New Hampshire Wage Garnishment Calculator

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New Hampshire Wage Garnishment Calculator

How much a New Hampshire paycheck can lose to trustee process on a judgment, support withholding, IRS levy, student loan or Chapter 13 plan. RSA 512:21, RSA 282-A:152-a, RSA 458-B, 15 U.S.C. 1671-1677. Estimates only.

Rules encoded (VERIFY): New Hampshire has no continuing wage garnishment for ordinary judgments: trustee process reaches only wages already earned and unpaid when the writ is served, and wages earned after service are fully exempt (RSA 512:21, I). For a New Hampshire judgment debt, pre-service earned wages are reachable above an exemption of 50 times the federal minimum wage per week ($362.50), and the amount taken may not exceed the lesser of 25% of weekly disposable earnings or the excess over that 50x floor (RSA 512:21, II; RSA 282-A:152-a). Loans under RSA 399-A exempt only $50 per week of pre-service wages. Support withholding under RSA 458-B follows the CCPA tiers 50 / 55 / 60 / 65% and has priority over other process. New Hampshire has no broad individual income tax, so no state wage levy exists; IRS levies use Publication 1494 and federal student loan AWG uses 15% with the federal 30x floor, both outside the state caps. 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; NH matches the federal $7.25 minimum.
District Division or Superior Court venue.
RSA 512:21 tests run weekly; scaled by 52 / periods.
Select a county to see the venue note, the trustee process scope and the 50x federal floor.

2. Gross pay and legally required withholding

Trustee process reaches only pre-service earned wages; future paychecks stay exempt.
New Hampshire has no broad individual income tax.
Voluntary 401(k) excluded.
Take-home only; not in the garnishment base.

3. Order type and amounts

0 applies the statutory maximum.
RSA 458-B withholding has priority over trustee process.
Shares the 25% ceiling.

4. Balance and payoff

Trustee process is one-time per writ; repeat writs are needed for later wages (VERIFY).
New Hampshire judgment interest follows RSA 336:1 (10% placeholder – VERIFY).

How it works

  • Disposable = gross minus legally required withholding; voluntary shown separately.
  • Weekly conversion = 52 / periods (1, 2, 2.1667, 4.3333); RSA 512:21 tests run weekly.
  • Scope: trustee process reaches only wages earned before service; wages earned after service are fully exempt, so there is no continuing garnishment for ordinary judgments.
  • Floor = 50x $7.25 = $362.50 weekly of pre-service wages exempt on a New Hampshire judgment; RSA 399-A loan judgments exempt only $50 weekly.
  • Cap = lesser of 25% of disposable and the above-floor amount, within the 25% aggregate after other garnishments.
  • Support = lesser of ordered and the CCPA tier 50 / 55 / 60 / 65% of disposable, with priority under RSA 458-B.
  • Student loan = lesser of 15% disposable and above the federal 30x floor.
  • IRS = disposable above Pub 1494 exempt; no New Hampshire income tax wage levy exists.
  • Stack applies precedence in order; payoff amortizes at the entered rate with a one-time-writ caveat.

Sources

  • RSA 512:21 (wages earned after service exempt; pre-service wages exempt except on NH judgments with 50x federal minimum wage weekly exemption; $50 weekly for RSA 399-A loans): gc.nh.gov
  • RSA 282-A:152-a (25% of weekly disposable or excess over 50x federal minimum wage, whichever is less; priority except RSA 458-B): law.justia.com
  • RSA 458-B and NH DHHS child support employer information (CCPA tiers to 65%): dhhs.nh.gov
  • 603 Legal Aid and NH Legal Aid guides to trustee process and exemptions: 603legalaid.org
  • 15 U.S.C. 1671-1677 and DOL Fact Sheet 30: dol.gov
  • NH Department of Labor minimum wage (state rate equals federal $7.25): dol.nh.gov
  • IRS Pub 1494 and Form 668-W: irs.gov
  • 20 U.S.C. 1095a, 34 CFR 34.19: studentaid.gov
  • RSA 336:1 (judgment interest): gc.nh.gov

