Pennsylvania Wage Garnishment Calculator

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Pennsylvania Wage Garnishment Calculator

Calculate wage garnishment limits under Pennsylvania law. Pennsylvania prohibits most consumer debt wage garnishment. 42 Pa.C.S. § 8127, 15 U.S.C. 1671-1677. Estimates only.

Rules encoded (VERIFY): Pennsylvania prohibits wage garnishment for most consumer debts (42 Pa.C.S. § 8127). Exceptions include: child support (50-65% per CCPA), federal tax debts (up to 25% per CCPA), federal student loans (15% AWG), and federal government debts. Post-judgment interest runs at 6% per annum (42 Pa.C.S. § 8101).

1. Mode, county and pay date

Stack uses the order boxes in section 3.
Pennsylvania has no state income tax.
Court of Common Pleas venue.
Federal 30x test runs weekly; scaled by 52 / periods.
Select a county to see the venue note and federal floor figures.

2. Gross pay and legally required withholding

Includes bonuses and commissions.
Pennsylvania has NO state income tax.
Voluntary 401(k) excluded.
Take-home only; not in the garnishment base.

3. Order type and amounts

0 applies the statutory maximum.
Reduces the 25% aggregate room.
Shares the 25% ceiling.

4. Balance and payoff

Pennsylvania post-judgment interest: 6% per year (42 Pa.C.S. § 8101 – VERIFY).

How it works

  • Disposable = gross minus legally required withholding; voluntary shown separately.
  • Weekly conversion = 52 / periods (1, 2, 2.1667, 4.3333).
  • Pennsylvania prohibits wage garnishment for most consumer debts (42 Pa.C.S. § 8127).
  • Consumer debts (credit cards, personal loans, medical debt) = $0 garnishment allowed.
  • Support = lesser of ordered and CCPA tier 50/55/60/65% of disposable earnings.
  • Federal tax = up to 25% of disposable earnings per CCPA.
  • 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.
  • Payoff amortizes at the entered rate and flags non-amortizing or zero-withholding cases.

Sources

  • 42 Pa.C.S. § 8127 (wage garnishment prohibition for most consumer debts): pacode.us
  • 42 Pa.C.S. § 8101 (post-judgment interest: 6% per year): pacode.us
  • 15 U.S.C. 1671-1677 (Consumer Credit Protection Act): dol.gov
  • DOL Fact Sheet 30 (wage garnishment protections): dol.gov
  • Pennsylvania Department of Revenue (revenue.pa.gov)
  • IRS Pub 1494 and Form 668-W: irs.gov
  • 20 U.S.C. 1095a, 34 CFR 34.19 (student loan AWG): studentaid.gov

Test cases

TC1 Philadelphia County, 2026, weekly, consumer debt. Gross $1,000.00; required $200.00; disposable $800.00. Withheld $0.00 – Pennsylvania prohibits wage garnishment for consumer debts. Take-home $800.00.
TC2 Allegheny County, 2026, weekly, child support. Gross $1,000.00; required $200.00; disposable $800.00. With no second family and no arrears, the CCPA tier is 60% = $480.00. Withheld $480.00, take-home $320.00.
TC3 Montgomery County, 2026, biweekly, federal tax debt. Gross $2,000.00; required $500.00; disposable $1,500.00. Federal tax allows up to 25% = $375.00. Withheld $375.00, take-home $1,125.00.
TC4 Delaware County, 2026, semimonthly, federal student loan AWG. Gross $2,600.00; required $600.00; disposable $2,000.00. The 15% AWG cap is $300.00. Withheld $300.00, take-home $1,400.00.
TC5 Bucks County, 2026, monthly, medical debt. Gross $4,000.00; required $1,000.00; disposable $3,000.00. Withheld $0.00 – medical debt is prohibited from wage garnishment in Pennsylvania. Take-home $3,000.00.
Estimates only; not legal advice. All figures VERIFY, including the Pennsylvania wage garnishment prohibition for consumer debts, the CCPA support tiers, the federal student loan 15% cap, and the 6% post-judgment interest rate. Not modeled: contested exemption hearings, automatic stays, self-employment income, bonuses, severance, pensions, unemployment or workers compensation. Consult a Pennsylvania attorney or Pennsylvania Legal Services. Deploy: replace the block, Update, purge cache, hard refresh; verify document.getElementById(“pennsylvania-wage-garnishment-calculator”).getAttribute(“data-js-ready”) returns “true” with no SyntaxError.

