty level for their household can the court raise the percentage, and never past that federal figure.
The 250%-of-poverty threshold and State executions
- The 10% is applied to the wages named in the execution, which in practice means gross pay; the federal 25%-of-disposable-earnings ceiling still applies on top.§1
- Only the court that issued the execution can order more than 10%, and only when your income exceeds 250% of the poverty level for your household size.§1
- Wage executions sought by the State itself may reach 25% of gross earnings, but only if your income stays at or above 250% of the poverty level afterwards (subsection b, added by P.L. 2005, c. 124).§1
- New Jersey’s $15.92 minimum wage (U.S. Department of Labor state table) plays no part in the formula; the protection is the 10% cap itself.§2