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Updated for 2026 guidelines

North Carolina Child Support Wage Garnishment Calculator 2026

North Carolina protects more of the paycheck than federal law requires: a single support withholding order stops at 40 percent of disposable income. Check the ceiling for your pay here.

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

Check the North Carolina withholding limit

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: $320.00

That is 40% of disposable earnings under the North Carolina cap for this situation (N.C. Gen. Stat. 110-136.6(b)), at or below the federal CCPA tier.

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
State cap: 40% of disposable earnings (N.C. Gen. Stat. 110-136.6(b))Tiered caps: 40% of disposable income per pay period for a single withholding order; with multiple orders, 45% if the obligor supports a spouse or other dependent children and 50% if not. Alimony and postseparation-support withholding follow the CCPA limits instead (G.S. 110-136.6(b1)).G.S. 110-136.6 (withholding caps 40/45/50%) (NC General Assembly)$320.00
Maximum support withholding: 40% of disposable earnings15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support) (U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror))$320.00

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.
  • A single withholding order is in effect (state tiered cap).

Estimate only. The court or state agency calculation controls.

North Carolina cap under N.C. Gen. Stat. 110-136.6(b); federal ceiling under 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2). Rules last reviewed 2026-08-06.

What North Carolina support withholding can take

Support in North Carolina is normally collected by income withholding: the order goes to the employer, and the support comes out of the paycheck before the parent sees it.

Federal law sets the outer wall. The Consumer Credit Protection Act caps support withholding at 50 to 65 percent of disposable earnings, with the exact tier turning on second-family status and on arrears older than 12 weeks.

North Carolina then builds a lower wall inside it. G.S. 110-136.6(b) limits withholding under a single support order to 40 percent of disposable income for the pay period. With multiple withholding orders, the cap rises to 45 percent if the parent supports a spouse or other dependent children, and 50 percent if not. Every tier sits at or under the federal ceiling, so the state number is the one that bites.

Disposable income means pay left after deductions required by law, such as tax withholding and FICA. Voluntary deductions like a retirement contribution do not shrink the base the percentage applies to.

The stricter tiers are for child support withholding. Withholding for alimony or postseparation support runs under the federal CCPA limits instead (G.S. 110-136.6(b1)).

Single-order cap
40% of disposable income per pay periodsource
Multiple-order caps
45% with a supported spouse or other dependent children; 50% withoutsource
Statute
G.S. 110-136.6(b)source
Federal backdrop
CCPA tiers of 50/55/60/65% remain the outer ceiling (15 U.S.C. 1673(b))source

How to use this estimate

Enter your disposable earnings for one week and answer the two situation questions. The tool computes the federal CCPA tier your answers select, then applies North Carolina’s 40 percent single-order cap on top, and the lower number wins.

This tool models the single-order case, which covers most parents. If two or more withholding orders hit the same paycheck, the state cap moves to 45 or 50 percent depending on second-family status; the employer allocates between the orders under G.S. 110-136.6.

A cap is not a payment. The withholding amount comes from your order; the cap only trims it when current support plus arrears payback would take too much of one check.

What this estimate includes

  • The 40 percent North Carolina single-order cap in dollars for your pay
  • The federal CCPA tier your situation selects, shown for comparison
  • The min-of-both rule that makes the stricter number control

What it leaves out

  • The 45 and 50 percent multiple-order tiers (noted, not computed)
  • Alimony and postseparation support withholding, which follow the CCPA instead
  • Your actual ordered amount and arrears payback schedule
  • Garnishments for non-support debts, which North Carolina restricts sharply

North Carolina garnishment FAQs

How much of a North Carolina paycheck can be withheld for child support?

For a single withholding order, at most 40 percent of disposable income per pay period under G.S. 110-136.6(b). That is stricter than the federal CCPA, whose tiers run 50 to 65 percent. When multiple orders are in effect, the state cap is 45 percent if the parent supports a spouse or other dependent children and 50 percent if not.

Why is the North Carolina cap lower than the federal one?

Federal law only sets a maximum; states are free to protect more of the paycheck, and North Carolina chose to. The CCPA still matters as the outer ceiling, but because every G.S. 110-136.6(b) tier is at or below the matching federal tier, the state percentage is the one that actually limits the check.

What counts as disposable income here?

Pay minus deductions required by law: federal and state income tax withholding, Social Security, and Medicare. Choices you make, like a 401(k) contribution or optional insurance, still count as disposable income when the cap is measured.

What happens when two support orders hit one paycheck?

The employer must honor both up to the higher multiple-order cap, 45 or 50 percent of disposable income depending on whether the parent supports a spouse or other dependent children. Within the cap, the amounts are allocated between the orders; the employer cannot simply ignore the later order.

Do these caps apply to alimony withholding too?

No. G.S. 110-136.6(b1) sends withholding for alimony or postseparation support to the federal CCPA limits instead of the 40/45/50 tiers. The stricter state percentages are specifically for child support.

Does past-due support raise the North Carolina limit?

It raises the federal tier: arrears older than 12 weeks add 5 points, turning 50 into 55 and 60 into 65 percent. But the state cap does not have an arrears bump, so in the single-order case the answer stays 40 percent of disposable income either way.

Official sources

Official sources last verified: .

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

Changelog: page first published with the 40/45/50 percent tier structure of G.S. 110-136.6(b). Material changes are dated in the update log.