Maryland Wage Garnishment Calculator

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Maryland Wage Garnishment Calculator

How much a Maryland paycheck can lose to a wage garnishment, support order, Comptroller wage lien, student loan or Chapter 13 plan. Cts. & Jud. Proc. 15-601.1, Tax-General 14-201, 15 U.S.C. 1671-1677. Estimates only.

Rules encoded (VERIFY): for ordinary judgments the exempt portion is the greater of 75% of disposable wages or 30 times the Maryland minimum wage per week – $450.00 weekly at the $15.00 state wage – so garnishment is the lesser of 25% of disposable wages or the amount above that floor (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 15-601.1, effective October 1, 2020). Support withholding follows the CCPA tiers 50 / 55 / 60 / 65% and takes priority. A Comptroller wage lien for state taxes exempts the greater of $145 per week or 75% of disposable wages, which can reach wages an ordinary garnishment cannot. IRS levies use Publication 1494. Federal student loan AWG uses 15% with the federal floor. County minimum wages (Montgomery, Howard, Prince George’s and others) exceed the state rate but 15-601.1 keys to the state minimum wage (VERIFY). Post-judgment interest runs at 10% (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 11-107). No discharge for one garnishment (15 U.S.C. 1674).

1. Mode, jurisdiction and pay date

Stack uses the order boxes in section 3.
Sets the 30x state minimum wage floor.
District or Circuit Court venue.
15-601.1 tests run weekly; scaled by 52 / periods.
Select a county or Baltimore City to see the venue note and the statewide protected floor.

2. Gross pay and legally required withholding

Includes bonuses and commissions.
Local county rates are part of Maryland withholding.
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

Maryland post-judgment interest is 10% (Cts. & Jud. Proc. 11-107 – VERIFY).

How it works

  • Disposable wages = gross minus amounts required by law to be withheld; voluntary shown separately.
  • Weekly conversion = 52 / periods (1, 2, 2.1667, 4.3333); 15-601.1 tests run weekly.
  • Ordinary floor = 30x the Maryland minimum wage ($450.00 weekly at $15.00); 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.
  • Comptroller wage lien = lesser of 25% of disposable and the amount above the greater of $145 weekly or 75% of disposable.
  • 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; the lien and levy sit outside the 25% aggregate.
  • Stack applies precedence in order and the 25% aggregate on non-support, non-tax orders.
  • Payoff amortizes at the entered rate and flags non-amortizing or zero-withholding cases.

Sources

  • Md. Code Cts. & Jud. Proc. 15-601.1 (greater of 75% of disposable wages or 30x state minimum wage exempt; 25% cap): mgaleg.maryland.gov
  • Maryland Courts wage garnishment form and instructions (floor multiplied by weeks in the pay period): mdcourts.gov
  • Comptroller of Maryland wage lien guidance (exempt = greater of $145 per week or 75% of disposable wages): marylandcomptroller.gov
  • Maryland DHS child support withholding FAQs (CCPA tiers 50-65%, 7-day remittance): dhs.maryland.gov
  • People’s Law Library garnishment and support guides: peoples-law.org
  • Maryland Department of Labor minimum wage ($15.00 from 2024; county rates higher): labor.maryland.gov
  • 15 U.S.C. 1671-1677 and DOL Fact Sheet 30: dol.gov
  • IRS Pub 1494 and Form 668-W: irs.gov
  • 20 U.S.C. 1095a, 34 CFR 34.19: studentaid.gov
  • Cts. & Jud. Proc. 11-107 (10% post-judgment interest): mgaleg.maryland.gov

Test cases

TC1 Baltimore City, 2026, weekly. Gross $1,000.00; required $200.00; disposable $800.00. 25% cap $200.00; 30x state floor room $800.00 minus $450.00 = $350.00. Withheld $200.00, take-home $600.00, 25.00%. $4,000 at 10% clears in 21 weeks, total $4,200.00, interest $200.00.
TC2 Montgomery County, 2026, weekly. Gross $500.00; required $100.00; disposable $400.00, at or below the $450.00 floor. Withheld $0.00; the greater-of-75% exemption shields $300.00 and the floor shields the rest.
TC3 Prince George’s 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 Washington County, 2026, weekly, Comptroller wage lien. Gross $400.00; required $80.00; disposable $320.00. An ordinary garnishment would take $0.00 because $320.00 is below the $450.00 floor, but the lien exempts only the greater of $145.00 or 75% ($240.00), leaving $80.00 reachable. Withheld $80.00, take-home $240.00.
TC5 Anne Arundel County, 2026, biweekly, stack. Gross $2,400.00; required $560.00; disposable $1,840.00. Support $300.00; no IRS or lien order; consumer requested $400.00 within the $460.00 25% cap and $940.00 floor room. Consumer $400.00, total $700.00, take-home $1,140.00.
Estimates only; not legal advice. All figures VERIFY, including the greater-of-75% / 30x-state-minimum-wage exemption of Cts. & Jud. Proc. 15-601.1, the $145 weekly wage lien exemption, county minimum wage interaction, the CCPA support tiers, District Court jurisdiction limits, employer remittance deadlines and the 10% post-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: service-date priority, contested motions, automatic stays, self-employment income, bonuses, severance, pensions, unemployment or workers compensation. Consult a Maryland attorney or the People’s Law Library. Deploy: replace the block, Update, purge cache, hard refresh; verify document.getElementById(“maryland-wage-garnishment-calculator”).getAttribute(“data-js-ready”) returns “true” with no SyntaxError.

