Updated for 2026 guidelines
Pennsylvania Child Support Wage Garnishment Calculator 2026
Pennsylvania is famous for blocking wage garnishment over ordinary debts. Child support is the exception, and the ceiling comes from the federal tiers: 50 to 65 percent of disposable earnings.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Estimate the Pennsylvania withholding ceiling
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)).
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| 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 23 Pa.C.S. 4348; Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.21. Rules last reviewed 2026-08-06.
How income attachment works in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania stands apart from most states on garnishment. A credit card company or other ordinary creditor generally cannot take a slice of your paycheck here. Support obligations sit on the short list of exceptions the law carves out, so a support order can reach wages that consumer debts cannot.
The mechanics live in 23 Pa.C.S. section 4348, which authorizes attachment of income for support and caps it at the limits of the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act. The federal tiers allow at most 50 percent of disposable earnings when the paying parent supports another spouse or child, and 60 percent when they do not. Each ceiling rises 5 points, to 55 or 65 percent, once arrears are at least 12 weeks old.
Procedure comes from the Rule 1910.21 series of the civil procedure rules. Orders are enforced through income withholding handled by the county domestic relations section, and a parent who thinks the deduction is wrong can raise a mistake of fact, which includes the withholding going over the federal maximum.
Disposable earnings means what is left after deductions required by law, such as taxes and Social Security. Voluntary deductions like a retirement contribution you chose do not shrink the base the percentage applies to.
- Withholding ceiling
- 50% / 55% / 60% / 65% of disposable earnings by situationsource
- State statute
- 23 Pa.C.S. § 4348, capping attachment at the federal CCPA limitssource
- Procedure
- Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.21 series (income withholding; mistake-of-fact review)source
- Ordinary debts
- Pennsylvania generally bars wage garnishment for them; support is an exceptionsource
How to use this estimate
Enter your weekly disposable earnings, then answer the two questions: whether you support another spouse or child, and whether your arrears are more than 12 weeks old. The tool picks the matching federal tier, which is also Pennsylvania’s ceiling under 23 Pa.C.S. section 4348.
Remember the ceiling is not the payment. The withholding order states the actual amount from your support order, usually plus something toward arrears, and the percentage only bites when that total is large next to your paycheck.
If your pay stub shows support withholding above the tier for your situation, that is exactly what the mistake-of-fact process under the Rule 1910.21 series exists to fix. Contact the county domestic relations section handling the case.
What this estimate includes
- The four federal CCPA tiers that 23 Pa.C.S. § 4348 adopts as the Pennsylvania cap
- Disposable earnings figured from legally required deductions
- The 12-week arrears bump from 50 to 55 or 60 to 65 percent
What it leaves out
- The actual withholding amount in your order and any arrears add-on
- Non-support garnishments, which Pennsylvania mostly bars anyway
- Employer processing rules and priority when multiple orders exist
To see what your paycheck looks like after taxes before any withholding, the PayDecode take-home pay calculator covers that side of the math.Open the PayDecode paycheck calculator
Pennsylvania garnishment FAQs
How much of a paycheck can Pennsylvania withhold for child support?
Up to 50 percent of disposable earnings if the paying parent supports another spouse or child, and up to 60 percent if not. The ceilings rise to 55 and 65 percent when arrears are at least 12 weeks old. Pennsylvania law does not go lower than the federal tiers; 23 Pa.C.S. § 4348 adopts the CCPA limits as the cap.
Can other creditors garnish wages in Pennsylvania?
Mostly no. Pennsylvania generally bars wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debts, which is unusual among states. The exceptions are specific obligations the law names, and support is the big one. So a support order can reach a paycheck that a credit card judgment cannot.
What counts as disposable earnings?
Pay left after deductions required by law: federal, state, and local taxes, Social Security, and Medicare. Deductions you chose, like a 401(k) contribution or optional insurance, still count as disposable earnings when the percentage is applied.
What if the withholding on my pay stub looks too high?
The Rule 1910.21 series gives you a mistake-of-fact review, and exceeding the federal CCPA maximum is one of the recognized mistakes. Raise it with the county domestic relations section on the case. The employer follows the order it was served with, so the fix runs through domestic relations, not payroll.
Does withholding require a separate court hearing?
No. Income withholding is the standard way Pennsylvania support orders are paid, set up through the county domestic relations section when the order is entered. The Rule 1910.21 procedures govern how it starts, how it is contested, and how it ends.
Do the tiers change if I have two support orders?
The ceilings apply to your combined support withholding, not per order. When two orders together would pass the tier for your situation, allocation rules decide how the available amount is divided between the cases. The employer cannot lawfully withhold past the ceiling.
Official sources
Official sources last verified: .
- 23 Pa.C.S. 4348 (attachment of income; attachment capped at federal CCPA limits, 15 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.)
PA General Assembly (palegis.us) Last checked
- Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.21 (support order enforcement; withholding of income; mistake-of-fact test includes CCPA 15 U.S.C. 1673 maximum)
PA Supreme Court / Pennsylvania Code Last checked
- 15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support)
U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror) Last checked
- DOL WHD Fact Sheet #30 (CCPA garnishment; rev. Dec. 2024)
U.S. Dept. of Labor WHD Last checked
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Changelog: page first published with the 23 Pa.C.S. 4348 attachment cap and the federal tiers. Material changes are dated in the update log.