What Is a Pennsylvania Wage Garnishment Calculator?

A Pennsylvania wage garnishment calculator estimates paycheck withholding for the order types built into the tool. It first calculates disposable earnings from gross pay and selected required deductions. It then applies the programmed rule for the chosen debt or order, producing a per-pay-period withholding estimate and related paycheck figures.

The calculator has three modes. Single order mode calculates the selected order type. Stacking mode creates a separate waterfall for support, federal tax, federal student loan AWG, and consumer debt. Payoff timeline mode uses the calculated withholding as a recurring payment against an entered balance.

Consumer debt and medical debt return $0.00 withholding in the current code. Other order types use percentage, exemption, or payment formulas. The calculator also displays disposable earnings, weekly and annual withholding, estimated take-home pay, caps, and a binding-factor explanation.

How the Pennsylvania Wage Garnishment Calculation Works

The first step is calculating disposable earnings. The code adds federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and Other required withholding. Required withholding is capped at gross pay before it is subtracted.

D=max⁡(0,G−min⁡(G,R))D=\max\left(0,G-\min(G,R)\right)

D is disposable earnings, G is gross pay for the period, and R is the total of the required deductions used by the code. Voluntary deductions are not included in disposable earnings.

The calculator uses 52 pay periods for weekly pay, 26 for biweekly pay, 24 for semimonthly pay, and 12 for monthly pay. Its federal floor calculation uses 30 times $7.25 per week.

Fweekly=30×7.25=217.50F_{weekly}=30\times7.25=217.50
H=max⁡(0,D−217.50×52P)H=\max\left(0,D-217.50\times\frac{52}{P}\right)

P is the number of pay periods per year, and H is the disposable amount above the programmed federal floor for the current period.

Consumer and medical debt

For the Consumer debt and Medical debt selections, the calculator does not apply its 25% or floor calculations to the final result. It directly sets both the order-specific cap and withholding amount to zero.

Wconsumer=Wmedical=0W_{consumer}=W_{medical}=0

The result identifies the Pennsylvania prohibition as the binding factor. Entering a positive Amount demanded does not change the $0.00 withholding result for either of these two selections.

Child support and alimony

Child support and spousal support use one of four percentages of disposable earnings. The calculator uses 50% when the second-family box is selected and 60% otherwise. Arrears of 12 weeks or older add five percentage points.

Csupport=rD,r∈{0.50,0.55,0.60,0.65}C_{support}=rD,\qquad r\in\{0.50,0.55,0.60,0.65\}

If Amount demanded is zero, the calculator uses the calculated support ceiling. If a positive demanded amount is below that ceiling, the lower demanded amount is used. Withholding is also capped at disposable earnings.

Federal student loan AWG

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

Cstudent=min⁡(0.15D,H)C_{student}=\min(0.15D,H)

A positive Amount demanded below this cap reduces the withholding. A zero demanded amount applies the full calculated cap.

Federal tax debt

The implemented federal tax calculation uses an estimated exempt amount rather than a 25% cap. A positive Override exempt amount is used directly. Otherwise, the calculator builds an exemption estimate from the selected year, filing status, dependents, and age-65-or-blind boxes.

E=B+5300d+1600aPE=\frac{B+5300d+1600a}{P}
Ctax=max⁡(0,D−E)C_{tax}=\max(0,D-E)

E is the estimated exempt amount per period. B is the filing-status base stored for the selected year, d is the dependent count, and a is the age-65-or-blind count. The final count is capped at two.

