The law prohibits an employer from firing a worker whose earnings have been subject to garnishment for any one debt, regardless of the number of levies made or proceedings brought to collect it. The law does not prohibit discharge if the employee's earnings have been garnished for a second or subsequent debts. Other deductions, such as those for union dues, health and life insurance, contributions to charitable causes, voluntary wage assignments, purchases of savings bonds, and payments to employers for payroll advances or purchases of merchandise, are not required by law and may not be subtracted from gross earnings when calculating the amount of disposable earnings. The law sets the maximum amount which may be garnished in any workweek or pay period, regardless of the number of garnishment orders received by the employer. When pay periods cover more than one week, multiples of the weekly restrictions must be used to calculate the maximum amounts that may be garnished.
Specific restrictions apply to court orders for child support or alimony.
The garnishment law allows up to 50 percent of a worker's disposable earnings to be garnished if the worker is supporting another spouse or child, and up to 60 percent for a worker who is not. An additional 5 percent may be garnished for support payments more than 12 weeks in arrears. The wage garnishment law specifies that garnishment restrictions do not apply to bankruptcy court orders and debts due for federal or state taxes. If a state wage garnishment law differs from the federal law, the law resulting in the smaller garnishment must be observed. Contact the nearest office of the Wage and Hour Division, listed in most telephone directories under U.S. Government, Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration.