North Carolina Wage Garnishment Calculator

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North Carolina Wage Garnishment Calculator

How much a North Carolina paycheck can lose – and when it cannot be touched at all – for judgments, support orders, tax levies, student loans or Chapter 13 plans. N.C.G.S. 1-362, G.S. 110-136, 15 U.S.C. 1671-1677. Estimates only.

Rules encoded (VERIFY): North Carolina prohibits wage garnishment for ordinary consumer and private student loan judgments; wages may be reached only for child support and alimony, federal, state and local taxes, federal student loan administrative garnishments, bankruptcy court orders and a few other statutory categories (N.C.G.S. 1-362; NC Const. Art. X, s. 6). Child support withholding is capped at 40% of the responsible parent’s disposable earnings (G.S. 110-136), with employers remitting within seven days (G.S. 110-136.8(b)). The North Carolina Department of Revenue wage garnishment is modeled at 10% of gross wages (VERIFY current DOR formula). IRS levies use Publication 1494 and federal student loan AWG uses 15% with the federal 30x floor; both operate under federal law despite the state prohibition. Judgment interest runs at 8% (G.S. 24-1 – VERIFY). 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; NC matches the federal $7.25 minimum.
District, Magistrate or Superior Court venue.
Support and levy tests scale by period.
Select a county to see the venue note and which order types can reach North Carolina wages.

2. Gross pay and legally required withholding

The DOR 10% model runs on gross.
Voluntary 401(k) excluded.
Take-home only; not in the garnishment base.

3. Order type and amounts

0 applies the statutory maximum.
Counts toward the 40% support ceiling.
Taxes or federal process already running.

4. Balance and payoff

Consumer debts cannot be collected from NC wages at all.
North Carolina judgment interest is 8% (G.S. 24-1 – VERIFY).

How it works

  • Disposable = gross minus legally required withholding; voluntary shown separately.
  • Consumer and private student loan judgments return $0: North Carolina wages are exempt from garnishment for those debts.
  • Support = lesser of ordered and 40% of disposable earnings (G.S. 110-136).
  • NCDOR = modeled at 10% of gross wages, limited to disposable earnings (VERIFY DOR formula).
  • IRS = disposable above the Pub 1494 exempt amount; federal process applies despite the state prohibition.
  • Student loan AWG = lesser of 15% disposable and above the federal 30x floor.
  • Chapter 13 = the confirmed plan payment, capped at disposable earnings.
  • Stack applies precedence in order; the consumer line always returns $0 in North Carolina.
  • Payoff amortizes at the entered rate and flags non-amortizing or zero-withholding cases.

Sources

  • N.C.G.S. 1-362 and NC Constitution Art. X s. 6 (wages exempt from attachment and garnishment except support, taxes and other statutory categories): ncleg.gov
  • G.S. 110-136 (40% of monthly disposable earnings cap for child support) and G.S. 110-136.8(b) (seven-day remittance): ncleg.gov
  • NC Department of Labor garnishment guide (categories employers may withhold): labor.nc.gov
  • NCDOR attachments and garnishments for employers: ncdor.gov
  • 15 U.S.C. 1671-1677 and DOL Fact Sheet 30: dol.gov
  • G.S. 24-1 (8% judgment interest): ncleg.gov
  • IRS Pub 1494 and Form 668-W: irs.gov
  • 20 U.S.C. 1095a, 34 CFR 34.19: studentaid.gov

