Kentucky Wage Garnishment Calculator

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Kentucky Wage Garnishment Calculator

How much a Kentucky paycheck can lose to a wage garnishment, support order, tax levy, student loan or Chapter 13 plan. KRS 427.010, KRS 403.215, 15 U.S.C. 1671-1677. Estimates only.

Rules encoded (VERIFY): an ordinary wage garnishment takes the lesser of 25% of weekly disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage ($217.50); at or below that floor nothing is taken (KRS 427.010(2), AOC-150). Support income withholding follows the CCPA tiers 50 / 55 / 60 / 65% of disposable earnings (KRS 403.215 and the AOC-150 worksheet) and takes priority. Kentucky Department of Revenue wage levies and IRS levies sit outside the 25% cap; DOR is modeled at 25% of disposable. Federal student loan AWG uses 15% with the federal floor. Judgment interest runs at 6% per year compounded annually for judgments entered on or after June 29, 2017, while child support judgments still bear 12% (KRS 360.040). Kentucky’s minimum wage equals the federal $7.25. No discharge for one garnishment (15 U.S.C. 1674).

1. Mode, county and pay date

Stack uses the order boxes in section 3.
Affects the IRS table; Kentucky matches the federal $7.25 minimum.
District or Circuit Court venue.
KRS 427.010 tests run weekly; scaled by 52 / periods.
Select a county to see the District or Circuit Court venue note and the statewide protected floor.

2. Gross pay and legally required withholding

Includes bonuses and commissions.
Voluntary 401(k) excluded.
Take-home only; not in the garnishment base.

3. Order type and amounts

0 applies the statutory maximum.
Informational; support sits outside the 25% aggregate.
Shares the 25% ceiling.

4. Balance and payoff

6% for judgments on or after 6/29/2017; 12% for child support judgments (KRS 360.040 – VERIFY).

How it works

  • Disposable = gross minus legally required withholding; voluntary shown separately.
  • Weekly conversion = 52 / periods (1, 2, 2.1667, 4.3333); KRS 427.010 tests run weekly.
  • Floor = 30x $7.25 = $217.50 weekly; at or below it nothing is garnished.
  • Consumer cap = lesser of 25% of disposable and the above-floor amount, reduced by other non-support garnishments.
  • Support = lesser of ordered and the CCPA tier 50 / 55 / 60 / 65% of disposable.
  • Student loan = lesser of 15% disposable and above the federal 30x floor.
  • IRS = disposable above Pub 1494 exempt; DOR = modeled at 25% of disposable; neither uses the state cap.
  • Stack applies precedence in order and the 25% aggregate on non-support, non-tax orders.
  • Payoff amortizes at the entered rate, compounded per period, and flags non-amortizing or zero-withholding cases.

Sources

  • KRS 427.010 (25% / 30x federal minimum wage restriction, exempt personal property): apps.legislature.ky.gov
  • AOC-150 wage garnishment worksheet (exempt percentage, floor figures, support tiers): kycourts.gov
  • KRS 403.215 and KRS 407 (support income withholding): apps.legislature.ky.gov
  • KRS 360.040 (6% post-judgment interest from 6/29/2017; 12% for child support judgments): apps.legislature.ky.gov
  • Kentucky Justice wage and bank garnishment guide: kyjustice.org
  • Kentucky League of Cities consumer rights guide: anthemeap.com
  • 15 U.S.C. 1671-1677 and DOL Fact Sheet 30: dol.gov
  • Kentucky DOR levy and collection actions: revenue.ky.gov
  • IRS Pub 1494 and Form 668-W: irs.gov
  • 20 U.S.C. 1095a, 34 CFR 34.19: studentaid.gov

