Oklahoma: Wage Garnishment Limits
The short answer
Oklahoma caps an ordinary judgment creditor's wage garnishment at 25% of disposable earnings (75% is exempt) under the state's general wage-exemption law, and a near-identical Consumer Credit Code rule applies the federal-style formula — the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount over 30 times the federal minimum wage — to debts from a consumer credit sale, lease, or loan specifically. A debtor supporting a family or other dependents can ask a court for an additional 'undue hardship' exemption on top of that. Child support can reach 50-65% of earnings under its own formula, and ordinary garnishments are paid off strictly one at a time in the order served. Oklahoma also protects an employee from being fired over up to two garnishments a year tied to consumer debt — more generous than the federal one-garnishment rule, though only for that category of debt.
| Governing law | General wage exemption: 31 O.S. § 1(A)(18) (also restated in 12 O.S. § 1171.1(B)); garnishment procedure: 12 O.S. §§ 1170–1180; child-support formula: 12 O.S. § 1171.2; consumer-credit-specific cap: 14A O.S. § 5-105; anti-discharge: 14A O.S. § 5-106 |
|---|---|
| Maximum that can be garnished | 25% of disposable earnings (75% exempt) for an ordinary judgment, 31 O.S. § 1(A)(18); for a judgment on a consumer credit sale, lease, or loan specifically, 14A O.S. § 5-105 caps it at the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which they exceed 30x the federal minimum wage |
| State rule vs. federal floor | Matches the federal 25% ceiling (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)); the 30x-federal-minimum-wage alternative prong is stated only in the Consumer Credit Code's § 5-105, for consumer-credit debt — the general 31 O.S. § 1(A)(18) exemption states just the 75%/25% split |
| Minimum-wage protected floor | 30x the federal minimum hourly wage ($7.25, which Oklahoma also uses as its own minimum wage), per 14A O.S. § 5-105(2)(b), for consumer-credit debt; the general 31 O.S. § 1(A)(18) wage exemption has no separate minimum-wage-floor language of its own |
| Support, tax & student loan debts | Child support: 50% of disposable earnings (55% if 12+ weeks in arrears) if also supporting a spouse or other child, 60% (65% if in arrears) if not, 12 O.S. § 1171.2(B); unemployment-tax debt collects by administrative levy outside this chapter; federal taxes and federal student loans bypass it entirely |
| Head-of-household/family exemption | No fixed head-of-household category or percentage; a debtor supporting a family or other dependents can ask a court for an added 'undue hardship' exemption under 31 O.S. § 1.1, judged against minimal-subsistence need — unavailable to a debtor with no dependents or against a support order |
| Multiple garnishments at once | Strict first-in-time priority — a garnishment lien outranks any later garnishment lien or summons served on the same employer while it remains in effect, 12 O.S. § 1173.4(H)(1); a child-support income assignment is folded in by reducing the ordinary 25% ceiling by whatever percentage is already withheld for support, § 1173.4(I)(1) |
| Protection from being fired | 14A O.S. § 5-106 bars firing an employee over garnishment tied to a consumer-credit-sale/lease/loan judgment unless the employer is served with such garnishments on more than two occasions in one year — more protective than the federal single-garnishment rule, but limited to consumer-credit debt; other debts rely on the federal floor alone |
Compare this rule across all 50 states + DC →
The short answer
If an ordinary creditor — a credit card company, a hospital, a personal-loan
lender — wins a lawsuit against you in Oklahoma and gets a money judgment, it
can garnish your paycheck, but only up to a limit. Oklahoma's general rule
protects 75% of your wages earned in the last 90 days, meaning a creditor can
take no more than 25% of your disposable earnings. If the debt came from a
consumer credit sale, lease, or loan specifically, a second, nearly identical
rule in the Consumer Credit Code applies the same 25% ceiling, alongside a
minimum-wage floor borrowed from federal law. On top of either cap, you can
ask a court to protect more of your paycheck if you're supporting a family and
garnishment would cause you undue hardship.
Requirements one by one
Governing law
Oklahoma's basic wage exemption is set out in 31 O.S. § 1(A)(18) (restated
almost word for word in the garnishment code itself, at 12 O.S. § 1171.1(B)).
The garnishment procedure — who can garnish, how, and in what order — lives
in 12 O.S. §§ 1170 through 1180, with continuing (ongoing) wage garnishments
handled under § 1173.4. A separate law, the Consumer Credit Code, adds its
own garnishment cap for consumer debt (14A O.S. § 5-105) and its own
anti-discharge rule (§ 5-106). Child support has its own formula at 12 O.S.
§ 1171.2.
Maximum that can be garnished
For an ordinary money judgment, 31 O.S. § 1(A)(18) exempts 75% of your wages
or earnings for personal or professional services earned in the last 90 days
— in practice, a 25% cap. If the underlying debt came from a consumer credit
sale, lease, or loan, 14A O.S. § 5-105 applies instead: the lesser of 25% of
your disposable earnings for the week, or the amount by which those earnings
exceed 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage. Either way, the practical
ceiling is the same 25%, but only the Consumer Credit Code version spells out
the minimum-wage-based alternative.
