Ordinary consumer-debt withholding
Calculate disposable earnings before applying the garnishment limit
For ordinary consumer-debt garnishment, the federal weekly ceiling is the smaller of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage, never below zero. Disposable earnings are not necessarily take-home pay: voluntary deductions generally do not reduce this legal calculation base.
Federal CCPA framework checked September 7, 2026, using the $7.25 federal minimum wage. Hypothetical wages and deductions illustrate a ceiling, not a valid collection order or a state-specific legal conclusion. Support, tax collection, certain bankruptcy orders and federal administrative debts need separate treatment.
Build the legal base before looking at the deposit
Under DOL Fact Sheet 30, start with covered earnings and subtract deductions required by law, such as federal, state and local taxes and the employee's Social Security and Medicare withholding. A retirement deduction required by law can qualify. Voluntary retirement contributions, insurance premiums, union dues and loan repayments generally cannot be subtracted for this CCPA calculation merely because payroll deducts them.
For an ordinary weekly payment, let D be disposable earnings. The federal ceiling is min(0.25 x D, max(0, D - $217.50)), because 30 x $7.25 = $217.50. This is a limit on the aggregate ordinary garnishment, not another 25% for every creditor. It does not authorize collecting the ceiling when the applicable order calls for less.
An $800 weekly wage payment with voluntary deductions
Assume $800 gross covered earnings and $160 of deductions required by law. The $160 is an assumed total from the pay stub, not a tax estimate from the salary calculator. Disposable earnings are $640. The employee also has an $80 voluntary retirement contribution and a $40 voluntary after-tax insurance premium. These $120 of voluntary deductions do not turn disposable earnings into $520.
Test both limits: 25% x $640 = $160, while $640 - $217.50 = $422.50. The smaller amount is $160.00. Assuming an enforceable ordinary-debt order for at least that amount, no competing orders, sufficient debt remaining and no stronger state protection, the garnishment is $160. The cash deposit, assuming the voluntary deductions continue, is $800 - $160 required deductions - $120 voluntary deductions - $160 garnishment = $360.00.
Using 25% of the $520 cash amount before garnishment would give $130, understating this federal ceiling by $30. Conversely, if the applicable order requires only $90 for this payment, its $90 deduction would leave $430, not $360. A ceiling and an actual instruction to withhold are different numbers.
Low earnings make the protected floor decisive
At $250 of weekly disposable earnings, the percentage calculation is $62.50, but only $32.50 exceeds the protected floor. The ceiling is therefore $32.50. A further $30 voluntary deduction would leave $187.50 in cash after that garnishment. The floor protects earnings from this garnishment calculation; it does not promise a minimum bank deposit after voluntary spending.
| Pay period | Disposable earnings | 25% test | Protected floor | Excess above floor, at least zero | Federal ordinary-debt ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | $200.00 | $50.00 | $217.50 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Weekly | $217.50 | $54.38 | $217.50 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Weekly | $250.00 | $62.50 | $217.50 | $32.50 | $32.50 |
| Weekly | $290.00 | $72.50 | $217.50 | $72.50 | $72.50 |
| Weekly | $640.00 | $160.00 | $217.50 | $422.50 | $160.00 |
| Biweekly | $435.00 | $108.75 | $435.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Biweekly | $500.00 | $125.00 | $435.00 | $65.00 | $65.00 |
| Biweekly | $580.00 | $145.00 | $435.00 | $145.00 | $145.00 |
The table displays cents; compare unrounded limits before applying payroll's required rounding. Use the period-specific DOL table: biweekly uses a $435 floor, semimonthly $471.25 and monthly $942.50. Twice-monthly is not biweekly. Do not apply the $217.50 weekly floor to an entire two-week paycheck or substitute a state minimum wage into the federal formula without separately checking state law.
Identify debts that do not use this ordinary-debt formula
The DOL Employment Law Guide explains that child support and alimony can reach 50% when the worker supports another spouse or child outside the order, or 60% otherwise; qualifying arrears more than 12 weeks old can add five percentage points, making those ceilings 55% or 65%. The ordinary limits do not govern certain bankruptcy orders or federal/state tax debts. These exceptions are not permission for an ordinary creditor to use a higher rate.
State law can provide a lower ceiling or protect earnings from a particular debt entirely. Apply the more protective applicable rule. Do not simply stack ordinary-debt withholding on top of support withholding: the type and priority of existing orders affect what remains available. Federal administrative collection also has its own procedures and definitions; the ordinary consumer-debt table is not a universal government-debt calculator.
What to request when the withholding looks wrong
Ask payroll for the order or agency notice, the debt type, applicable jurisdiction, pay-period dates, covered earnings, deductions used to reach disposable earnings, and how other orders were handled. Compare those entries with the current stub rather than a month of bank deposits. A variable-hours payment may change the limit each period even when the debt balance has not changed.
PaycheckIndex does not calculate legal garnishment limits, allocate competing orders or model state exemptions. Use its tax estimates only as a separate starting point for checking tax lines, not as disposable earnings or an instruction to payroll. Questions about an order's validity, deadlines or exemptions belong with the issuing court or agency or a qualified legal adviser; federal CCPA questions can be directed to the DOL Wage and Hour Division.
Sources checked September 7, 2026: DOL Fact Sheet 30, disposable earnings and maximum-garnishment table; DOL Employment Law Guide, support exceptions and interaction with state law. All wage scenarios are hypothetical federal-ceiling calculations; no state-specific permission to garnish is assumed.