Test cases

TC1 Wake County, 2026, weekly, consumer judgment. Gross $1,000.00; required $200.00; disposable $800.00. North Carolina exempts wages from garnishment for ordinary consumer debts. Withheld $0.00, take-home $800.00; the creditor must pursue bank accounts or property instead.
TC2 Mecklenburg County, 2026, biweekly, child support. Gross $2,400.00; required $560.00; disposable $1,840.00. The 40% ceiling gives $736.00; ordered $800.00. Withheld $736.00, take-home $1,104.00. $8,000 of arrears at 8% clears in 12 biweekly periods, total $8,832.00, interest $832.00.
TC3 Guilford County, 2026, weekly, NCDOR wage garnishment. Gross $1,000.00; required $200.00. The modeled 10% of gross gives $100.00, within disposable $800.00. Withheld $100.00, take-home $700.00.
TC4 Forsyth County, 2026, semimonthly, federal student loan AWG. Gross $2,600.00; required $600.00; disposable $2,000.00. 15% cap $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.
TC5 Buncombe County, 2026, biweekly, stack. Gross $2,400.00; required $560.00; disposable $1,840.00. Support $300.00 within the $736.00 ceiling; NCDOR $200.00 within its $240.00 model cap; consumer judgment $400.00 blocked entirely by the state prohibition. Total $500.00, take-home $1,340.00.
Estimates only; not legal advice. All figures VERIFY, including the scope of the N.C.G.S. 1-362 prohibition and its exceptions, the 40% support cap of G.S. 110-136 and whether interstate orders use CCPA tiers, the NCDOR 10%-of-gross model, the seven-day remittance rule, magistrate and district court limits and the G.S. 24-1 8% 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: domestication of out-of-state judgments, contested exemption hearings, automatic stays, self-employment income, bonuses, severance, pensions, unemployment or workers compensation. Consult a North Carolina attorney or Legal Aid of North Carolina. Deploy: replace the block, Update, purge cache, hard refresh; verify document.getElementById(“north-carolina-wage-garnishment-calculator”).getAttribute(“data-js-ready”) returns “true” with no SyntaxError.

What Is a North Carolina Wage Garnishment Calculator?

A North Carolina wage garnishment calculator estimates paycheck withholding based on gross pay, required deductions, pay frequency, and the selected order type. In this calculator, ordinary consumer and private student loan judgments produce $0 wage withholding, while support, tax, federal student loan, and Chapter 13 options use separate mathematical limits.

The calculator offers three modes. Single order calculates one selected withholding type. Stacking mode processes support, IRS, NCDOR, federal student loan, and consumer judgment amounts in a fixed sequence. Payoff mode uses the single-order withholding, balance, pay frequency, and annual interest rate to estimate how long repayment may take.

The selected county supplies venue information rather than changing the withholding formula. The wage year can be 2024, 2025, or 2026 and affects the calculator's stored IRS exemption figures. Pay frequency determines how weekly and annual amounts are converted.

How the North Carolina Wage Garnishment Calculation Works

The calculator first determines disposable earnings. It adds federal income tax, North Carolina income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other required withholding. If those deductions exceed gross pay, the code limits required withholding to gross pay.

D=G−min⁡(G,R)D=G-\min(G,R)

Here, D is disposable earnings, G is gross pay for the period, and R is total legally required withholding. Voluntary deductions are not part of this calculation.

The code also converts earnings to weekly amounts. It uses 52 annual 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}

Dw is weekly disposable earnings and P is the number of pay periods per year.

Consumer and Private Student Loan Judgments

The calculator does not apply a percentage formula to ordinary consumer judgments or private student loan judgments. Both order types are coded as blocked and return zero withholding from wages.

Cconsumer=Cprivate student=0C_{consumer}=C_{private\ student}=0

Entering a demanded amount does not change this result. The results panel identifies the order as blocked and displays $0.00 as the cap and withholding amount.

Child and Spousal Support

Child support and alimony use a 40% ceiling based on disposable earnings. The calculator does not include second-family or arrears percentage options for these order types.

Csupport=0.40DC_{support}=0.40D

If Amount demanded per period is zero, the calculator uses the full 40% ceiling. If a positive demanded amount is below the ceiling, it uses that smaller amount. The final amount cannot exceed disposable earnings.

Worked Support Example

One built-in example uses biweekly gross pay of $2,400 and $560 of legally required withholding. Disposable earnings equal $1,840. Forty percent of $1,840 is $736. If the support order demands $800 for the period, the calculator limits withholding to $736.

