Wage Garnishment Limits in Rhode Island
At a glance
| Governing law | R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-5-8 attaches only wages exceeding applicable exemptions and gives support priority; § 9-26-4(8) states Rhode Island’s wage exemptions; federal 15 U.S.C. § 1673 imposes the operative ordinary cap. |
|---|---|
| Maximum that can be garnished | Federal lesser-of formula: 25% of disposable earnings or the amount above 30× the federal minimum hourly wage (§ 1673(a)). Rhode Island § 9-26-4(8)(iii) itself exempts just $50 for other debtors. |
| State rule vs. federal floor | Rhode Island’s ordinary $50 wage exemption is less protective than the federal cap, which courts cannot violate (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a), (c)); the federal lesser-of formula controls. |
| Minimum-wage protected floor | 30× the federal minimum hourly wage under 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a), which references 29 U.S.C. § 206(a)(1), rather than a Rhode Island wage-based floor. |
| Support, tax & student loan debts | Child-support garnishment and support wage assignments outrank ordinary § 10-5-8 garnishment regardless of service order (§ 10-5-8(b)); support withholding under § 15-5-24(g) is subject to federal limits instead of ordinary state exemptions. |
| Head-of-household/family exemption | No extra wage amount for the debtor based on dependents in § 9-26-4(8); subsection (9) separately protects wages of a debtor’s wife and minor children. |
| Multiple garnishments at once | § 10-5-8(b) gives child-support garnishment and wage assignments priority over an ordinary writ regardless of service order. The quoted subsection addresses support priority. |
| Protection from being fired | Federal § 1674 bars discharge over garnishment for one debt; R.I. § 15-5-24(e) separately bars discharge or discipline because of support withholding. |
Requirements one by one
Maximum that can be garnished
Rhode Island § 9-26-4(8)(iii) protects only $50 of wages for an ordinary debtor. Section 10-5-8(a) permits an employer writ only against wages beyond the amount exempt by law. Federal 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a) limits ordinary garnishment to the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or earnings above 30 times the federal minimum hourly wage; subsection (c) prohibits courts and states from enforcing an order that violates this limit.
Support and family wages
Section 10-5-8(b) gives child-support garnishment and support wage assignments priority over a garnishment issued under that section, whether the support order came before or after it. Section 15-5-24(g) says support withholding is not subject to ordinary state exemptions or limits except those required by federal law. Section 9-26-4(9) separately exempts the wages of a debtor's wife and minor children; it does not increase the debtor's own ordinary wage cap.
Multiple garnishments at once
The express priority in § 10-5-8(b) concerns support garnishment and assignments against an ordinary writ. The quoted subsection addresses support priority rather than ordinary writ sequencing. Federal § 1673(a) still caps the aggregate disposable earnings reached in a workweek.
Protection from being fired
Federal 15 U.S.C. § 1674 prohibits discharge because earnings were garnished for one indebtedness. Rhode Island § 15-5-24(e) separately prohibits discharge or discipline because of support withholding.
What trips people up
The $50 state figure is not the amount every employer may leave untouched while sending the rest to a creditor: federal law protects much more for ordinary debts. Section 9-26-4(8)(i) and (ii) also exempts some relief-funded wages and wages of people who recently received public relief in full.
Common questions
Does a support order move ahead of an earlier ordinary garnishment? Yes. Section 10-5-8(b) expressly makes its support priority apply before or after the ordinary writ.
Does Rhode Island’s family wage exemption raise my own cap? No. Section 9-26-4(9) protects the wages of the debtor's wife and minor children, rather than adding a dependent allowance to the debtor's wages.
Statutes and sources
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-5-8 — https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE10/10-5/10-5-8.htm (accessed 2026-10-07)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-26-4 — https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE9/9-26/9-26-4.htm (accessed 2026-10-07)
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 15-5-24 — https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE15/15-5/15-5-24.htm (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)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1677 — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap41-subchapII-sec1677.htm (accessed 2026-10-07)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1674 — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap41-subchapII-sec1674.htm (accessed 2026-10-07)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1673(c) — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title15/html/USCODE-2024-title15-chap41-subchapII-sec1673.htm (accessed 2026-10-07)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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