Cites the recodified Title 81 statute
Utah Child Support Garnishment Calculator 2026
Utah has two ceilings for taking support out of a paycheck, and they do not match. A court writ stops at 50 percent of disposable earnings, tighter than federal law. An ORS withholding notice can go where the federal tiers allow.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Estimate the Utah withholding ceiling
Maximum weekly withholding for support: $400.00
That is 50% of disposable earnings under the Utah cap for this situation (Utah R. Civ. P. 64D(a); Utah Code 26B-9-306), at or below the federal CCPA tier.
| 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 |
| State cap: 50% of disposable earnings (Utah R. Civ. P. 64D(a); Utah Code 26B-9-306)The 50 percent cap is the Utah R. Civ. P. 64D writ-of-garnishment ceiling for support judgments, stricter than the CCPA 55/60/65 tiers. ORS administrative income withholding under Utah Code 26B-9-306 (formerly 62A-11-406) is capped instead at the full CCPA 15 U.S.C. 1673(b) maximum, including the employer processing fee, so an ORS withholding notice can lawfully exceed this writ ceiling.Utah R. Civ. P. 64D (writ of garnishment; support judgments capped at 50 percent of disposable earnings, stricter than the CCPA tiers; eff. 2014-05-01) (Utah State Courts (utcourts.gov)) | $400.00 |
| Maximum support withholding: 50% of disposable earnings15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support) (U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror)) | $400.00 |
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.
Utah cap under Utah R. Civ. P. 64D(a); Utah Code 26B-9-306; federal ceiling under 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2). Rules last reviewed 2026-08-07.
How support withholding limits work in Utah
Start with the channel, because the channel picks the cap. When a support judgment is enforced by a writ of garnishment served through the court, Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 64D governs, and it limits the seizure to the lesser of 50 percent of disposable earnings for a judgment for failure to support dependent children, or the amount by which weekly disposable pay exceeds 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage. Ordinary judgments get only 25 percent under the same rule.
That 50 percent line is stricter than federal law. The federal Consumer Credit Protection Act would allow 55, 60, or even 65 percent of disposable earnings for support in some situations; a Utah writ never goes there.
The second channel is the one most support actually flows through: administrative income withholding by the Office of Recovery Services. Utah Code 26B-9-306 caps that withholding at the full CCPA maximum, the familiar 50, 55, 60, and 65 percent tiers keyed to whether the payer supports another family and whether arrears are at least 12 weeks old, and the cap includes the employer processing fee.
Disposable earnings means pay after deductions the law requires, like income tax withholding and Social Security. Retirement elections and health premiums are voluntary and do not shrink the base, so both ceilings compute on more than take-home pay.
This calculator applies the stricter writ ceiling of 50 percent, alongside the federal tier your answers select, and shows both. If your case runs through an ORS income withholding order, read the federal tier line as the operative limit.
- Writ of garnishment cap
- 50% of disposable earnings for support judgments (25% for ordinary judgments)source
- Versus federal law
- Stricter than the CCPA 55/60/65 tiers; a Utah writ never exceeds 50%source
- ORS income withholding
- Capped at the full CCPA maximum (50/55/60/65%), including the payor feesource
- Statutes and rules
- Utah R. Civ. P. 64D(a); Utah Code 26B-9-306 (formerly 62A-11-406)source
How to use this estimate
Enter disposable earnings for the paycheck: gross pay minus only the legally required deductions. Answer the two federal questions, whether the payer supports another spouse or child and whether arrears are at least 12 weeks old, and the tool shows the federal tier next to the Utah 50 percent writ ceiling.
The lower of the two lines is what a court writ can reach. If the paperwork on the paycheck is an ORS income withholding notice rather than a writ, the federal tier is the operative ceiling instead, so check which document the employer received.
Either way, the ceiling is not the payment. The support order sets the monthly amount; the caps only limit how much of any one paycheck can be taken when current support and arrears collections stack together.
What this estimate includes
- The Utah Rule 64D writ ceiling of 50 percent of disposable earnings
- The federal CCPA tier your second-family and arrears answers select
- The dollar ceiling for the paycheck figure you enter, computed both ways
What it leaves out
- The 30-times-minimum-wage floor of Rule 64D, which can protect low-wage checks further
- The 25 percent ordinary-judgment cap, which never applies to support
- Employer fees and the sequencing of multiple withholding orders
- The support order amount itself, which comes from the guidelines, not the cap
Both ceilings compute on pay after legally required deductions, which is not the same as take-home. To see a Utah paycheck broken into those pieces first, our PayDecode paycheck calculator walks it line by line.Open the PayDecode paycheck calculator
Utah garnishment FAQs
How much of a paycheck can Utah take for child support?
By court writ, at most 50 percent of disposable earnings, under Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 64D. Through an ORS income withholding order, up to the federal CCPA tier for the situation: 50 percent for a payer supporting another spouse or child, 60 percent if not, plus 5 points each once arrears are at least 12 weeks old. The channel the employer received determines which ceiling governs.
Is Utah stricter than federal law on support garnishment?
For writs, yes. Federal law would permit up to 65 percent of disposable earnings in the worst case; a Utah writ for a support judgment stops at 50. For ORS administrative withholding the answer is no: Utah Code 26B-9-306 adopts the federal maximum outright, processing fee included.
What counts as disposable earnings in Utah?
Pay left after deductions required by law: federal and state tax withholding, Social Security, and Medicare. Voluntary items such as 401(k) contributions, insurance premiums, and charitable payroll deductions still count as disposable, so the percentage applies to a larger number than what lands in the bank.
Which channel is my case actually using?
If ORS enforces the case, almost certainly income withholding: it is the default for Utah support orders and arrives at the employer as a notice to payor. Writs of garnishment show up when a private party enforces a judgment through the court, often for accumulated arrears. The employer paperwork names the instrument.
Can a credit card garnishment and support withholding hit the same check?
Support goes first, and it usually leaves nothing behind. An ordinary creditor writ is capped at 25 percent of disposable earnings, and amounts already withheld for support count against what the later garnishment can touch. With support taking up to half the check or more, the ordinary creditor often waits.
Where does the withheld money go?
To Utah ORS, which posts it to the case and forwards it to the receiving parent. Employers must honor a notice to payor, may charge a small processing fee inside the cap, and cannot fire a worker over a single support withholding.
Official sources
Official sources last verified: .
- Utah R. Civ. P. 64D (writ of garnishment; support judgments capped at 50 percent of disposable earnings, stricter than the CCPA tiers; eff. 2014-05-01)
Utah State Courts (utcourts.gov) Last checked
- ORS Child Support Public Policy CS 720P-2 "Income Withholding" (quotes Utah Code 26B-9-306: withholding capped at the CCPA 1673(b) maximum incl. payor fee)
Utah Office of Recovery Services (ORS) Last checked
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Changelog: page first published with the 50 percent writ ceiling and the ORS withholding contrast. Material changes are dated in the update log.