Pay yearSingle / MFSHead of householdMarried filing jointly
2024$14,600$21,900$29,200
2025$15,750$23,625$31,500
2026$16,100$24,150$32,200

These are the values encoded in the calculator. The tool itself describes this exemption method as an estimate that should be verified.

Chapter 13 plan

For Chapter 13, the calculator converts the entered monthly plan payment to the selected pay frequency and caps it at disposable earnings.

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

M is the monthly plan payment. A positive Amount demanded below this calculated amount reduces the final withholding.

Worked example

Suppose weekly gross pay is $1,000 and the required deductions used by the calculator total $200. Disposable earnings are $800. If Child support withholding is selected with no second family, no arrears, and Amount demanded set to zero, the calculator applies its 60% support rate.

D=1000−200=800D=1000-200=800
W=0.60×800=480W=0.60\times800=480

The calculator displays $480.00 withheld for the period. With no voluntary deductions, take-home pay is $1,000 minus $200 of required withholding and $480 of support, giving $320.00.

Payoff timeline formula

In Payoff timeline mode, the calculated single-order withholding becomes the recurring payment. The annual interest rate is converted to a rate for each pay period.

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

If the periodic payment exceeds one period of interest on the starting balance, the calculator estimates the required number of payments and rounds upward.

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 periodic withholding, and n is the number of pay periods. If the payment does not exceed one period of interest, the calculator reports that the balance never amortizes. At 0% APR, it instead rounds balance divided by payment upward and reports zero interest.

How to Use the Pennsylvania Wage Garnishment Calculator

  1. Select Single order, Stacking, or Payoff timeline mode.
  2. Select the year wages are payable, a Pennsylvania county, and your pay frequency.
  3. Enter gross pay and the federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and other required withholding amounts.
  4. Enter voluntary deductions separately. They affect take-home pay but not disposable earnings.
  5. Select Consumer debt, Medical debt, Child support, Alimony, Federal student loan AWG, Federal tax debt, or Chapter 13 plan.
  6. Enter Amount demanded and any existing support or other garnishments when applicable.
  7. Complete the additional fields that appear for support, federal tax debt, or Chapter 13.
  8. In Stacking mode, enter the separate support, federal tax, federal student loan, and consumer debt amounts.
  9. In Payoff timeline mode, enter Balance owed and Interest per year.
  10. Check the required acknowledgment and select Calculate.

The headline result is Withheld per pay period. The results also show weekly and annual withholding, gross and disposable pay, required withholding, the 25% figure, the amount above the federal floor, the selected order's cap, estimated take-home pay, the share of disposable earnings withheld, and the factor that controlled the result. Dollar values display two decimal places.

Important Details When Reading the Results

The 25% and floor figures do not control consumer debt results

The results panel still calculates and displays 25% of disposable earnings and the amount above the 30-times floor. However, Consumer debt and Medical debt bypass those amounts. Their order-specific cap is set directly to $0.00 in the calculation.

Federal tax uses the exemption calculation in the code

Some explanatory text within the calculator describes federal tax debt as allowing up to 25% of disposable earnings. That is not the formula used by the implemented single-order calculation. The actual code subtracts its Publication 1494-style exempt amount from disposable earnings and uses the positive remainder as the federal tax cap.

The same exemption-based method is used for the federal tax step in Stack mode. This distinction matters because an exemption-based result can differ substantially from simply taking 25% of disposable earnings.

Existing support and other garnishments mostly affect an informational room figure

The displayed Room remaining amount equals 25% of disposable earnings minus Support already withheld and Other garnishments, with a minimum of zero. However, this room figure is not applied to the support, federal student loan, federal tax, or Chapter 13 calculations. Consumer and medical debt are already set to zero independently.