Test cases

TC1 Jefferson County, 2026, weekly. Gross $1,000.00; required $200.00; disposable $800.00. 25% cap $200.00; floor room $800.00 minus $217.50 = $582.50. Withheld $200.00, take-home $600.00, 25.00%. $4,000 at 6% clears in 21 weeks, total $4,200.00, interest $200.00.
TC2 Fayette County, 2026, weekly. Gross $260.00; required $50.00; disposable $210.00, at or below the $217.50 floor. Withheld $0.00. The 25% cap would have allowed $52.50 had the floor not barred it.
TC3 Kenton County, 2026, biweekly. Gross $2,400.00; required $560.00; disposable $1,840.00. Child support, no second family, arrears 12 weeks or older: 65% tier $1,196.00; ordered $1,200.00. Withheld $1,196.00, take-home $644.00.
TC4 Boone County, 2026, biweekly, stack. Gross $2,400.00; required $560.00; disposable $1,840.00. Support $300.00 (ceiling $920.00); no IRS or DOR order; consumer requested $400.00 within the $460.00 25% cap and $1,405.00 floor room. Consumer $400.00, total $700.00, take-home $1,140.00.
TC5 Warren County, 2026, semimonthly. Gross $2,600.00; required $600.00; disposable $2,000.00. Federal student loan AWG 15% = $300.00; federal floor $471.25 per period leaves $1,528.75. Withheld $300.00, take-home $1,700.00. $9,000 at 0% clears in 30 periods, about 1.25 years.
Estimates only; not legal advice. All figures VERIFY, including the 25% and 30x floor formula of KRS 427.010, the AOC-150 worksheet figures, the CCPA support tiers under KRS 403.215, the DOR modeled 25%, District Court jurisdiction limits, employer processing deadlines and the 6% / 12% judgment rates of KRS 360.040. Pub 1494 estimate uses 2026 standard deductions ($16,100 / $24,150 / $32,200) plus $5,300 per dependent plus $1,600 per age-65 or blind box. Not modeled: service-date priority, contested exemption hearings, automatic stays, self-employment income, bonuses, severance, pensions, unemployment or workers compensation. Consult a Kentucky attorney or Kentucky Justice. Deploy: replace the block, Update, purge cache, hard refresh; verify document.getElementById(“kentucky-wage-garnishment-calculator”).getAttribute(“data-js-ready”) returns “true” with no SyntaxError.

What Is a Kentucky Wage Garnishment Calculator?

A Kentucky wage garnishment calculator estimates withholding from a pay period after subtracting legally required deductions from gross pay. This tool then applies the calculation branch for the selected debt or order, including ordinary judgment limits, support percentages, student loan rules, tax levies, or a Chapter 13 payment.

The calculator has three modes: Single order, Stacking - five order types, and Payoff timeline. Its main result is Withheld per pay period. It also displays disposable earnings, the protected wage floor, the applicable cap, weekly and annual withholding, estimated take-home pay, and the percentage of disposable earnings withheld.

Stack mode adds a priority waterfall for five order categories. Payoff mode uses the calculated withholding as a periodic payment and estimates the number of pay periods needed to satisfy an entered balance.

How the Kentucky Wage Garnishment Calculation Works

The calculation begins with disposable earnings. The tool adds federal income tax, Kentucky income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other required withholding. If those amounts exceed gross pay, required withholding is limited to gross pay.

D=G−min⁡(G,R)D=G-\min(G,R)

Here, D is disposable earnings for the pay period, G is gross pay, and R is total legally required withholding. Voluntary deductions are not removed when disposable earnings are calculated.

The calculator converts disposable earnings to a weekly amount using the selected pay frequency. It uses 52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semimonthly, or 12 monthly pay periods per year.

Dw=D×P52D_w=D\times\frac{P}{52}

P is the number of pay periods per year. The calculator's protected weekly floor is 30 times $7.25, or $217.50.

Fw=30×7.25=217.50F_w=30\times7.25=217.50

The amount of disposable earnings above that floor is converted back to the selected pay period:

H=max⁡(0,(Dw−217.50)×52P)H=\max\left(0,(D_w-217.50)\times\frac{52}{P}\right)

Consumer and Private Student Loan Judgments

Consumer or contract judgments and private student loan judgments use the calculator's ordinary garnishment formula. It compares 25% of disposable earnings, the amount above the protected floor, and the remaining 25% aggregate room after other non-support garnishments.

C=min⁡(0.25D,H,max⁡(0,0.25D−O))C=\min\left(0.25D,H,\max(0,0.25D-O)\right)

C is the calculated ordinary garnishment cap, and O is Other non-support garnishments. A positive Amount demanded per period can reduce withholding below this cap. Entering $0 for the demanded amount causes the calculator to use the full calculated cap.

The Support already withheld field is shown in the results but is informational in this calculation. The code does not subtract it from the ordinary judgment cap.

Child and Spousal Support

Child support and spousal maintenance use a percentage of disposable earnings. The calculator starts with either 50% or 60%, depending on whether the Second family checkbox is selected. Arrears of at least 12 weeks add another 5 percentage points.

Cs=rDC_s=rD

The rate r is 50% with a second family or 60% without one. If Arrears 12 weeks or older is selected, the calculator increases those rates to 55% or 65%, respectively.