Test cases

TC1 Hillsborough County, 2026, weekly, NH judgment on pre-service wages. Gross $1,000.00; required $200.00; disposable $800.00. 25% cap $200.00; 50x floor room $800.00 minus $362.50 = $437.50. Withheld $200.00 from the earned-and-unpaid wages, take-home $600.00; later paychecks stay exempt. $4,000 at 10% would need 21 such writs-weeks, total $4,200.00, interest $200.00.
TC2 Rockingham County, 2026, weekly. Gross $400.00; required $80.00; disposable $320.00, at or below the 50x floor of $362.50. Withheld $0.00; all pre-service wages are exempt and post-service wages never reachable.
TC3 Merrimack 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; RSA 458-B withholding runs against ongoing wages.
TC4 Strafford County, 2026, biweekly, stack. Gross $2,400.00; required $560.00; disposable $1,840.00. Support $300.00 with priority; no IRS order; judgment creditor requested $400.00 against pre-service wages within the $460.00 25% cap and $1,115.00 floor room. Judgment $400.00, total $700.00, take-home $1,140.00.
TC5 Cheshire 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; federal process reaches ongoing wages despite the state trustee-process bar (VERIFY). 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 trustee-process scope of RSA 512:21 (pre-service wages only, no continuing garnishment), the 50x federal minimum wage exemption and the $50 RSA 399-A exemption, the 25% cap of RSA 282-A:152-a, the RSA 458-B support tiers and priority, district division jurisdiction limits, exemption claim deadlines and the RSA 336:1 judgment rate. 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: repeat-writ strategy, contested exemption hearings, automatic stays, self-employment income, bonuses, severance, pensions, unemployment or workers compensation. Consult a New Hampshire attorney or NH Legal Aid. Deploy: replace the block, Update, purge cache, hard refresh; verify document.getElementById(“new-hampshire-wage-garnishment-calculator”).getAttribute(“data-js-ready”) returns “true” with no SyntaxError.

What Is a New Hampshire Wage Garnishment Calculator?

A New Hampshire wage garnishment calculator estimates the amount that may be taken from earnings based on disposable pay, pay frequency, the selected order type, protected-income limits, and other entered amounts. For ordinary judgment debts, this calculator specifically models wages earned and unpaid when trustee process is served rather than treating the judgment as a continuing garnishment.

The calculator supports three modes. Single order estimates one selected order type. Stacking mode applies entered support, IRS, federal student loan, and judgment amounts in a coded priority sequence. Payoff mode uses the single-order withholding amount, a debt balance, and an annual interest rate to estimate how many pay periods may be needed.

For ordinary New Hampshire judgments, the code uses a weekly protected amount based on 50 times the encoded $7.25 federal minimum wage, or $362.50. If the RSA 399-A loan-contract box is selected, the calculator replaces that ordinary weekly floor with $50 for the judgment calculation. The tool itself labels these legal rules and interactions for verification.

How the New Hampshire Wage Garnishment Calculation Works

The calculator first adds federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other required withholding. If those entries exceed gross pay, the required-withholding amount is capped at gross pay. Disposable earnings cannot fall below zero. Voluntary deductions are kept separate.

Disposable earnings=Gross pay−min⁡(Gross pay,Required deductions)\text{Disposable earnings}=\text{Gross pay}-\min\left(\text{Gross pay},\text{Required deductions}\right)

Pay-period earnings are then converted to a weekly basis. The calculator uses 52 pay periods for weekly pay, 26 for biweekly pay, 24 for semimonthly pay, and 12 for monthly pay.

Dw=D×P52D_w=D\times\frac{P}{52}

Here, D is disposable earnings for the selected pay period, Dw is weekly disposable earnings, and P is the number of pay periods per year.

Ordinary Judgment and Private Student Loan Judgment

For a judgment debt or private student loan judgment, the calculator compares three limits. It calculates 25% of disposable earnings, the amount above the applicable weekly protected floor, and the 25% aggregate room remaining after the entered other non-support garnishments. The smallest amount becomes the calculated ceiling.

