Wage Garnishment Limits in Nevada

Short answer Nevada caps ordinary wage garnishment at the lesser of 18% of disposable earnings when gross weekly wages are $770 or less, 25% when they exceed $770, or disposable earnings above 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage (NRS § 31.295(2)). The $770 tier uses a statutory average or anticipated wage calculation (§ 31.2955). A court decides priority among competing writs, with child-support writs first (§ 31.249(5)).

State

Nevada

Statute checked

October 7, 2026

Sources

7 statutes

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At a glance

Governing law	NRS §§ 31.295 and 31.2955 set the earnings cap and the gross-weekly-wage tier calculation; § 21.090(1)(g) mirrors the exemption; §§ 31.249(5), 31.298 cover priority and discharge.
Maximum that can be garnished	Lesser of 18% of disposable earnings at gross weekly wage $770 or below, 25% above $770, or disposable earnings above 50× the federal minimum wage (§ 31.295(2)); § 31.2955 determines the tier wage.
State rule vs. federal floor	Nevada’s 18% lower-income tier and 50× federal-wage floor protect more than the federal 25%/30× cap (NRS § 31.295(2); 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)).
Minimum-wage protected floor	50× the federal minimum hourly wage, rather than Nevada’s state rate (NRS §§ 31.295(2)(c), 21.090(1)(g)).
Support, tax & student loan debts	NRS § 31.295(3) excludes court support orders, bankruptcy orders, and state or federal tax debts from the ordinary limit; support orders use the separate 50%–65% tiers in subsection (4).
Head-of-household/family exemption	No extra family-status amount in the ordinary § 31.295(2) formula; family support affects the separate support-order tiers in subsection (4).
Multiple garnishments at once	The court determines priority and satisfaction method for multiple writs against the same defendant, but child-support judgment writs get first priority (NRS § 31.249(5)).
Protection from being fired	NRS § 31.298 prohibits discharge or discipline exclusively because an employer must withhold earnings under a garnishment writ.

Requirements one by one

Maximum that can be garnished

Section 31.295(2) uses a lower 18% disposable-earnings tier when gross weekly salary or wages were $770 or less when the most recent writ issued. Above $770, the percentage tier is 25%. Either way, the creditor can take no more than disposable earnings above 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage. Section 21.090(1)(g) states the corresponding exemption.

Which tier applies

Section 31.2955(1)(a) generally divides gross earnings in the current calendar year by weeks worked in that year as of the most recent writ. If the writ comes before any current-year earnings, it looks to the prior year; for a new worker, the employer uses anticipated gross weekly earnings. Thus, one paycheck by itself may not decide the $770 tier.

Support, bankruptcy, and tax debts

Section 31.295(3) excludes court support orders, bankruptcy court orders, and state or federal tax debts from the ordinary limit. Subsection (4) separately caps support garnishment at 50% or 60% of disposable earnings, rising to 55% or 65% for qualifying older support arrears.

Multiple garnishments at once

Under § 31.249(5), the court decides priority and how competing writs against the same debtor will be satisfied. A writ collecting a child-support judgment receives first priority.

Protection from being fired

Section 31.298 prohibits an employer from discharging or disciplining a worker exclusively because it must withhold earnings under a garnishment writ.

What trips people up

The $770 line uses the statutory gross-weekly-wage calculation under § 31.2955. The 18% or 25% amount itself applies to disposable earnings, and the 50-times floor uses the federal hourly minimum wage.

Common questions

Does the first ordinary creditor served always get priority? Section 31.249(5) assigns the choice to the court when a garnishee faces multiple writs; child-support judgment writs come first.

Does Nevada’s higher state minimum wage raise the protected floor? No. Sections 31.295(2)(c) and 21.090(1)(g) refer to the federal minimum hourly wage.

Statutes and sources

Nev. Rev. Stat. § 31.295 — https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-031.html#NRS031Sec295 (accessed 2026-10-07)
Nev. Rev. Stat. § 21.090(1)(g) — https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-021.html#NRS021Sec090 (accessed 2026-10-07)
Nev. Rev. Stat. § 31.249(5) — https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-031.html#NRS031Sec249 (accessed 2026-10-07)
Nev. Rev. Stat. § 31.298 — https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-031.html#NRS031Sec298 (accessed 2026-10-07)
15 U.S.C. § 1673 — 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)
Nev. Rev. Stat. § 31.2955(1) — https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-031.html#NRS031Sec2955 (accessed 2026-10-07)

Source links

Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.

Nev. Rev. Stat. § 31.295 · accessed 2026-10-07

Nev. Rev. Stat. § 21.090(1)(g) · accessed 2026-10-07

Nev. Rev. Stat. § 31.249(5) · accessed 2026-10-07

Nev. Rev. Stat. § 31.298 · accessed 2026-10-07

15 U.S.C. § 1673 · accessed 2026-10-07

20 U.S.C. § 1095a(a)(1) · accessed 2026-10-07

Nev. Rev. Stat. § 31.2955(1) · accessed 2026-10-07

This page is general legal information about how a state limits ordinary wage garnishment, not legal advice about your paycheck or your debt. Which cap applies, whether you qualify for a head-of-household or other exemption, and how multiple garnishments interact often depend on case-specific facts (your dependents, your pay structure, what other orders already exist) that this page cannot resolve for you. Verified against the official statute text on the date shown; confirm current law or consult a licensed attorney in the state before relying on it.

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