A positive demanded amount below the calculated support ceiling becomes the withholding result. The calculator also prevents support withholding from exceeding disposable earnings.

Federal Student Loan Garnishment

Federal student loan administrative wage garnishment uses the smaller of 15% of disposable earnings and the amount above the calculator's 30-times-$7.25 protected floor.

CAWG=min⁡(0.15D,H)C_{AWG}=\min(0.15D,H)

A positive Amount demanded below this calculated cap reduces the withholding amount. The single-order federal student loan calculation does not subtract the Other non-support garnishments input.

IRS Levy Calculation

For an IRS levy, the calculator estimates an exempt amount using a built-in value for the selected wage year and filing status. It adds $5,300 for each dependent and $1,600 for each age-65-or-blind box, then converts the total to one pay period.

E=S+5300d+1600bPE=\frac{S+5300d+1600b}{P}
CIRS=max⁡(0,D−E)C_{IRS}=\max(0,D-E)

S is the calculator's stored amount for the selected year and filing status, d is the number of dependents, and b is the age-65-or-blind count. A positive Override exempt amount replaces the calculated exemption. The available wage years are 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Kentucky DOR and Chapter 13

The Kentucky DOR wage levy branch is modeled at 25% of disposable earnings.

CDOR=0.25DC_{DOR}=0.25D

The Chapter 13 branch converts the entered monthly plan payment to the selected pay frequency and limits the result to disposable earnings.

CCh13=min⁡(D,12MP)C_{Ch13}=\min\left(D,\frac{12M}{P}\right)

M is the monthly Chapter 13 plan payment. For both of these single-order branches, a positive demanded amount below the calculated cap can further reduce the withholding.

Worked Example

Suppose weekly gross pay is $1,000 and legally required withholding totals $200. Assume there are no other non-support garnishments and the selected order is a consumer judgment with Amount demanded set to $0.

D=1000−200=800D=1000-200=800

Twenty-five percent of disposable earnings is $200. The amount above the $217.50 protected weekly floor is $582.50. With no other non-support garnishments, the aggregate room is also $200.

C=min⁡(200,582.50,200)=200C=\min(200,582.50,200)=200

The calculator therefore shows $200.00 withheld for the period. With no voluntary deductions, estimated take-home pay is $600.00. The withheld amount represents 25.00% of the $800 disposable earnings.

How to Use the Kentucky Wage Garnishment Calculator

  1. Select Single order, Stacking - five order types, or Payoff timeline.
  2. Choose the year wages are payable, the Kentucky county, and the pay frequency.
  3. Enter gross pay plus any federal income tax, Kentucky income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other required withholding.
  4. Enter voluntary deductions separately. These affect estimated take-home pay but do not reduce disposable earnings.
  5. Select the order type and enter the amount demanded, existing support, and other non-support garnishments where applicable.
  6. For a support order, select the Second family and Arrears 12 weeks or older boxes when they apply to the calculation you want to model.
  7. For an IRS levy or Chapter 13 plan, complete the additional fields displayed by the calculator.
  8. For Payoff timeline mode, enter the balance owed and annual interest rate. The interest field starts at 6%.
  9. Check the required acknowledgment and select Calculate. Use Reset to return the fields to their starting values.

The main result is Withheld per pay period. The calculator also shows the weekly and annual equivalents, estimated take-home pay, the percentage of disposable earnings withheld, the order-specific cap, remaining ordinary garnishment room, and a binding factor describing what controlled the result.

Understanding Stack and Payoff Results

Stack Mode

Stack mode processes five entered order amounts in this order: support, IRS levy, Kentucky DOR levy, federal student loan, and consumer judgment. Support is limited to the selected support percentage and available disposable earnings. The IRS step then uses the remaining disposable earnings above the estimated IRS exemption.

The DOR step is limited to the entered order, 25% of the original disposable earnings, and the amount still remaining. Federal student loan withholding is then limited to the entered order, 15% of the original disposable earnings, and the protected-floor calculation.

In the implemented code, the student-loan step is not separately capped by the remaining-income variable before it is subtracted. The final consumer judgment is limited by its ordinary consumer cap, remaining room under the 25% non-support ceiling after the student-loan amount, and remaining earnings.

The stack results display the amount assigned to each of the five order types, total withheld, take-home pay after the waterfall, and an explanation of the amounts used.