C=min⁡(0.25D, max⁡(0,Dw−F)×52P, max⁡(0,0.25D−G))C=\min\left(0.25D,\ \max(0,D_w-F)\times\frac{52}{P},\ \max(0,0.25D-G)\right)

In this formula, C is the judgment cap, F is the weekly protected floor, and G is other non-support garnishment entered in the calculator. The normal floor is $362.50 weekly. Selecting the RSA 399-A loan-contract checkbox changes F to $50 weekly. If a positive demanded amount is lower than the cap, the calculator uses that lower amount. A demanded amount of zero applies the calculated maximum.

For example, one built-in test case uses $1,000 of weekly gross earnings and $200 of required withholding. Disposable earnings are $800. The 25% limit is $200, while the amount above the $362.50 floor is $437.50. With no smaller aggregate room or demanded amount, the calculator withholds $200 and shows $600 before any voluntary deductions.

Support Withholding

For child or spousal support, the code applies a percentage of disposable earnings. The base rate is 50% when the second-family box is checked and 60% otherwise. Checking the arrears box adds five percentage points, producing a 55% or 65% ceiling.

Support ceiling=sD\text{Support ceiling}=sD

The calculator then uses the lower of that ceiling and a positive amount demanded per period. If the demanded amount is zero, the support ceiling is used.

Federal Student Loan AWG

For federal student loan administrative wage garnishment, the calculator compares 15% of disposable earnings with the amount above a federal floor of 30 times $7.25, or $217.50 per week. The smaller amount becomes the cap before any lower demanded amount is applied.

AWG cap=min⁡(0.15D, max⁡(0,Dw−217.50)×52P)\text{AWG cap}=\min\left(0.15D,\ \max(0,D_w-217.50)\times\frac{52}{P}\right)

IRS Levy Estimate

For an IRS levy, a positive override entered in the exempt-amount field is used directly. Otherwise, the calculator estimates a per-period exempt amount from the selected year's stored filing-status amount, $5,300 for each entered dependent, and $1,600 for each entered age-65-or-blind box.

E=S+5300N+1600APE=\frac{S+5300N+1600A}{P}
IRS withholding=max⁡(0,D−E)\text{IRS withholding}=\max(0,D-E)

Here, E is the estimated exempt amount per period, S is the stored amount for the selected year and filing status, N is the number of dependents, and A is the age-65-or-blind count. The code contains separate stored values for 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Chapter 13 and Payoff Calculations

For Chapter 13, the calculator converts the entered monthly plan payment to the chosen payroll frequency and caps it at disposable earnings. A smaller positive amount demanded can reduce the result further.

Plan amount per period=min⁡(D,12MP)\text{Plan amount per period}=\min\left(D,\frac{12M}{P}\right)

In payoff mode, the calculated withholding becomes the periodic payment. The code converts the entered annual interest percentage to a per-period rate and calculates the number of full payment periods required.

i=APR/100Pi=\frac{\text{APR}/100}{P}
n=⌈−ln⁡(1−BiQ)ln⁡(1+i)⌉n=\left\lceil\frac{-\ln\left(1-\frac{Bi}{Q}\right)}{\ln(1+i)}\right\rceil

Here, B is the balance and Q is the withholding per period. If the payment is not greater than one period's interest, the calculator reports that the balance does not amortize. At 0% interest, it instead uses the balance divided by the payment and rounds up to a whole pay period.

How to Use the New Hampshire Wage Garnishment Calculator

  1. Choose Single order, Stacking - four order types, or Payoff timeline.
  2. Select the wage year, one of the 10 New Hampshire counties, and your pay frequency.
  3. If applicable to the judgment being modeled, check the RSA 399-A loan-contract box.
  4. Enter gross pay earned and unpaid at service, plus federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and any other required withholding.
  5. Enter voluntary deductions if you want them included in the displayed take-home calculation.
  6. Select the order type and enter an amount demanded per period when there is a specific amount. In a single-order calculation, zero tells the calculator to use its calculated maximum.
  7. Complete the additional fields shown for support, an IRS levy, or Chapter 13. In stacking mode, enter the four applicable order amounts.
  8. For payoff mode, enter the balance owed and annual interest percentage.
  9. Check the required acknowledgment and select Calculate.

The primary result is the estimated amount withheld per pay period. The results also show weekly and annual equivalents, disposable earnings, the protected floor, applicable caps, remaining room, take-home pay, the share of disposable earnings withheld, and the factor identified by the code as binding. Currency results are formatted to two decimal places.

