In Ohio, a creditor with a court judgment can garnish no more than 25% of your disposable earnings per pay period — or the amount by which your disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less. Ohio does not give ordinary wage earners more protection than the federal floor on this percentage, so it tracks the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act cap. But Ohio adds a procedural protection most states do not have: under Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) 2716.02, a creditor must first mail you a written "demand for payment" at least 15 days — and not more than 45 days — before it files the garnishment with the court. If the creditor skips that step, the garnishment is defective.
How Ohio Calculates the Maximum Garnishment
"Disposable earnings" means what is left in your paycheck after legally required deductions such as federal, state, and local income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and mandatory retirement contributions. It does not mean your take-home pay after voluntary deductions like health insurance, union dues, or a 401(k) contribution.
Ohio applies the two-part federal formula and takes whichever result protects more of your pay:
- 25% of disposable earnings for that pay period; or
- the amount your disposable earnings for the week exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour as of 2026, so 30 × $7.25 = $217.50 per week. Earnings up to that weekly floor cannot be touched at all.
Because the threshold is tied to the federal minimum wage — not Ohio's higher state minimum wage — confirm the current federal figure before you rely on it, since Congress can change it. If you are paid every two weeks, semi-monthly, or monthly, the weekly figures are multiplied accordingly. In practice, the 25% cap controls for most middle-income workers, while the 30x floor fully protects very low earners.
Higher Caps for Child Support and Taxes
The 25% cap is for ordinary debts — credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, deficiency balances. It does not apply to several special categories, where federal and Ohio law allow much deeper cuts:
- Child and spousal support can reach 50% to 65% of disposable earnings, depending on whether you support another family and how far behind you are.
- Unpaid federal and Ohio state taxes follow separate IRS and Ohio Department of Taxation rules, which can take more than 25%.
- Federal student loans in default can be administratively garnished up to 15% of disposable pay without a court judgment.
What Income Is Exempt in Ohio
Some money is protected entirely and cannot be garnished, even if a creditor has a judgment. Under R.C. 2329.66 and federal law, exempt income generally includes:
- Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Unemployment compensation
- Workers' compensation benefits
- Ohio Works First and other public assistance
- Veterans' benefits and most disability benefits
- Many pension and retirement payments
- Spousal and child support you receive
These protections matter most for bank account garnishment. Once exempt funds like Social Security land in your checking account, a creditor may still freeze the account, but you can claim the exemption to get the protected money released. Keeping exempt deposits in a separate account, and avoiding mixing them with other money, makes that claim far easier to prove.
The "One Garnishment at a Time" Rule
Ohio limits how creditors line up. Generally, only one wage garnishment can be active against your paycheck at a time. If a second creditor obtains a garnishment order while another is already running, the new order waits in line and does not start deducting until the first is satisfied or expires. This prevents multiple creditors from stacking deductions and stripping more than the 25% cap at once. Child support orders are handled separately and take priority.