What Wage Garnishments Look Like on a Pay Stub

A wage garnishment is money your employer is legally ordered to withhold from your paycheck and send to someone else — a child's other parent, the IRS, or a creditor who won a court judgment. Unlike taxes or benefits, you don't choose these deductions, which is why they can be a surprise. Knowing how they appear on your stub helps you confirm the amount is correct.

Where garnishments appear on your stub

Garnishments are taken after taxes, so they show up in the deductions section, usually below your tax withholdings, with a label such as Garnishment, Child Support, Levy, or Wage Assignment. Like other lines, each one typically shows a current-period amount and a year-to-date total.

Garnishments come out of your disposable earnings — what's left after legally required deductions like taxes and Social Security, not your full gross pay.

The common types

How much can legally be taken

Federal law — Title III of the Consumer Credit Protection Act — caps most garnishments so you keep enough to live on. As a general rule:

1. Ordinary creditor garnishments are limited to the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which your weekly pay exceeds 30× the federal minimum wage.
2. Child support can go higher — up to 50–60% of disposable earnings, plus an extra 5% if you're behind on payments.
3. Tax levies follow IRS tables based on your filing status and dependents, not the CCPA percentage caps.

States can set stricter limits than federal law, and a few protect wages more aggressively, so the exact cap depends on where you live.

What to do if a garnishment looks wrong

Errors happen — a garnishment that should have ended, the wrong amount, or a deduction you don't recognize. If something looks off:

• Compare the deducted amount against the court or agency order.
• Confirm the garnishment hasn't already been paid in full (check the YTD total).
• Raise it with your payroll department first; they withhold based on the order they received.
• Contact the issuing court or agency if the order itself is outdated or incorrect.

Your employer can't legally stop a valid garnishment on its own — changes have to come from the court or agency that issued it.

This article is general information, not legal advice. For a specific garnishment, talk to the issuing agency or an attorney.

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