Understanding the Inputs and Results

The calculator treats ordinary judgment trustee process differently from support, IRS, and federal student loan withholding. Its ordinary judgment logic is based on wages earned and unpaid when the writ is served. The result notes state that later-earned wages are outside that one writ's modeled reach. This distinction is central to interpreting the judgment result.

Required and voluntary deductions also serve different purposes. Required withholding reduces disposable earnings. Voluntary deductions, including entries described by the interface as health, 401(k), and dues, do not reduce the garnishment base. They are subtracted later when the calculator displays estimated take-home pay.

The "Support already withheld" field is displayed with the single-order results but is not subtracted by the code when calculating the ordinary judgment cap. The "Other non-support garnishments" field does reduce the 25% aggregate room used by the ordinary judgment calculation. This difference matters when entering existing withholding.

Stacking mode uses a separate sequence. It calculates support first, then an IRS levy, then federal student loan AWG, and finally the judgment amount. The IRS step uses the disposable earnings remaining after support. The student-loan step uses its cap based on the original disposable earnings. The final judgment is limited by its own calculated cap, remaining 25% non-support room, and the earnings still left in the waterfall.

Stacking mode also opens the payoff panel using the total stacked withholding as the payment amount. Unlike Payoff mode, however, the balance field is not required to be nonblank in Stacking mode. If the balance remains zero, the payoff panel reports that a balance should be entered.

The calculator checks required selections and fields, rejects entered numbers outside their coded minimum and maximum values, and requires gross pay to be greater than zero. Most dollar inputs allow $0 through $10,000,000. Debt balance allows up to $100,000,000, the interest input allows 0% through 40%, dependents allow 0 through 20, and the age-65-or-blind count allows 0 through 2.

The annual interest field is prefilled with 10% and is described in the interface as a placeholder that must be verified. The calculator also flags its trustee-process rules, exemption figures, support rules, procedure notes, and other legal details for verification. Real outcomes may depend on facts, orders, exemptions, laws, and procedures not modeled by the tool. The result is an estimate, not legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What wages does the ordinary judgment calculation use?

The ordinary judgment calculation is built around gross pay described as earned and unpaid when trustee process is served. The calculator's result notes treat wages earned after service as outside that writ's reach. Support, IRS levy, and federal student loan calculations are handled separately and are not limited by that ordinary trustee-process modeling rule.

What is the protected wage floor in the calculator?

The normal judgment floor in the code is 50 times $7.25, which equals $362.50 per week. The calculator scales that weekly amount to the selected pay frequency. If the RSA 399-A loan-contract checkbox is selected, the code instead uses a $50 weekly floor for the ordinary judgment calculation.

Does a voluntary 401(k) contribution lower disposable earnings?

No. The calculator does not subtract voluntary deductions when determining disposable earnings. The voluntary field is used later in its take-home calculation. Mandatory retirement has its own field and is included with the legally required withholding that reduces disposable earnings.

What does zero in the amount demanded field mean?

For a single-order calculation, zero means the calculator uses the maximum amount produced by the selected order-type formula. A positive demanded amount reduces withholding only when it is below that calculated ceiling. In the separate stacking order boxes, zero means no amount is requested for that particular order.

How does the calculator estimate an IRS exempt amount?

Unless you enter a positive override, the calculator combines its stored amount for the selected year and filing status with $5,300 per dependent and $1,600 per age-65-or-blind box. It then divides that total by the selected number of annual pay periods. The interface labels this method as an estimate that requires verification.

Can the calculator estimate how long a debt will take to pay?

Yes. Payoff mode applies the calculated withholding as a periodic payment against the entered balance. It displays pay periods, approximate calendar time, total paid, and interest paid. A zero-withholding result cannot produce a payoff timeline, and the calculator also flags a positive-interest case when the payment does not cover one period's accruing interest.

Does the selected county change the numerical garnishment formula?

No. The code uses the county selection for the venue and procedure information shown with the results. The numerical formulas do not vary among the 10 county choices. Pay frequency, earnings, deductions, order type, applicable checkboxes, and entered order amounts are what change the calculator's numerical withholding result.

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