Alaska: Wage Garnishment Limits
The short answer
Alaska protects whichever is greater: a flat weekly dollar amount (currently $473, rising to $743 if the debtor's earnings alone support the household) or 75% of disposable earnings (the same protection as the federal 25% cap). That flat-dollar floor is unique to Alaska among the states built so far and rises automatically every two years with inflation. A creditor's continuing lien on wages beats any later garnishment or wage assignment on the same debt. Nonresidents don't get Alaska's own flat-dollar floor at all — only the plain federal formula applies to them.
| Governing law | AS 09.38.030 (the earnings exemption, including the nonresident carve-out); AS 09.38.050 (the increased, sole-support exemption); AS 09.38.115 (the CPI escalator that raises the dollar figures every two years); AS 09.38.035, § 09.38.040 (continuing lien on wages and priority between liens) |
|---|---|
| Maximum that can be garnished | An individual debtor is exempt for the GREATER of two protections: (1) a flat weekly dollar exemption, set in the statute at $350 but automatically increased under the AS 09.38.115 cost-of-living escalator — the Alaska Court System's own current garnishment notice form states the operative figure is $473/week (or $743/week if the debtor submits a sworn affidavit that their earnings alone support the household, per AS 09.38.050(b), itself escalated from a $550 base); or (2) 75% of the debtor's weekly disposable earnings (equivalent to a 25% garnishable share, matching the federal CCPA percentage). A creditor may levy on otherwise-exempt earnings only if the underlying claim is a support/tax-type debt enforceable under AS 09.38.065(a)(1) or (3), or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy order (AS 09.38.030(c)) |
| State rule vs. federal floor | More protective than the federal floor via the flat-dollar exemption, which Alaska adjusts for inflation every two years — a mechanism no other state built in this topic uses. The percentage prong (75% exempt / 25% garnishable) simply restates the federal share rather than cutting it further. Alaska is not a bar state. Notably, Alaska's OWN flat-dollar floor doesn't apply to a nonresident debtor at all: for a nonresident, the plain federal 25%/30x-minimum-wage formula governs instead (AS 09.38.030(d)) — a genuine two-tier system based on residency not seen elsewhere in this topic |
| Minimum-wage protected floor | Alaska doesn't use a minimum-wage multiplier at all for residents; instead it uses the CPI-escalated flat dollar amount described above ($473/week, or $743/week with the sole-support affidavit) as the low-income floor. Only a NONRESIDENT debtor falls back to the federal 30x-federal-minimum-wage floor, per AS 09.38.030(d)'s cross-reference to 15 U.S.C. § 1673 |
| Support, tax & student loan debts | The ordinary exemptions in AS 09.38.030(a)-(b) don't apply to a creditor whose claim is enforceable against exempt property under AS 09.38.065(a)(1) or (3) (these cover support and certain other statutorily-preferred claims) or to a Chapter 13 bankruptcy order (AS 09.38.030(c)). Separately, the state may execute a restitution or civil judgment against money held for an INCARCERATED debtor in a correctional-facility account, in a set statutory priority order: dependents' support first, then court-ordered restitution or fines, then civil judgments from the debtor's criminal conduct, then other state litigation judgments (AS 09.38.030(f)). Federal student loan wage garnishment and ordinary tax levies proceed through their own separate channels |
| Head-of-household/family exemption | Alaska's sole-support affidavit under AS 09.38.050(b) functions as its head-of-household protection: an individual who swears, under penalty of perjury, that their earnings alone support their household gets the flat weekly exemption raised from $473 to $743 (base figures $350 and $550, both CPI-escalated). This is a genuine, real exemption bump tied to being the sole earner for a household, distinct from a percentage cut |
| Multiple garnishments at once | Alaska uses a continuing-lien-plus-priority system: once a garnishee's answer shows the debtor is employed there, the judgment becomes a continuing lien on the debtor's future nonexempt earnings until the writ amount is satisfied (AS 09.38.035(a)). That lien 'has priority over any subsequent garnishment lien or wage assignment' (AS 09.38.040) — a second garnishment on a DIFFERENT debt must wait until the first lien terminates, and a second writ in the SAME cause of action served while a lien from an earlier writ in that same case is still pending has no effect at all |
| Protection from being fired | No Alaska statute specific to wage garnishment protecting against discharge was found in the Alaska Exemptions Act (AS 09.38) or Title 23 (Labor and Workers' Compensation); only the federal floor applies (15 U.S.C. § 1674, barring discharge for a first garnishment on one debt) |
Compare this rule across all 50 states + DC →
The short answer
Alaska protects your paycheck through whichever formula gives you more: a
flat weekly dollar amount that goes up automatically with inflation
(currently $473, or $743 if you swear that your own earnings support your
whole household), or 75% of your disposable earnings — the same protection
as the federal 25% cap. That flat-dollar approach is genuinely unusual; most
states use a minimum-wage multiple instead. Once a creditor has a
continuing lien on your wages, it beats any later garnishment or wage
assignment on a different debt. If you're not an Alaska resident, though,
none of Alaska's own numbers apply to you — only the plain federal formula
does.