Voluntary deductions are applied after garnishment

Voluntary deductions do not reduce disposable earnings in this calculator. They are subtracted when Take-home after withholding and voluntary is calculated. If that computation would produce a negative amount, the displayed take-home figure is limited to $0.00.

Stack mode contains four order inputs

The mode menu calls the option “Stacking - five order types,” but the actual stack section contains four order boxes: Support, Federal tax, Federal student loan AWG, and Consumer debt. The consumer debt step is always $0.00.

Support is processed first and cannot exceed the disposable earnings still available. Federal tax is processed second using the amount remaining after support and the calculator's exemption estimate. The student loan step then applies its cap using the original disposable earnings.

The federal student loan stack amount is not separately limited to the earnings remaining after support and federal tax. It is subtracted from the running balance after its own cap is calculated. The calculator then totals the stack amounts and prevents displayed take-home pay from falling below zero.

Stack and single-order results remain separate

Selecting Stacking mode does not replace the normal single-order calculation. The main Withheld per pay period result still comes from the regular Order type and Amount demanded fields. A separate Priority waterfall panel shows the stack total. Stack mode also displays the payoff panel and uses the stack total as the payoff payment.

Payoff totals use full periodic payments

For a positive APR, the calculator reports Total paid as the rounded-up number of periods multiplied by the full periodic payment. It does not reduce the final displayed payment to the exact remaining balance. Interest paid is then calculated as that reported total minus the starting balance.

The Interest per year field defaults to 6% and accepts values from 0% through 40%. The calculator marks the stated Pennsylvania post-judgment interest figure for verification, so the entered APR should be treated as an assumption for the payoff calculation.

Gross pay must be greater than zero, a county must be selected, and the acknowledgment checkbox must be checked. Most monetary inputs allow $0 through $10,000,000. Balance owed allows up to $100,000,000. IRS dependents allow 0 through 20, while the Age 65 or blind field allows 0 through 2.

This calculator provides estimates only. Actual withholding can depend on the governing order, exemptions, federal or state law, court or agency procedures, and facts not represented by the available inputs. Verify the legal assumptions and entered figures before relying on the result for a real garnishment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this calculator handle consumer debt in Pennsylvania?

It returns $0.00 withholding for the Consumer debt selection. The code directly sets the consumer debt cap and garnishment amount to zero rather than applying the displayed 25% or federal-floor figures. The same calculation behavior applies to the Medical debt selection.

What are disposable earnings in this calculator?

Disposable earnings are gross pay minus federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, mandatory retirement, and Other required withholding. If those required deductions exceed gross pay, the calculator caps them at gross pay. Voluntary deductions are not included in the disposable-earnings calculation.

What happens when Amount demanded is $0?

For an allowed single-order calculation, zero tells the calculator to use the full cap produced by that order's formula. A positive demanded amount below the cap reduces withholding. Consumer and medical debt remain at $0.00 regardless of the demanded amount.

How is federal tax debt calculated?

The implemented calculation subtracts an estimated exempt amount from disposable earnings and treats any positive remainder as the federal tax cap. The exemption comes from the selected year and filing status plus the calculator's dependent and age-or-blind additions, unless a positive override amount is entered.

How does federal student loan AWG work in the calculator?

The calculator uses the smaller of 15% of disposable earnings and the amount above its $217.50 weekly federal floor, adjusted to the selected pay frequency. A positive Amount demanded can lower the resulting withholding if it is below that calculated cap.

What happens if the payoff payment does not cover interest?

If the APR is above zero and the periodic payment is less than or equal to one period of interest on the starting balance, the calculator does not display a payoff period count. It reports that the payment does not cover accruing interest and that the balance never amortizes.

Does the selected Pennsylvania county change the numerical calculation?

No. County selection is required and is used in the displayed county and Court of Common Pleas venue text. The calculation functions do not apply different mathematical withholding rules by county. The menu contains named counties plus an Other Pennsylvania county option for the stated 67-county total.

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