0.40×1840=7360.40\times1840=736

With no voluntary deductions, take-home pay is $2,400 - $560 - $736 = $1,104. The calculator therefore displays $736.00 withheld for the period and $1,104.00 take-home.

NCDOR Wage Garnishment

The North Carolina Department of Revenue option is modeled as 10% of gross pay, limited so that withholding cannot exceed disposable earnings.

CDOR=min⁡(0.10G,D)C_{DOR}=\min(0.10G,D)

For example, with $1,000 of gross pay and $800 of disposable earnings, the modeled NCDOR cap is $100. A smaller positive demanded amount would reduce the withholding. The interface specifically labels this 10%-of-gross approach as a model that should be verified.

Federal Student Loan AWG

Federal student loan administrative wage garnishment compares 15% of disposable earnings with the amount above a federal weekly floor. The code uses 30 times $7.25, which equals $217.50 per week.

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

A lower positive demanded amount reduces the result. One built-in semimonthly example has $2,000 of disposable earnings. Fifteen percent is $300, while the federal floor leaves more than $300 available, so the calculator withholds $300.

IRS Levy Estimate

For an IRS levy, a positive exempt-amount override is used directly. Otherwise, the calculator builds an exemption estimate from its stored amount for the selected year and filing status, plus $5,300 per dependent and $1,600 per entered age-65-or-blind box.

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

S is the stored filing-status amount, N is the dependent count, and A is the age-65-or-blind count. The available filing-status choices are Single/MFS, Head of household, and Married filing jointly. A smaller positive demanded amount can reduce the resulting levy.

Chapter 13 Payment

The Chapter 13 option converts the entered monthly plan payment to the selected pay frequency. It then caps that amount at disposable earnings.

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

Here, M is the monthly plan payment. As with the other positive-cap calculations, a lower positive Amount demanded per period can reduce the final single-order withholding.

Payoff Timeline Formula

Payoff mode uses calculated withholding as the periodic payment. The Interest per year field defaults to 8%. For a positive rate, the code converts APR to a rate per pay period.

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

B is the debt balance and Q is withholding per period. If the payment does not exceed one period of interest, the calculator reports that the balance never amortizes. With 0% interest, it divides the balance by the payment and rounds up to a whole pay period.

For positive interest, displayed total paid equals the rounded-up number of periods multiplied by the full periodic payment. This means the total-paid calculation does not reduce the final payment to the exact remaining balance.

How to Use the North Carolina Wage Garnishment Calculator

  1. Select Single order, Stacking - five order types, or Payoff timeline.
  2. Choose 2024, 2025, or 2026 as the year wages are payable.
  3. Select a listed North Carolina county or choose Other North Carolina county.
  4. Select weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly pay frequency.
  5. Enter gross pay for the period and the applicable required federal tax, North Carolina tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other required withholding.
  6. Enter voluntary deductions if you want them included in the displayed take-home amount.
  7. Select the order type and enter the amount demanded per period when applicable. Zero uses the calculated maximum for single-order calculations.
  8. Enter Support already withheld and Other permitted withholdings if you want those amounts displayed with the result.
  9. For an IRS levy, enter filing status, dependents, age-65-or-blind boxes, and an optional exempt-amount override.
  10. For Chapter 13, enter the monthly plan payment.
  11. In Stacking mode, enter requested amounts for support, IRS, NCDOR, federal student loan AWG, and consumer judgment.
  12. For Payoff mode, enter the balance owed and annual interest percentage, check the required acknowledgment, and select Calculate.

The main result shows Withheld per pay period. The tool also displays weekly and annual withholding, disposable earnings, support and NCDOR caps, take-home pay, the percentage of disposable earnings withheld, and the factor identified as controlling the result. Currency values are displayed with two decimal places, while the withholding percentage is also shown to two decimal places.

Understanding the Calculator's Inputs and Results

Required deductions and voluntary deductions are treated differently. Legally required deductions reduce disposable earnings. Voluntary deductions such as health deductions, 401(k) contributions, and dues do not reduce the garnishment base. They are subtracted later when take-home pay is calculated.

