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Updated for 2026 guidelines

Georgia Child Support Wage Garnishment Calculator 2026

The 25 percent garnishment cap Georgians know from debt cases does not protect a paycheck from child support. Support withholding runs under federal tiers that reach 50 to 65 percent.

Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log

Estimate the Georgia withholding ceiling

Earnings

Weekly pay left after deductions required by law, such as taxes (15 U.S.C. 1672). Voluntary deductions still count as disposable.

Situation
Does the paying parent support another spouse or dependent child?
Do the arrears cover a period more than 12 weeks ago?

Maximum weekly withholding for support: $480.00

That is 60% of disposable earnings, the federal CCPA ceiling that applies to this situation (15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2)).

How this limit was computed
Line itemAmount
Federal CCPA ceiling: 60% of disposable earnings (15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2))15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support) (U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror))$480.00
Maximum support withholding: 60% of disposable earnings15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support) (U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror))$480.00

Assumptions

  • Disposable earnings are earnings minus deductions required by law (15 U.S.C. 1672); voluntary deductions are not subtracted.
  • Obligor does not support another spouse or dependent child.
  • No arrears older than 12 weeks.

Estimate only. The court or state agency calculation controls.

Federal CCPA ceiling under 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2); state rules under O.C.G.A. 19-6-32. Rules last reviewed 2026-08-06.

What a Georgia income deduction order can take

Georgia collects support at the paycheck through income deduction orders under O.C.G.A. 19-6-32. The employer receives the order, withholds the support amount each pay period, and sends it in before the parent ever touches the money.

Two different caps exist in Georgia law, and mixing them up causes real confusion. Ordinary creditor garnishment, the kind that follows a credit card judgment, is capped at 25 percent of disposable earnings by O.C.G.A. 18-4-5. Child support is different: the deduction order may take up to the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act ceiling.

Those federal tiers work in steps. Half of disposable earnings can go to support when the parent also supports another spouse or child. Without that second family, the ceiling is 60 percent. Each ceiling climbs another 5 points, to 55 or 65 percent, when the withholding also covers arrears more than 12 weeks old.

Georgia adds no stricter cap of its own for support. The statute directs employers not to withhold beyond the CCPA section 303(b) limits, and that federal line is where the protection sits.

Disposable earnings are what remains after legally required deductions such as tax withholding and FICA. Voluntary items like a retirement contribution do not reduce the base the tiers apply to.

Support withholding ceiling
Federal CCPA tiers: 50% / 55% / 60% / 65% of disposable earningssource
Georgia statute
O.C.G.A. § 19-6-32 (income deduction orders for support)source
Creditor cap that does NOT apply
25% under O.C.G.A. § 18-4-5, for non-support garnishment onlysource
Administered by
Georgia DHS Division of Child Support Services and employerssource

How to use this estimate

Give the tool your disposable earnings for one pay period and answer two yes-or-no questions: whether you support another spouse or child, and whether you owe arrears more than 12 weeks old. It selects the matching federal tier and shows the most that could legally be withheld from that check.

The ceiling is rarely the payment. Your order names a specific support amount, and the tier only matters when that amount, plus any arrears payback, would eat more of the check than federal law allows. The employer must stop at the tier.

Watch the definition of disposable earnings. It is not take-home pay: only deductions required by law, such as income tax and FICA, come off first. A 401(k) election or optional insurance premium stays inside the base.

If the numbers on your pay stub look wrong, start with your employer payroll office and the DCSS employer resources, since the deduction mechanics live there.

What this estimate includes

  • All four federal CCPA tiers and the one your answers select
  • The maximum dollar withholding for the pay period you enter
  • The distinction between the support tiers and the 25 percent creditor cap

What it leaves out

  • The actual support amount in your order and any arrears schedule
  • Non-support garnishments, which follow the 25 percent creditor rule
  • Employer administrative fees allowed on deductions
  • Multiple simultaneous support orders competing for one paycheck

Georgia garnishment FAQs

How much of a Georgia paycheck can child support take?

Up to the federal CCPA tier for your situation: 50 percent of disposable earnings if you support another spouse or child, 60 percent if you do not, plus 5 more points in either case when arrears run past 12 weeks. Georgia law adopts these federal ceilings for support withholding without adding a lower one.

I thought Georgia garnishment was capped at 25 percent. Is that wrong?

That cap is real but belongs to a different law. O.C.G.A. 18-4-5 caps ordinary creditor garnishment, like a judgment on a personal loan, at 25 percent of disposable earnings. Child support withholding runs under O.C.G.A. 19-6-32 and the federal CCPA instead, where the ceilings are twice as high or more.

What counts as disposable earnings?

Gross pay minus deductions required by law: federal and state income tax withholding, Social Security, and Medicare. Health premiums you elected, retirement contributions, and other voluntary deductions still count as disposable earnings when the ceiling is measured, even though they lower your take-home pay.

When do the 55 and 65 percent ceilings kick in?

When part of the withholding pays arrears that are more than 12 weeks overdue. The base ceiling then rises by 5 points: a parent supporting a second family goes from 50 to 55 percent, and a parent without one goes from 60 to 65 percent.

Can my employer refuse or delay an income deduction order?

No. Once served, the employer must withhold per the order and remit the money. Georgia DHS publishes employer guidance for processing deductions, and an employer that ignores an order exposes itself to liability. Employers may deduct a small administrative fee where allowed.

Does an income deduction order cover past-due support too?

It can. Orders often include an additional amount toward arrears on top of current support. The combined withholding still may not pass the federal tier for your situation, which is exactly when the ceiling in this tool starts to matter.

Official sources

Official sources last verified: .

Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log

Changelog: page first published with the federal CCPA tiers and the two-caps distinction. Material changes are dated in the update log.