Wage Garnishment Limits in Minnesota
At a glance
| Governing law | Minn. Stat. §§ 571.921–571.927 govern wage limits, order priority, and retaliation; § 550.37, subds. 13–14 confirms the earnings and public-assistance exemptions. |
|---|---|
| Maximum that can be garnished | Lesser of 10% of disposable earnings when weekly income is over 40× and up to 60× the applicable hourly wage; 15% above 60× and up to 80×; or 25% above 80×; and disposable earnings above the 40× floor (§ 571.922(a)–(b)). |
| State rule vs. federal floor | State tiers of 10%/15%/25% and a 40× higher-of-state-or-federal wage floor generally protect more than the federal 25%/30×-federal-wage formula (§ 571.922; 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)). |
| Minimum-wage protected floor | 40× the higher statewide Minnesota or federal hourly minimum wage. The 2026 Minnesota rate is $11.41, making the weekly floor $456.40; the announced $11.87 rate will raise it to $474.80 on January 1, 2027 (§§ 571.922(b), 177.24, subd. 1). |
| Support, tax & student loan debts | Child-support judgments use separate 50%/55%/60%/65% disposable-income limits (§ 571.922(c)); federal student-loan administrative garnishment has a separate 15% ceiling (20 U.S.C. § 1095a(a)(1)). |
| Head-of-household/family exemption | No per-dependent increment; § 550.37, subd. 14 instead exempts earnings of eligible need-based-assistance recipients and, for six months after return to work, former recipients and recent correctional inmates. |
| Multiple garnishments at once | Summons service order controls; same-time service is resolved by earlier judgment date, then employer selection for a tie (§ 571.923). Later writs reach only unclaimed nonexempt pay (§ 550.37, subd. 13). |
| Protection from being fired | § 571.927 prohibits discharge or discipline of employees or independent contractors because of earnings garnishment; a civil claim must be brought within 90 days and can recover twice lost earnings. |
Requirements one by one
Maximum that can be garnished
Section 571.922(a) uses weekly income to choose a 10%, 15%, or 25% tier, then measures the tier against disposable earnings. It also caps the deduction at disposable earnings above the 40-times hourly-wage floor in paragraph (b). At or below that floor, nothing is available to an ordinary judgment creditor.
Minimum-wage protected floor
The statute uses the greater of the statewide rate under § 177.24, subdivision 1(a)(4), or the federal rate under 29 U.S.C. § 206(a)(1). The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry states that the 2026 rate is $11.41 per hour, producing a $456.40 weekly floor. Its announced $11.87 rate takes effect January 1, 2027, when that floor will become $474.80, assuming no later change. Section 177.24(c) calls for the rate to be adjusted annually.
Support and other debts
Section 571.922(c) gives child-support judgments separate 50%, 55%, 60%, and 65% limits on disposable income, depending on other dependents and the age of the judgment. A county's child-support garnishment may continue until the judgment is satisfied if the county notifies the employer when that occurs. Federal student-loan administrative garnishment has its own 15%-of-disposable-pay limit (20 U.S.C. § 1095a(a)(1)).
Assistance and recent incarceration exemption
Section 550.37, subdivision 14, exempts the earnings of a current recipient of need-based government assistance. It also protects former eligible recipients and people returning to work after a correctional institution for six months after return to employment and termination of assistance eligibility. The statute places the burden of establishing an exemption on the debtor.
Multiple garnishments at once
Under § 571.923, service order controls. If two summonses arrive at the same time, the earlier judgment wins; if the judgment dates also tie, the employer chooses. Section 550.37, subdivision 13, limits later writs to nonexempt disposable earnings not already claimed by an earlier one.
Protection from being fired
Section 571.927 covers employees and independent contractors. It prohibits discharge or discipline because of an earnings garnishment; the worker may sue within 90 days and, where the work relationship existed before the violation, recover twice the lost earnings.
What trips people up
The three percentages depend on weekly income, while the deduction itself is calculated against disposable earnings. Also, the announced 2027 minimum wage changes the floor only from its effective date; use $11.41 for earnings payable in 2026.
Common questions
Does a second creditor get another full deduction allowance? No. Section 550.37, subdivision 13, lets a later writ reach only that pay period's nonexempt disposable earnings still unclaimed by an earlier writ.
Must an employer keep withholding forever? An ordinary summons is effective for no longer than 90 days under § 571.923. The county child-support exception can continue until satisfaction, with the county's notice to the employer.
Statutes and sources
- Minn. Stat. § 571.922(a)-(b) — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/571.922 (accessed 2026-10-07)
- Minn. Stat. § 571.922(c) — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/571.922 (accessed 2026-10-07)
- Minn. Stat. § 571.921 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/571.921 (accessed 2026-10-07)
- Minn. Stat. § 571.923 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/571.923 (accessed 2026-10-07)
- Minn. Stat. § 571.927 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/571.927 (accessed 2026-10-07)
- Minn. Stat. § 550.37, subd. 14 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/550.37 (accessed 2026-10-07)
- Minn. Stat. § 550.37, subd. 13 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/550.37 (accessed 2026-10-07)
- Minn. Stat. § 177.24, subdivision 1 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/177.24 (accessed 2026-10-07)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a) — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap41-subchapII-sec1673.htm (accessed 2026-10-07)
- 20 U.S.C. § 1095a(a)(1) — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title20/html/USCODE-2024-title20-chap28-subchapIV-partG-sec1095a.htm (accessed 2026-10-07)
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, 2026 minimum-wage notice — https://www.dli.mn.gov/news/minimum-wage-rate-adjusted-inflation-jan-1-2026 (accessed 2026-10-07)
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, 2027 minimum-wage notice — https://www.dli.mn.gov/minwage (accessed 2026-10-07)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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