What Is a Maryland Wage Garnishment Calculator?

A Maryland wage garnishment calculator estimates how much of a pay period may be withheld after legally required deductions are removed from gross pay. This tool then applies the calculation branch for the selected order type, including an ordinary judgment, support order, student loan, tax levy, Comptroller wage lien, or 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. Additional results include disposable wages, the protected wage floor, the 25% amount, wage-lien exemption, applicable cap, estimated take-home pay, and the share of disposable wages withheld.

Stack mode processes five entered orders in a fixed sequence. Payoff mode treats the calculated withholding as a recurring payment and estimates how many pay periods are needed to satisfy an entered balance.

How the Maryland Wage Garnishment Calculation Works

The calculator first determines disposable wages. It adds federal income tax, Maryland and local income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other required withholding. If these deductions exceed gross pay, the required amount is capped at gross pay.

D=G−min⁡(G,R)D=G-\min(G,R)

D is disposable wages, G is gross pay, and R is total legally required withholding. Voluntary deductions do not reduce this disposable-wage base.

The tool converts disposable wages to a weekly amount. 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 annual pay periods. For ordinary judgments, the calculator uses 30 times its stored Maryland minimum wage of $15.00, producing a $450.00 weekly floor for 2024, 2025, and 2026.

FMD=30×15=450F_{MD}=30\times15=450

The amount above that protected floor for the selected pay period is:

H=max⁡(0,(Dw−450)×52P)H=\max\left(0,(D_w-450)\times\frac{52}{P}\right)

Ordinary Consumer and Private Student Loan Judgments

Consumer or contract judgments and private student loan judgments use the same ordinary branch. The calculator takes the smallest of 25% of disposable wages, the amount above the $450 weekly floor, and remaining 25% room after other non-support garnishments.

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

O is Other non-support garnishments. If Amount demanded per period is positive and below this cap, the calculator uses the demanded amount instead. Entering $0 applies the full calculated cap. Support already withheld is displayed but is not subtracted by this ordinary judgment formula.

Support Withholding

Child support and alimony use a percentage of disposable wages. The calculator uses 50% when Second family is selected and 60% when it is not. Selecting Arrears 12 weeks or older adds another 5 percentage points.

Cs=rDC_s=rD

The implemented rate r can therefore be 50%, 55%, 60%, or 65%. A positive demanded amount below the ceiling reduces withholding to that entered amount. The ordinary $450 wage floor is not applied to this support calculation.

Comptroller Wage Lien

The state-tax branch uses a separate wage-lien calculation. The calculator protects the greater of $145 per week, converted to the selected pay period, or 75% of disposable wages. The reachable amount is also limited to 25% of disposable wages.

EL=max⁡(145×52P,0.75D)E_L=\max\left(145\times\frac{52}{P},0.75D\right)
CL=min⁡(0.25D,max⁡(0,D−EL))C_L=\min\left(0.25D,\max(0,D-E_L)\right)

This branch operates independently of the ordinary $450 weekly floor in the calculator. A positive Amount demanded below the calculated lien cap becomes the withholding result.

Federal Student Loan, IRS, and Chapter 13

Federal student loan administrative wage garnishment uses 15% of disposable wages or the amount above the calculator's separate 30-times-$7.25 federal floor, whichever is smaller.

CAWG=min⁡(0.15D,Hf)C_{AWG}=\min\left(0.15D,H_f\right)

For an IRS levy, the calculator estimates an exempt amount from a stored 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 before dividing by pay periods per year.

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

A positive Override exempt amount replaces that IRS estimate. For Chapter 13, the monthly plan payment is converted to the selected pay period and capped at disposable wages.

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

Worked Example

Assume weekly gross pay is $1,000 and legally required withholding totals $200. Disposable wages are therefore $800. Select a consumer judgment, enter no other non-support garnishments, and leave Amount demanded at $0.

D=1000−200=800D=1000-200=800

Twenty-five percent of $800 is $200. The amount above the $450 weekly floor is $350. With no existing non-support garnishments, remaining 25% room is also $200.

Cj=min⁡(200,350,200)=200C_j=\min(200,350,200)=200

The calculator therefore displays $200.00 withheld for the week. With no voluntary deductions, estimated take-home pay is $600.00. The withholding equals 25.00% of disposable wages.

