How Long a Judgment Lasts and Wage Garnishment Limits by State

These floors are 30 times the $7.25 federal minimum wage, scaled to each pay period. If your take-home after required deductions sits at or under the line for your pay schedule, an ordinary creditor gets nothing from that check.

The cap depends on who is collecting. A credit card lender is held to 25%, while support orders can reach 50% or 60%, and tax levies sit outside these limits entirely.

The D group is the largest, at 25 states. Those protect at least $300 a week but less than the $600 poverty line for a family of four. Only 5 states earn an A.

The spread is wide. Alabama protects up to $1,000 a week for a full-time minimum-wage worker. Georgia protects just $217.50.

Ten years is the common starting point. Missing a renewal deadline can end your right to collect, so put the date on a calendar the day the judgment is entered.

How long a money judgment lasts and how to extend it, selected states

Source: Arizona State Legislature, A.R.S. § 12-1551, Issuance of writ of execution; limitation; renewal; Judicial Branch of California, California Courts Self-Help Guide, Renew a civil judgment; The Florida Legislature, Florida Statutes § 95.11, Limitations other than for the recovery of real property; The Florida Legislature, Florida Statutes § 55.10, Judgments, orders, and decrees; lien of all, generally; extension of liens; Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes, Minnesota Statutes § 541.04, Judgments, ten years; New York State Senate (Open Legislation), N.Y. Civil Practice Law and Rules § 211, Actions to be commenced within twenty years; Texas State Law Library, Small Claims Cases: Collecting a Judgment; Virginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System), Code of Virginia § 8.01-251, Limitations on enforcement of judgments; Washington State Legislature, RCW 6.17.020, Execution authorized within 10 years; Virginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System), Code of Virginia § 16.1-94.1, Limitations on enforcement of general district court judgments. Download as image

Federal wage garnishment limits under the Consumer Credit Protection Act

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Fact Sheet #30: Wage Garnishment Protections of the Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA). Download as image

Wage garnishment protection for a minimum-wage worker (NCLC grade) by state

• 5A: bans wage garnishment for most debts or protects at least $1,000 a week
• 1B: protects at least $800 a week
• 8C: protects at least the poverty level for a family of four ($600 a week)
• 25D: protects at least $300 a week
• 12F: protects less than $300 a week

How much of my paycheck can be garnished?

Start with disposable earnings: your pay after legally required deductions like taxes and Social Security. Voluntary deductions such as health premiums or retirement contributions do not come off first.

For ordinary debts like credit cards and medical bills, federal law lets a creditor take the lesser of two amounts: 25% of disposable earnings, or whatever you earn above $217.50 a week. For most full-time workers, the 25% figure is the smaller one, so that is what gets taken.

The second test matters for people with low pay. If your weekly disposable earnings sit only a little above $217.50, the creditor can take just the slice above that line, which may be far less than a quarter of your check. At $217.50 or below, the answer is zero. Paid every two weeks? The floor doubles to $435.

Your state can only make this kinder to you, never harsher. When the state and federal rules differ, the one that protects more of your pay wins. Child support, defaulted federal student loans and tax debts follow their own rules, covered below.

Which states do not allow wage garnishment?

North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas bar wage garnishment for most consumer debts. In Texas, current wages are exempt except for court-ordered child support and spousal maintenance. Pennsylvania carves out residential lease debts, so a landlord there can still reach part of a tenant's pay.

At the other end, 12 states protect less than $300 a week for a minimum-wage worker, and 8 of those protect only the federal floor of $217.50. Georgia, Idaho, Kansas and Utah are in that group.

A few states sit in between with generous but conditional rules. Florida protects the first $750 a week for a head of household, and amounts above that can be taken only if the worker agreed in writing. That written-consent piece matters. Florida requires that waiver to be a separate signed document attached to the contract, in large type. If a lender hands you one, know that signing it lets a creditor take more of your pay later.

How long does a judgment last?

In most states the answer starts at 10 years. Arizona, California, Minnesota, Texas and Washington all use 10 years as the first period. New York presumes a judgment paid after 20 years, and Florida gives you 20 years to bring an action on one, though its lien on real property lasts 10.

The renewal steps are where creditors lose money. California lets you renew for another 10 years, but some consumer and medical debt judgments against individuals can be renewed only once, for 5 years. Washington wants your application within 90 days before the 10 years run out. A Texas judgment that goes unrenewed becomes dormant, and you generally have 2 years to revive it.

In New York, a payment or a signed written acknowledgment restarts the 20-year clock. If you are the debtor, know that sending even a small payment can extend how long the judgment hangs over you.

