Wage Garnishment Limits in Oregon

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Governing law

ORS § 18.375 defines disposable earnings as compensation remaining after legally required withholding. ORS § 18.385 sets the exemption, while ORS § 18.627 orders competing writs.

Maximum that can be garnished

Under ORS § 18.385(1)-(2), an ordinary creditor may reach only the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or earnings above the protected floor. For wages payable from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, the statute sets $400 for a week, $832 for two weeks, $912 for a half month, and $1,792 for a month. For example, a weekly disposable paycheck of $500 leaves at least $400 protected, so this formula permits at most $100 to an ordinary writ.

State rule vs. federal floor

The federal formula in 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a) uses 25% or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is less. The $7.25 wage in 29 U.S.C. § 206 yields a $217.50 weekly federal floor. Oregon's $400 floor protects more of a weekly paycheck during the current statutory period.

Minimum-wage protected floor

ORS § 18.385(2)-(3) changes the weekly floor on July 1, 2027 to 30 times Oregon's minimum wage under ORS 653.025(1). Its two-week, half-month and monthly multipliers become 60, 65 and 130; the State Court Administrator must calculate and publish the resulting amounts each year.

Support, tax & student loan debts

For a writ identified as support or a restitution judgment, ORS § 18.385(6) instead sets floors of $254 weekly, $509 biweekly, $545 half-monthly and $1,090 monthly. Subsection (5) subtracts support-order withholding from the nonexempt amount before an ordinary garnishment is paid. Subsections (7)-(8) exclude bankruptcy orders and federal tax debt from the first six subsections, and state tax debt from subsections (2)-(6). A special state-tax notice under ORS § 18.855(6) also removes subsection (1)'s protection for wages covered by that notice. Federal student-loan administrative withholding has its own 15% disposable-pay limit in 20 U.S.C. § 1095a(a)(1), unless the individual consents in writing to more.

Multiple garnishments at once

ORS § 18.627(1)-(2) gives priority to the first writ delivered to the garnishee. If it leaves some nonexempt wages ungarnished, the garnishee pays that remainder concurrently on a later writ.

Protection from being fired

ORS § 18.385(11) says an employer may not discharge an individual because the individual has had earnings garnished. Unlike 15 U.S.C. § 1674(a), Oregon's text does not limit that protection to one indebtedness.

What trips people up

The applicable floor depends on when wages are payable. ORS § 18.385(2) sets several prior amounts and then switches formulas on July 1, 2027; the date a judgment was entered does not choose the floor. A support or restitution writ has a different statutory floor from an ordinary creditor's writ.

Common questions

Does having dependents add to Oregon's wage floor? ORS § 18.385 sets its ordinary floor by pay period and date; it does not add a separate dependent amount.

Can a later creditor receive anything while an earlier writ remains in effect? Yes, if the first writ leaves part of the nonexempt wages ungarnished. ORS § 18.627(2) directs concurrent payment of that balance.

Statutes and sources

• ORS § 18.375 — “Disposable earnings” are earnings remaining after legally required withholding — https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors018.html (accessed 2026-10-06).
• ORS § 18.385(1)-(2) — “75 percent of the disposable earnings of an individual are exempt”; the current weekly line states “For wages payable on or after July 1, 2026, and before July 1, 2027, $400.” The other current pay-period lines state “$832,” “$912,” and “$1,792.” — https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors018.html (accessed 2026-10-06).
• ORS § 18.385(5)-(6) — “An employer shall deduct from the amount of disposable earnings determined to be nonexempt ... any amounts withheld ... under an order” for support; subsection (6) lists the separate support and restitution floors — https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors018.html (accessed 2026-10-06).
• ORS § 18.385(7)-(8), (11) — federal and state tax exceptions and “An employer may not discharge any individual because the individual has had earnings garnished.” — https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors018.html (accessed 2026-10-06).
• ORS § 18.627(1)-(2) — “the first writ of garnishment delivered to a garnishee has priority over all other writs” and a later writ may receive the remaining nonexempt wages — https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors018.html (accessed 2026-10-06).
• ORS § 18.855(6) — earnings under a special state-tax notice “are not subject to a claim of exemption under ORS 18.385” — https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors018.html (accessed 2026-10-06).
• 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a) — “25 per centum of his disposable earnings” or the excess over “thirty times the Federal minimum hourly wage,” whichever is less — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap41-subchapII-sec1673.htm (accessed 2026-10-06).
• 29 U.S.C. § 206(a)(1)(C) — “$7.25 an hour” — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title29/html/USCODE-2024-title29-chap8-sec206.htm (accessed 2026-10-06).
• 20 U.S.C. § 1095a(a)(1) — “may not exceed 15 percent of disposable pay” absent written consent — https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/20/1095a (accessed 2026-10-06).
• 15 U.S.C. § 1674 — “No employer may discharge any employee ... for any one indebtedness.” — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap41-subchapII-sec1674.htm (accessed 2026-10-06).