Take-home=max⁡(0,G−R−V−W)\text{Take-home}=\max(0,G-R-V-W)

Here, V is voluntary deductions and W is calculated withholding.

The Support already withheld and Other permitted withholdings fields are displayed in the single-order results, but the implemented single-order calculation does not subtract either field from its support, tax, student loan, IRS, Chapter 13, or blocked-debt formulas. Stacking mode instead uses its own five separate order-amount fields.

Most monetary inputs allow values from $0 through $10,000,000. The debt balance allows up to $100,000,000. APR allows 0% through 40%. IRS dependents allow 0 through 20, and the age-65-or-blind input allows 0 through 2. Gross pay must be greater than zero, a county must be selected, and the acknowledgment must be checked.

How Stacking Mode Works

The stacking waterfall processes support first, followed by IRS, NCDOR, federal student loan AWG, and consumer judgment. Support is limited to 40% of the original disposable earnings and the amount still remaining. The IRS step then calculates available withholding from the remaining earnings after subtracting the estimated exemption.

NCDOR is limited to its 10%-of-gross model cap and the earnings still remaining. The federal student loan step uses 15% of the original disposable earnings and the federal 30-times floor. In the implemented code, that student-loan amount is not separately capped at the current remaining earnings before it is subtracted.

The consumer-judgment stack amount always returns $0, even if an amount is entered. Because the student-loan step can exceed the remaining internal balance in unusual combinations, the waterfall's internal remaining amount can become negative. Displayed take-home pay is still prevented from falling below $0.

In Stacking mode, the main result panel still shows the currently selected single-order calculation. The combined amount appears separately under Priority waterfall as Total withheld. A payoff panel is also displayed in Stacking mode and uses the stacked total as the periodic payment.

The calculator's legal rules, 40% support figure, NCDOR 10%-of-gross model, 8% default interest figure, IRS estimates, and procedural statements are marked for verification. Actual withholding can depend on the controlling order, current law, exemptions, and facts outside the calculator. The result is an estimate and is not legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the calculator show for an ordinary consumer judgment?

It returns $0.00 of wage withholding. Consumer judgments are coded as blocked in the calculator, regardless of the gross pay or amount demanded. The same zero-withholding rule is applied to the Private student loan judgment option. Other types, including support, taxes, federal student loans, and Chapter 13, use separate calculations.

How does the calculator determine child support withholding?

It calculates 40% of disposable earnings as the support ceiling. A positive ordered amount below that ceiling is used instead. For example, $1,840 of disposable earnings produces a $736 ceiling. An $800 demanded amount is therefore reduced to $736 by the calculator.

How is NCDOR garnishment calculated?

The calculator models NCDOR garnishment as the smaller of 10% of gross wages and disposable earnings. A smaller positive demanded amount reduces the result further. The interface labels the 10%-of-gross formula as an assumption requiring verification rather than presenting it as a guaranteed real-world outcome.

Do voluntary deductions reduce disposable earnings?

No. Voluntary deductions do not reduce disposable earnings in this calculator. They affect only the take-home result. Federal and North Carolina income taxes, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other legally required withholding are the deductions used to calculate disposable earnings.

What does zero in Amount demanded per period mean?

For a single-order calculation, zero means the calculator uses the full amount allowed by its formula. A positive demanded amount below that cap is used instead. For a blocked consumer or private student loan judgment, withholding remains zero. In the separate stacking fields, zero means no amount is requested for that position.

How does the calculator estimate an IRS levy?

It either uses a positive exempt-amount override or estimates the exemption from a stored filing-status amount for the selected year, plus $5,300 per dependent and $1,600 per age-65-or-blind box. That annual amount is divided by the selected number of pay periods and subtracted from disposable earnings.

Can a blocked consumer judgment have a payoff timeline?

Not through wage withholding in this model. Because the consumer and private student loan options return a $0 periodic payment, Payoff mode reports that nothing can be withheld from North Carolina wages for that debt type. Positive-withholding order types can produce estimated payoff periods, total paid, and interest paid.

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