Georgia Wage Garnishment Laws: How Much Can They Take?

In Georgia, a creditor with a money judgment can garnish the lesser of two amounts from each paycheck: 25% of your disposable earnings, or the amount by which your weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage. With the federal minimum wage at $7.25 an hour as of 2026, that protected floor is 30 × $7.25 = $217.50 per week. If you earn $217.50 or less in disposable weekly wages, an ordinary creditor cannot garnish anything. Georgia does not give consumers broader wage protection than the federal baseline for ordinary debts, but it also does not allow more aggressive garnishment — the state caps ordinary judgment creditors at the same 25% ceiling set by the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act. These limits are codified in Georgia's garnishment statute at O.C.G.A. Title 18, Chapter 4.

Georgia's Garnishment Cap in Plain Terms

"Disposable earnings" means what is left after legally required deductions — federal and state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. It is not your gross pay, and it is not your take-home after voluntary deductions like a 401(k) contribution or health insurance. The garnishment math runs on that disposable figure.

For an ordinary debt — a credit card balance, a medical bill, a personal loan, a car-loan deficiency — a Georgia creditor must first sue you, win a judgment, and then file a garnishment action. Once that happens, your employer is served and must withhold the smaller of:

• 25% of your weekly disposable earnings, or
• the amount your weekly disposable earnings exceed $217.50 (30 × the $7.25 federal minimum wage).

Because Georgia ties the floor to the federal minimum wage rather than a higher state wage (Georgia's own state minimum wage is lower and does not apply here), the protected baseline is $217.50 a week. Confirm the current federal minimum wage with the U.S. Department of Labor before relying on the exact figure, since that number drives the calculation.

Georgia uses a continuing garnishment for wages, which means a single garnishment action keeps deducting from successive paychecks rather than requiring the creditor to refile each pay period. The garnishment runs for a set statutory period and can be renewed, so it does not necessarily stop on its own once it starts.

Higher Limits for Support, Taxes, and Student Loans

The 25% cap protects you only against ordinary judgment creditors. Several categories of debt can take much more:

• Child support and alimony: Under the federal CCPA, support orders can reach 50% to 65% of disposable earnings, depending on whether you support another spouse or child and how far behind you are. Georgia income-deduction orders for support follow these federal ceilings.
• Unpaid taxes: The IRS and the Georgia Department of Revenue can garnish wages without first getting a court judgment, and the amount they leave you is set by tax tables, not the 25% rule.
• Federal student loans: The U.S. Department of Education (and its guaranty agencies) can administratively garnish up to 15% of disposable pay without a court judgment.

When more than one garnishment hits the same paycheck, total withholding still cannot push you below the federal protected amount for ordinary creditors, but support and tax garnishments generally get priority.

What Income Is Exempt in Georgia

Certain funds are protected from garnishment regardless of the 25% formula, and they usually stay protected even after they land in your bank account — though commingling them with other money can complicate proving the exemption. Commonly exempt sources include:

• Social Security benefits (retirement, SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Veterans' benefits and most other federal benefits
• Unemployment compensation and workers' compensation
• Public assistance / TANF and state need-based aid
• Most pension and retirement plan funds

Federal law also requires banks to automatically protect a buffer of directly deposited Social Security and certain federal benefits when an account is frozen for garnishment. If your only income is exempt federal benefits, an ordinary creditor generally cannot reach it — but you may still need to assert the exemption to get a wrongly frozen account released.

How to Claim an Exemption and Stop or Reduce Garnishment

Georgia overhauled its garnishment law after a federal court found the older statute failed to give debtors adequate notice and a way to claim exemptions. Under the current law, you have the right to challenge a garnishment and to claim exempt funds. The basic steps:

• Read the garnishment paperwork. When a garnishment is filed, you are entitled to notice and a form explaining your right to claim exemptions. Note any deadline stated on the documents.
• File a claim of exemption (a "traverse") with the court. This is the formal objection that tells the court the garnishment is improper or that the targeted money is exempt. File it with the clerk of the court where the garnishment was issued and serve the creditor.
• Request a hearing. The court will set a hearing where you can show that your wages fall below the protected threshold, that the funds are exempt benefits, or that the garnishment contains an error.
• Bring proof. Pay stubs showing disposable earnings, bank statements tracing exempt deposits, and benefit award letters are the evidence that wins these hearings.
• Watch the clock. Exemption and objection deadlines are short. Do not assume the figure on the form is correct — verify the deadline with the court clerk and, if possible, talk to a lawyer or legal aid before it passes.

Filing bankruptcy also triggers an automatic stay that immediately halts most wage garnishments, which is one reason garnishment is a common tipping point for debtors weighing that option.

Where to Verify Georgia's Rules

Because the protected amount depends on the current federal minimum wage and because court procedures and deadlines can change, confirm the specifics before acting. The garnishment statute itself is in O.C.G.A. Title 18, Chapter 4, available through the Georgia General Assembly's official code website. For consumer help and complaints about abusive collection practices, contact the Georgia Department of Law's Consumer Protection Division, the consumer-protection arm of the Georgia Attorney General's office. At the federal level, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) limits how third-party collectors can contact you, and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accepts complaints about debt collectors and garnishment-related conduct. For the current federal minimum wage that sets the $217.50 floor, check the U.S. Department of Labor.

Official Georgia Sources

This page is based on Georgia law. Limits and deadlines change — verify the current details directly with the official Georgia sources below. This is general legal information, not legal advice.

• Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division (Department of Law) — official Georgia agency.
• File a Complaint — Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division
• O.C.G.A. § 10-1-390 et seq. — Georgia Fair Business Practices Act (Official Code of Georgia, hosted by the Consumer Protection Division)

Federal law also applies. Federal laws like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act protect you nationwide, on top of Georgia’s own rules.