Updated for 2026 guidelines
Washington Child Support Garnishment Calculator 2026
Most states let support withholding climb to 55, 60, or 65 percent of disposable earnings once arrears pile up. Washington does not. Two statutes hold the line at 50 percent no matter what, and half of every paycheck stays exempt. This page shows where that line falls on your numbers.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Estimate the Washington withholding ceiling
Maximum weekly withholding for support: $400.00
That is 50% of disposable earnings under the Washington cap for this situation (RCW 26.18.090(2)-(3); RCW 74.20A.090), 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 (RCW 26.18.090(2)-(3); RCW 74.20A.090)Washington holds support withholding to 50 percent of disposable earnings on both enforcement tracks: court-track wage assignments under RCW 26.18.090(2) and DCS administrative withholding under RCW 74.20A.090. That is stricter than the federal CCPA, whose 55, 60, and 65 percent tiers never apply to a Washington paycheck; the 50 percent state line is the ceiling in every scenario. RCW 26.18.110, which some sources cite for the cap, sets employer duties only and carries no percentage of its own.RCW 26.18.090 (mandatory wage assignment: total withheld shall not exceed 50 percent of disposable earnings; 50 percent exempt) (Washington State Legislature (app.leg.wa.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.
Washington cap under RCW 26.18.090(2)-(3); RCW 74.20A.090; federal ceiling under 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2). Rules last reviewed 2026-08-08.
How support withholding limits work in Washington
Nearly every Washington support order is collected at the paycheck: a wage assignment or income withholding order goes to the employer, and support comes out before wages are paid. Two enforcement tracks exist, the court track under chapter 26.18 RCW and the Division of Child Support administrative track under chapter 74.20A RCW, and both run into the same ceiling.
On the court track, RCW 26.18.090(2) says the total withheld each month, or from each paycheck, shall not exceed fifty percent of the obligor’s disposable earnings, and subsection (3) declares the other fifty percent exempt. On the agency track, RCW 74.20A.090 says the same thing from the other direction: fifty percent of disposable earnings are exempt and go to the worker. Current support, arrears catch-up, and fees all fit inside the same 50 percent, together.
That makes Washington stricter than federal law. The Consumer Credit Protection Act allows support withholding up to 50 percent of disposable earnings for a payer supporting another spouse or child, 60 percent without one, and 5 points more in each case once arrears run 12 or more weeks: 55 and 65 percent. Those upper tiers simply never apply in Washington, because the state may always protect more of a paycheck than federal law requires, and Washington does. Second family or not, deep arrears or not, the ceiling is 50 percent.
A citation note, because the internet gets this wrong: RCW 26.18.110 is often quoted as the source of the cap. That section sets employer duties, how fast to start withholding, where to send the money, what happens on noncompliance, and contains no percentage at all. The 50 percent figure lives in RCW 26.18.090 and RCW 74.20A.090.
Disposable earnings means pay left after deductions required by law: income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare, and the like. Voluntary deductions such as retirement contributions and most insurance elections still count as disposable, so the 50 percent applies to a larger base than take-home pay.
- Support withholding cap
- 50 percent of disposable earnings, on every order and in every scenariosource
- Court-track statute
- RCW 26.18.090(2)-(3): withhold up to 50 percent; the other 50 percent is exemptsource
- DCS administrative track
- RCW 74.20A.090: 50 percent of disposable earnings exempt and paid to the workersource
- Federal CCPA tiers (contrast)
- 50 to 65 percent federally; the 55, 60, and 65 tiers never reach a Washington paychecksource
How to use this estimate
Enter disposable earnings for one pay period: gross pay minus the deductions the law requires, such as taxes and Social Security. Do not subtract voluntary items; they stay in the base.
The tool answers the federal questions too, whether the payer supports another spouse or child and whether arrears are 12 or more weeks old, because the CCPA tiers frame every state’s system. In Washington the answers cannot raise the ceiling past 50 percent; the state cap controls in every combination.