Requirements one by one
Governing law
The core exemption is in AS 09.38.030, with the sole-support increase in
AS 09.38.050. The dollar figures in both sections are automatically
escalated for inflation under AS 09.38.115. The continuing-lien mechanism
and its priority over later garnishments are in AS 09.38.035 and
§ 09.38.040.
Maximum garnishment amount
An Alaska resident's earnings are exempt up to the GREATER of a flat weekly
dollar amount or 75% of disposable earnings. The statute's base dollar
figure is $350/week, but that number is automatically increased under the
AS 09.38.115 cost-of-living formula; the Alaska Court System's own current
garnishment notice states the operative figure is $473/week (or $743/week
with a sole-support affidavit). A creditor can only reach otherwise-exempt
earnings for a claim enforceable against exempt property under specific
cross-referenced provisions, or under a Chapter 13 bankruptcy order.
Federal floor comparison
More protective than federal law through the flat-dollar exemption, which
rises automatically with inflation — a mechanism unique to Alaska among the
states built in this topic. The percentage side of the test (75% exempt /
25% garnishable) simply matches the federal share. Alaska draws a real line
based on residency: a nonresident debtor doesn't get Alaska's own
protections at all and instead falls back to the plain federal 25%/30x
formula.
Minimum wage protection floor
Alaska doesn't use a minimum-wage multiplier for its own residents at all
— it substitutes the CPI-escalated flat dollar amount described above. Only
a nonresident debtor uses the federal 30x-federal-minimum-wage floor.
Priority debt exceptions
The ordinary exemption doesn't apply to a creditor whose claim is
enforceable against exempt property under specific cross-referenced
provisions (support and similar preferred claims) or to a Chapter 13
bankruptcy order. Separately, when the state executes a restitution or
civil judgment against money in an incarcerated debtor's correctional-
facility account, it follows its own strict priority order: dependents'
support first, then court-ordered restitution or fines, then a civil
judgment tied to the debtor's crime, then other state litigation judgments.
Federal student loan garnishment and ordinary tax levies run through their
own separate channels.
Head-of-household exemption
Alaska's version of this protection is the sole-support affidavit: an
individual who swears, under penalty of perjury, that their own earnings
alone support their household gets the flat weekly exemption raised from
$473 to $743.
Multiple garnishments priority
Once a garnishee's answer confirms the debtor works there, the judgment
becomes a continuing lien on the debtor's future nonexempt earnings until
the writ amount is paid off. That lien beats any later garnishment lien or
wage assignment on a different debt — the second creditor has to wait. A
second writ in the SAME lawsuit served while an earlier writ's lien is
still running has no effect at all.
Employee termination protection
No Alaska statute specific to wage garnishment protecting against discharge
was found; only the federal floor applies (15 U.S.C. § 1674, barring
discharge for a first garnishment on one debt).
What trips people up
Don't rely on the bare "$350" or "$550" figures printed in the statute
text — those are decades-old base numbers that Alaska automatically raises
for inflation every two years, and the real, current protected amounts
($473 and $743) only show up on the Alaska Court System's own garnishment
paperwork, not in the statute book itself. Also don't assume Alaska's
generous protections travel with you if you work in Alaska but live
elsewhere: the flat-dollar exemption is for RESIDENTS only.
Common questions
Is $350 a week really all that's protected in Alaska?
No — that's an outdated base figure. Alaska automatically raises it for
inflation, and the currently operative amount, per the state court system's
own garnishment notice, is $473 a week (or $743 with a sole-support
affidavit).
What if I don't live in Alaska but work for an Alaska employer?
Alaska's own flat-dollar exemption doesn't apply to nonresidents. Only the
plain federal formula (25% of disposable earnings, or the amount above 30
times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less) protects you.
Can two creditors garnish my wages at the same time?
Not really. Once one creditor's continuing lien attaches, it has priority
over any later garnishment or wage assignment for a different debt, so a
second creditor has to wait until the first lien is satisfied.
Statutes and sources
- AS 09.38.030 — https://law.justia.com/codes/alaska/title-9/chapter-38/section-09-38-030/ (accessed 2026-07-05)
- AS 09.38.050 — https://law.justia.com/codes/alaska/title-9/chapter-38/section-09-38-050/ (accessed 2026-07-05)
- AS 09.38.115 — https://law.justia.com/codes/alaska/title-9/chapter-38/section-09-38-115/ (accessed 2026-07-05)
- AS 09.38.040 — https://law.justia.com/codes/alaska/title-9/chapter-38/section-09-38-040/ (accessed 2026-07-05)
- Alaska Court System, Form CIV-530 — https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/civ-530.pdf (accessed 2026-07-05)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1674 — https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title15/USCODE-2011-title15-chap41-subchapII-sec1674 (accessed 2026-07-05)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.