How to Use the Maryland Wage Garnishment Calculator

  1. Select Single order, Stacking - five order types, or Payoff timeline.
  2. Choose the year wages are payable, a Maryland county or Baltimore City, and your pay frequency.
  3. Enter gross pay plus federal income tax, Maryland and local income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other required withholding.
  4. Enter voluntary deductions separately. These affect estimated take-home pay but not disposable wages.
  5. Select the order type and enter the amount demanded, existing support, and other non-support garnishments where relevant.
  6. For support, use the Second family and Arrears 12 weeks or older checkboxes to model the applicable percentage branch.
  7. For an IRS levy or Chapter 13 plan, complete the additional fields shown by the calculator.
  8. For Payoff timeline mode, enter the balance and annual interest rate. The interest field starts at 10%.
  9. Check the required acknowledgment and select Calculate. Select Reset to restore the original field values.

Gross pay must be greater than zero before results are calculated. The primary result is Withheld per pay period. The results also show weekly and annual withholding, take-home pay, the applicable protected amounts, remaining room, percentage withheld, and a binding factor explaining which limit controlled the result.

Understanding Ordinary Garnishment, Wage Liens, Stack Mode, and Payoff Results

The ordinary judgment and Comptroller wage-lien branches use different protected-income calculations. An ordinary judgment uses the $450 weekly state-wage floor together with the 25% limit. The wage-lien branch instead protects the greater of $145 per week or 75% of disposable wages. Because the formulas differ, the same paycheck can produce different results depending on the selected order type.

The County or Baltimore City selection changes the venue information displayed by the calculator. It does not change the numerical state wage floor. The year selection uses the same stored $15.00 Maryland minimum wage for 2024, 2025, and 2026, but the selected year also affects the calculator's IRS exemption estimate.

How Stack Mode Works

Stack mode processes five entered amounts in this sequence: support, IRS levy, Comptroller wage lien, federal student loan, and consumer judgment. Support is limited by its percentage ceiling and remaining disposable wages. The IRS step then applies its exemption against the amount still remaining.

The Comptroller lien is limited by its requested amount, the calculated lien cap, and remaining wages. Federal student loan withholding then uses the smaller of its entered amount, 15% of original disposable wages, and the federal protected-floor amount.

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

How the Payoff Timeline Works

Payoff mode treats the calculated withholding as a recurring payment. The periodic interest rate is the entered annual rate divided by 100 and by the number of pay periods per year.

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

For a positive interest rate, the payment must exceed one period of interest on the starting balance. When it does, the calculator estimates the number of payments and rounds upward to a 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 entered balance, Q is withholding per period, and n is the number of pay periods. If the payment is less than or equal to one period of interest on the starting balance, the tool reports that the balance never amortizes.

With positive interest, displayed Total paid equals the rounded number of periods multiplied by the full periodic payment. Interest paid is that total minus the original balance. At 0% interest, Total paid equals the balance and Interest paid is $0.00.

Stack mode also shows the payoff panel using total stacked withholding as the periodic payment. A zero balance produces an Enter a balance message rather than a payoff-period estimate.

Most money inputs allow values from $0 through $10,000,000. Balance owed allows up to $100,000,000. Interest per year accepts 0% through 40%. IRS dependents accept 0 through 20, while Age 65 or blind accepts 0 through 2.

Estimated take-home pay subtracts required withholding, voluntary deductions, and calculated withholding from gross pay. If the result would be negative, the calculator displays zero.

T=max⁡(0,G−R−V−W)T=\max(0,G-R-V-W)

Dollar results are formatted to two decimal places, and the share of disposable wages withheld is displayed to two percentage decimal places. The tool also shows a meter scaled against the 65% support maximum, with display changes beginning at 10% and 25%. The meter does not change the underlying calculation.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the calculator determine disposable wages?

It subtracts entered federal income tax, Maryland and local income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other required withholding from gross pay. If those required amounts exceed gross pay, the calculator caps them at gross pay. Voluntary deductions do not reduce disposable wages.

What happens if weekly disposable wages are at or below $450?

For an ordinary consumer or private student loan judgment, the calculator's above-floor amount becomes zero. Because that amount is one of the limits in the ordinary formula, the calculated ordinary garnishment becomes $0 when weekly disposable wages do not exceed the $450 floor.

How is a Comptroller wage lien different in this calculator?

The wage-lien branch does not use the ordinary $450 weekly floor. Instead, it protects the greater of $145 per week, adjusted for pay frequency, or 75% of disposable wages. The reachable amount is then capped at 25% of disposable wages.

How are the support percentages selected?

The calculator uses 50% when Second family is selected and 60% when it is not. Selecting Arrears 12 weeks or older adds 5 percentage points. That creates the four implemented support ceilings of 50%, 55%, 60%, and 65% of disposable wages.

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

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

Does Support already withheld reduce the ordinary judgment cap?

No. The calculator reads and displays the Support already withheld amount, but its ordinary consumer-cap function does not subtract that value. Other non-support garnishments do reduce the ordinary room because they are subtracted from the 25% aggregate ceiling.

What happens if payoff withholding does not cover the 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 produces no payoff estimate because there is no recurring payment to reduce the balance.

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