Payoff Timeline

Payoff mode uses the calculated withholding amount as the payment made each pay period. The periodic interest rate equals the entered annual percentage rate divided by 100 and then divided by pay periods per year.

i=APR100Pi=\frac{APR}{100P}

For a positive interest rate, the calculator requires the payment to exceed the interest accruing on the starting balance during one pay period. If it does, the number of payments is calculated and rounded upward to the next whole pay period.

n=⌈−ln⁡(1−BiQ)ln⁡(1+i)⌉n=\left\lceil\frac{-\ln\left(1-\frac{Bi}{Q}\right)}{\ln(1+i)}\right\rceil

B is the balance, Q is the withholding per period, and n is the number of pay periods. The code notes that this per-period compounding method is an approximation because the interest rule described by the calculator refers to annual compounding.

If the payment is no greater than one period of interest on the starting balance, the calculator reports that the balance never amortizes. If the interest rate is 0%, it divides the balance by the periodic payment and rounds upward. In that case, Total paid equals the balance and Interest paid is $0.00.

For positive interest, Total paid equals the rounded number of periods multiplied by the full periodic payment. Interest paid equals that displayed total minus the original balance. Calendar time is converted into years and rounded months.

Important Inputs and Calculation Limits

Gross pay must be greater than zero before the calculator will show results. Most money inputs accept values from $0 through $10,000,000. Balance owed accepts values up to $100,000,000. Interest per year accepts values from 0% through 40%.

The IRS Dependents field accepts values from 0 through 20. Age 65 or blind accepts 0 through 2. County selection is required and changes the displayed District or Circuit Court venue information, but it does not create a county-specific numerical garnishment formula.

Pay frequency directly affects the calculation. It changes the conversion between weekly and pay-period earnings, the IRS exemption estimate, Chapter 13 period payments, annual withholding, and payoff timing.

Voluntary deductions are handled separately from legally required deductions. The calculator estimates take-home pay by subtracting required withholding, voluntary deductions, and the calculated garnishment from gross pay. If that calculation would be negative, displayed take-home pay is set to zero.

T=max⁡(0,G−R−V−W)T=\max(0,G-R-V-W)

T is estimated take-home pay, V is voluntary deductions, and W is the calculated garnishment or withholding.

Currency results use U.S. dollar formatting with two decimal places. The share of disposable earnings withheld is shown as a percentage with two decimal places. The calculator also displays a visual meter scaled to the 65% support maximum, with display changes beginning at 10% and 25%. The meter does not change the withholding calculation.

This calculator provides a legal and financial estimate based on its encoded assumptions and your entries. Actual withholding can depend on the specific order, exemptions, court proceedings, tax-levy documents, applicable interest rules, and other facts. The tool itself marks its legal amounts and procedural statements for verification, so the result should not be treated as legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the calculator determine disposable earnings?

It subtracts entered federal income tax, Kentucky income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other required withholding from gross pay. If required withholding exceeds gross pay, the calculation limits it to gross pay. Voluntary deductions do not reduce disposable earnings.

What happens if weekly disposable earnings are at or below $217.50?

For the ordinary consumer and private student loan judgment branch, the amount above the protected floor becomes zero. Because the calculator uses the smallest applicable ordinary limit, that produces $0 withholding under this branch when weekly disposable earnings do not exceed $217.50.

How are the 50%, 55%, 60%, and 65% support rates selected?

The calculator uses 50% when the Second family box is selected and 60% when it is not. Selecting Arrears 12 weeks or older adds 5 percentage points. That produces the four implemented rates: 50%, 55%, 60%, and 65% of disposable earnings.

What does entering $0 for Amount demanded per period mean?

In Single order mode, entering $0 tells the calculator to use the full cap produced by the selected order type's formula. If you enter a positive demanded amount that is below the calculated cap, the tool uses the smaller entered amount instead.

Does existing support reduce the ordinary judgment calculation?

No. The Support already withheld value is displayed, but the ordinary judgment formula does not subtract it. The Other non-support garnishments field does reduce available room because that amount is subtracted from the calculator's 25% aggregate ceiling.

How does the IRS levy estimate work?

The calculator begins with a stored amount for the selected wage year and filing status, adds $5,300 per dependent and $1,600 per age-65-or-blind box, and divides the result by pay periods per year. A positive Override exempt amount replaces that estimated exemption.

What happens if the payoff payment does not cover periodic interest?

The calculator reports that the balance never amortizes when withholding per period is less than or equal to the interest accruing on the starting balance during one period. A zero withholding amount also prevents a payoff estimate because there is no periodic payment to reduce the balance.

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