Remember what the number is: the most that may lawfully be withheld for support from that paycheck, not what your order says. The withholding order fixes the actual deduction; the cap only tells you where the law stops it. If current support alone exceeds half a paycheck, the gap becomes arrears rather than a bigger deduction.
What this estimate includes
- The Washington 50 percent ceiling from RCW 26.18.090(2) and RCW 74.20A.090
- The federal CCPA tiers for comparison, shown so you can see the state cap override them
- The per-paycheck ceiling in dollars for the earnings you enter
What it leaves out
- The definition fine print of disposable earnings in edge cases, such as bonuses and severance
- Priority mechanics when several withholding orders from different cases collide
- Non-wage collection: bank levies, liens, license suspension, and tax refund offsets follow other rules
- Ordinary creditor garnishments, which use a different and more protective exemption formula
The cap applies to pay after legally required deductions, so knowing your true take-home matters. Our PayDecode paycheck calculator breaks a Washington paycheck down line by line.Open the PayDecode paycheck calculator
Washington garnishment FAQs
How much can Washington garnish for child support?
Up to 50 percent of disposable earnings, full stop. RCW 26.18.090(2) caps court-track wage assignments there, and RCW 74.20A.090 exempts the same 50 percent in DCS administrative withholding. Unlike most states, Washington does not raise the ceiling for a payer with no second family or for old arrears.
Do the federal 60 and 65 percent tiers ever apply in Washington?
No. The federal CCPA sets outer limits that states may tighten, and Washington tightened them. The 55, 60, and 65 percent tiers exist in federal law and on this page for contrast, but a Washington paycheck never lawfully loses more than 50 percent of disposable earnings to support withholding.
Does the 50 percent include arrears payments?
Yes. Current support and any arrears portion share the same 50 percent ceiling; the statutes cap the total withheld, not just the current support piece. If an order directs more than half a paycheck once catch-up is added, the employer still stops at 50 percent and the shortfall accrues.
What counts as disposable earnings in Washington?
Earnings left after deductions required by law: federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and mandatory state premiums. Voluntary 401(k) contributions, health insurance elections, and other optional deductions do not reduce the base. So the 50 percent is figured on a number larger than what hits your bank account.
Where does the 50 percent figure actually come from? I have seen RCW 26.18.110 cited.
From RCW 26.18.090(2), which limits withholding to fifty percent of disposable earnings, and RCW 74.20A.090, which exempts fifty percent in DCS enforcement. RCW 26.18.110 is a real statute, but it governs employer duties, deadlines, remittance, penalties, and has no percentage in it. Citing it for the cap is a common error.
Can I be fired over a Washington support withholding?
No. Employers must honor the order and may not discipline, discharge, or refuse to hire someone because of a support withholding; both Washington law and federal law forbid it. An employer that fails to withhold as ordered can become liable for the amounts it should have sent.
What if a creditor garnishment hits the same paycheck as support?
Support comes first. The support withholding takes its room under the 50 percent cap, and an ordinary creditor garnishment can only reach what its own, much more protective exemption leaves after that. In practice a paycheck carrying a full support withholding has little or nothing left for a creditor to take.
Official sources
Official sources last verified: .
- RCW 26.18.090 (mandatory wage assignment: total withheld shall not exceed 50 percent of disposable earnings; 50 percent exempt)
Washington State Legislature (app.leg.wa.gov) Last checked
- RCW 74.20A.090 (DCS administrative enforcement: fifty percent of disposable earnings exempt and disbursable to the debtor)
Washington State Legislature (app.leg.wa.gov) Last checked
- RCW 26.18.110 (employer duties on income withholding orders; contains NO percentage cap of its own, cross-references the exemption provisions)
Washington State Legislature (app.leg.wa.gov) Last checked
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Changelog: page first published with the 50 percent state cap on both enforcement tracks and the CCPA contrast. Material changes are dated in the update log.