What this means if a client owes you money, and what to do

Picture a designer in Texas who wins a judgment against a client who stopped paying. If that client is an individual, the designer cannot touch the client's wages for this kind of debt. Collection has to come from bank accounts or other assets, and some of those are protected too.

Now flip it. The same designer wins against a client who lives in Georgia and earns a steady paycheck. Garnishment there can reach the full federal limit, which makes the judgment far easier to turn into cash.

So where your client lives, and whether they are a person or a company, shapes what a win is worth. A judgment against a business with a bank account is usually easier to collect than one against a person whose income is shielded. That is a good reason to sign with the business entity, check who is actually on the contract and ask for a deposit before work starts.

• Before signing, confirm the legal name of the party paying you. A judgment against the wrong entity is worth nothing.
• Ask for a deposit or milestone payments so less money is ever at risk.
• Put a clear late fee and payment deadline in writing, so you have a dated breach to point to in court.
• After judgment, find out which state's rules apply where the debtor works and banks, since that state's exemptions usually control.
• Calendar the renewal deadline right away. Missing it can wipe out years of collection rights.

What should you do if your wages are being garnished?

First, read the notice from the court or your employer closely. It will usually say who the creditor is, how much is owed and how to claim an exemption. Deadlines for asking for a hearing can be short, so do not set it aside.

Next, check the math on your pay stub. Your employer has to apply the federal limit or your state's limit, whichever leaves you with more. Payroll mistakes happen, especially when someone moves between states or changes pay schedules.

Then look at your state's hardship rules. Iowa, Vermont and West Virginia, for example, let a debtor show need and keep more pay in some cases. A local legal aid office can often help you file the claim for free.

Finally, check whether the judgment is still alive. If the creditor let the renewal deadline pass, they may have lost the right to collect.

Child support, student loans and taxes play by different rules

The federal caps change with the type of debt. Child support and alimony can take up to 50% of disposable pay if you support another spouse or child, or 60% if you do not. Add another 5% when support is more than 12 weeks behind, which brings the ceiling to 55% or 65%.

Defaulted federal student loans can be collected at up to 15% under the Higher Education Act, and state garnishment laws do not limit them. Federal and state tax levies are not bound by these caps at all.

One more protection people miss: your employer cannot fire you because your wages are garnished for any one debt. That federal protection ends once there is a second debt.

Sources and method

Every number on this page comes from the sources below, each opened and read on or before October 18, 2026. A second, independent review checked every figure against its source and corrected anything that did not match. 51 of 51 state entries were confirmed; any that could not be are marked "Not yet confirmed" and left out of every count and chart.

1. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Fact Sheet #30: Wage Garnishment Protections of the Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) (Revised December 2024)
2. National Consumer Law Center, No Fresh Start: Will States Protect Families from Wage and Asset Seizures as Debt Levels Soar? (2025) (December 2025)
3. ADP Research, Wage garnishments were on the rise. Then the pandemic hit. (September 10, 2024)
4. Judicial Branch of California, California Courts Self-Help Guide, Renew a civil judgment (Current page as read 2026-10-18 (no revision date shown))
5. Texas State Law Library, Small Claims Cases: Collecting a Judgment (Last updated October 5, 2026)
6. The Florida Legislature, Florida Statutes § 95.11, Limitations other than for the recovery of real property (2026 Florida Statutes)
7. The Florida Legislature, Florida Statutes § 55.10, Judgments, orders, and decrees; lien of all, generally; extension of liens (2026 Florida Statutes)
8. New York State Senate (Open Legislation), N.Y. Civil Practice Law and Rules § 211, Actions to be commenced within twenty years (Most recent revision 2020-04-17)
9. Washington State Legislature, RCW 6.17.020, Execution authorized within 10 years (Current code as read 2026-10-18)
10. Arizona State Legislature, A.R.S. § 12-1551, Issuance of writ of execution; limitation; renewal (Current code as read 2026-10-18)
11. Virginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System), Code of Virginia § 8.01-251, Limitations on enforcement of judgments (Current code as read 2026-10-18)
12. Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes, Minnesota Statutes § 541.04, Judgments, ten years (Current statutes as read 2026-10-18 (last amended 2012))
13. Virginia General Assembly (Legislative Information System), Code of Virginia § 16.1-94.1, Limitations on enforcement of general district court judgments (Current code as read 2026-10-18 (amended by 2026 Va. Acts c. 848))
14. Oregon Department of Revenue, Garnishee information (minimum wage exemption amounts) (Amounts for wages payable July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, as read 2026-10-18)