State rule vs. federal floor
Oklahoma's 25% ceiling matches the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act
floor (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)) exactly. The federal law's second prong — a
minimum-wage-based floor below which nothing can be taken — is written into
Oklahoma's own statute only for consumer-credit debt, under § 5-105. The
general wage exemption in 31 O.S. § 1(A)(18) states just the 75%/25% split,
without its own separate minimum-wage-floor language.
Minimum-wage protected floor
Where it applies — consumer-credit debt under § 5-105 — the floor is 30
times the federal minimum hourly wage, currently $7.25. Oklahoma's own
minimum wage tracks the federal rate, so this is the same number either way.
For debts under the general 31 O.S. § 1(A)(18) exemption, there's no
separate minimum-wage-floor language in the statute itself — the 75%/25%
split is the operative rule.
Support, tax & student loan debts
Child support runs on its own formula under 12 O.S. § 1171.2(B): up to 50%
of disposable earnings if you're also supporting a spouse or another child,
or 60% if you're not — rising to 55% or 65% if the support has been in
arrears for 12 weeks or more. Unpaid state unemployment tax debt is
collected by administrative levy on earnings, a separate track from an
ordinary court garnishment. Federal tax debt and federal student loans
bypass this chapter entirely, using their own federal administrative
collection processes.
Head-of-household/family exemption
Oklahoma doesn't set aside a fixed dollar amount or percentage for a
head of household the way some states do. Instead, 31 O.S. § 1.1 lets a
debtor who supports a family or other dependents ask a court for an
additional exemption by showing undue hardship — that losing the earnings
sought to be exempt would push the household below a minimal standard of
subsistence for food, shelter, clothing, and transportation. A debtor with
no family or other dependents can't claim this exemption at all, and it
isn't available against a child support or maintenance order.
Multiple garnishments at once
Oklahoma uses strict first-in-time priority: under 12 O.S. § 1173.4(H)(1), a
garnishment lien outranks any later garnishment lien or summons served on the
same employer while it's still in effect, no matter whether the withheld
amount is later reduced by the court or by agreement. A later child support
income assignment isn't treated as a separate, competing garnishment in the
same way — instead, § 1173.4(I)(1) has the employer subtract whatever
percentage is already being withheld for child support from the maximum the
ordinary garnishment could otherwise take, capped at 25% either way.
Protection from being fired
14A O.S. § 5-106 bars an employer from firing an employee because a creditor
tried to garnish wages to collect a consumer-credit-sale, lease, or loan
judgment — unless the employer is served with that kind of garnishment more
than twice in a single year. That's more generous than the federal rule (15
U.S.C. § 1674), which only protects against discharge for a single
garnishment. But Oklahoma's extra protection is limited to consumer-credit
debt; for other kinds of ordinary judgments, only the federal one-garnishment
protection applies.
What trips people up
The Consumer Credit Code's 25%/30x-minimum-wage formula and the general
75%-exempt rule land on the same practical number, but they're not the same
statute, and only one of them (§ 5-105) explicitly protects a minimum-wage
floor — worth knowing if a garnishment isn't tied to a consumer credit sale,
lease, or loan. The undue-hardship exemption under § 1.1 also isn't automatic:
you have to file an application and show the court that losing the money
would leave your household below a subsistence standard, and you need actual
dependents to qualify at all. And the anti-discharge protection under §
5-106 only kicks in for consumer-credit debt — it doesn't cover every kind of
garnishment, so an employee garnished for an unrelated debt has only the
federal single-garnishment protection to rely on.
Common questions
Does it matter whether my debt came from a credit card versus, say, a
lawsuit over a car accident?
Yes, for two dimensions: which specific statute states the minimum-wage
floor (only the Consumer Credit Code version does), and whether the
anti-discharge protection for multiple garnishments applies (it's limited to
consumer credit sales, leases, and loans).
Can I stack the family-hardship exemption on top of the ordinary 25% cap?
Yes — the undue-hardship exemption under 31 O.S. § 1.1 is additional
protection on top of the ordinary cap, available if you can show the court
that supporting your family requires it.
What if I already have a garnishment and a new creditor gets a
judgment against me?
The new creditor has to wait — Oklahoma's first-in-time rule means only one
ordinary garnishment lien is active at a time, and a later one doesn't take
effect until the earlier one is satisfied or ends.
Statutes and sources
- 31 O.S. § 1(A)(18) — "Seventy-five percent (75%) of all current wages or
earnings for personal or professional services earned during the last
ninety (90) days, except as provided in Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes
in garnishment proceedings for collection of child support;" —
https://govt.westlaw.com/okjc/Document/N618C4DA05AB511EFA619836E337B462E?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)
(accessed 2026-07-05) - 12 O.S. § 1171.1(B) — "Seventy-five percent (75%) of all earnings for
personal or professional services earned during the last ninety (90) days
shall be exempt from garnishment except for collection of child support
obligations." —
https://govt.westlaw.com/okjc/Document/N7FFDBD00C68F11DB8F04FB3E68C8F4C5?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)
(accessed 2026-07-05) - 14A O.S. § 5-105 — "(2) The maximum part of the aggregate disposable
earnings of an individual for any workweek which is subjected to
garnishment to enforce payment of a judgment arising from a consumer
credit sale, consumer lease, or consumer loan may not exceed the lesser of
(a) twenty-five percent (25%) of his disposable earnings for that week; or
(b) the amount by which his disposable earnings for that week exceed
thirty times the federal minimum hourly wage prescribed by Section 6(a)(1)
of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, U.S.C. Title 29, § 206(a)(1), in
effect at the time the earnings are payable;" —
https://govt.westlaw.com/okjc/Document/N9BCC6040C69911DB8F04FB3E68C8F4C5?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)
(accessed 2026-07-05) - 12 O.S. § 1171.2(B) — "B. The maximum part of the aggregate disposable
earnings of any person for any workweek which is subject to garnishment or
income assignment for the support of a minor child shall not exceed: 1.
Fifty percent (50%) of such person's disposable earnings for that week, if
such person is supporting his spouse or a dependent child other than the
child with respect to whose support such order is used; and 2. Sixty
percent (60%) of such person's disposable earnings for that week if such
person is not supporting a spouse or dependent child. The fifty percent
(50%) specified in paragraph 1 of this subsection shall be deemed to be
fifty-five percent (55%) and the sixty percent (60%) specified in
paragraph 2 of this subsection shall be deemed to be sixty-five percent
(65%), if and to the extent that such earnings are subject to garnishment
or income assignment to enforce a support order with respect to a period
which is prior to the twelve-week period which ends with the beginning of
such workweek." —
https://govt.westlaw.com/okjc/Document/N804610A0C68F11DB8F04FB3E68C8F4C5?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)
(accessed 2026-07-05) - 31 O.S. § 1.1 — "A. Following the issuance of an execution, attachment, or
garnishment, except process to collect a judgment or order for child
support or maintenance of children or in cases in which the court has
limited or reduced the application of this section pursuant to Section
142.18 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes, the debtor may file with the
court an application requesting a hearing to exempt from such process by
reason of undue hardship that portion of any earnings from personal
services necessary for the maintenance of a family or other dependents
supported wholly or partially by the labor of the debtor. A debtor with no
family or other dependents may not claim an exemption under this
section." —
https://govt.westlaw.com/okjc/Document/N82D71CE0C76D11DB8F04FB3E68C8F4C5?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)
(accessed 2026-07-05) - 12 O.S. § 1173.4(H)(1) — "H. 1. A garnishment lien under this section has
priority over any subsequent garnishment lien or garnishment summons
served on the garnishee during the period it is in effect, regardless of
whether the amounts withheld by the garnishee are reduced by the court or
by agreement of the parties." —
https://govt.westlaw.com/okjc/Document/N0B1BE35031B611EEAE68927E06B01AD6?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)
(accessed 2026-07-05) - 12 O.S. § 1173.4(I)(1) — "I. 1. When a postjudgment wage garnishment under
Section 1173 of this title or a continuing earnings garnishment under this
section is issued against a defendant already subject to an income
assignment for child support, the garnishee shall determine the maximum
percentage of the defendant's disposable earnings according to the
provisions of Section 1171.2 of this title and then deduct from that
percentage the actual percentage of the defendant's disposable earnings
actually withheld under the income assignment. The resulting percentage
shall be the amount to be withheld by the garnishee, not to exceed
twenty-five percent (25%)." —
https://govt.westlaw.com/okjc/Document/N0B1BE35031B611EEAE68927E06B01AD6?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)
(accessed 2026-07-05) - 14A O.S. § 5-106 — "No employer shall discharge an employee for the reason
that a creditor of the employee has subjected or attempted to subject
unpaid earnings of the employee to garnishment or like proceedings
directed to the employer for the purpose of paying a judgment arising from
a consumer credit sale, consumer lease, or consumer loan, unless the
employer shall be served with garnishment or like process issued to
collect one or more judgments against the employee on more than two
occasions within one (1) year." —
https://govt.westlaw.com/okjc/Document/N9BE195F0C69911DB8F04FB3E68C8F4C5?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)
(accessed 2026-07-05) - 15 U.S.C. § 1673 — "Except as provided in subsection (b) and in section
1675 of this title, the maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings
of an individual for any workweek which is subjected to garnishment may
not exceed (1) 25 per centum of his disposable earnings for that week, or
(2) the amount by which his disposable earnings for that week exceed
thirty times the Federal minimum hourly wage prescribed by section
206(a)(1) of title 29 in effect at the time the earnings are payable,
whichever is less." —
https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title15/USCODE-2011-title15-chap41-subchapII-sec1673
(accessed 2026-07-05)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.