Wisconsin: Wage Garnishment Limits
The short answer
Wisconsin protects 80% of a debtor's disposable earnings from an ordinary earnings garnishment, only 20% is reachable, with no fixed-dollar or minimum-wage-multiple floor written into that rule itself; earnings are completely off-limits if the debtor's household income is below the federal poverty line or the debtor gets need-based public assistance, and even the ordinary 20% is trimmed further if it would push household income below the poverty line. Only one earnings garnishment can run against a paycheck at a time: a second one queues up and starts only after the first ends. Wisconsin also bars an employer from any adverse action over a garnishment at all, not just a first or single one.
Ask Ezel about your situation
This is the general rule in Wisconsin. Ezel applies current Wisconsin law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | Wis. Stat. ch. 812, subch. II (Earnings Garnishment), §§ 812.30 to 812.44, definitions, the exemption, the judicial-relief process, payment and priority rules, and the anti-retaliation rule. Court-ordered support withholding runs separately through ch. 767 (Wis. Stat. § 767.75). A DIFFERENT statute, Wis. Stat. § 815.18(3)(h) (the general "Property Exempt from Execution" chapter, used mainly in bankruptcy and non-earnings-garnishment execution), sets its own, separate net-income exemption, distinct from, and not the source of, ch. 812's earnings-garnishment rule |
|---|---|
| Maximum that can be garnished | Wis. Stat. § 812.34(2)(a): 80% of the debtor's disposable earnings are exempt, so 20% is the most an ordinary judgment creditor can reach, unless the debtor's earnings are totally exempt under par. (b) (poverty-line household income, or need-based public assistance) or further reduced under par. (c) (if 20% would push household income below the poverty line). Chapter 812's own text sets no separate dollar-floor or minimum-wage-multiple prong at all; the exemption is a flat percentage, adjusted only by the poverty-line/public-assistance provisions |
| State rule vs. federal floor | Wisconsin's flat 20% cap is already more protective than the federal CCPA's 25% (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)), so Wisconsin's own rule never needs to fall back on the federal minimum-wage-based prong to beat the federal floor. But because ch. 812 doesn't independently restate the federal 30x-minimum-wage floor the way most states' statutes do, that federal floor still operates in the background, as a backstop federal law itself guarantees, rather than as a rule written into Wisconsin's own text |
| Minimum-wage protected floor | Chapter 812 sets no minimum-wage-tied floor of its own, only the 80%/20% split and the poverty-line/public-assistance provisions. The federal CCPA's 30x-the-federal-minimum-wage floor (15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)(2)) still applies underneath Wisconsin's rule as a backstop by operation of federal law. A SEPARATE Wisconsin statute, § 815.18(3)(h) (part of the general execution-exemption chapter, not the earnings-garnishment subchapter), does set its own floor, 75% of net income exempt, but never less than 30 times the greater of the state or federal minimum hourly wage, and because Wisconsin's own minimum wage equals the federal $7.25 rate, that alternate floor also computes to $217.50/week. Several secondary sources, including this topic's own CTA template, describe that 30x-minimum-wage figure as if it were written into § 812.34 itself; it isn't, it comes from a different chapter |
| Support, tax & student loan debts | Section 812.34(1) excludes debts under a state or federal chapter 13 debt-adjustment plan, support debts, and unpaid taxes from the 80%/20% exemption entirely. Support withholding instead runs under ch. 767 (§ 767.75), following the federal CCPA's own support tiers (50-65% of disposable earnings depending on second-family and arrears status) rather than any separate Wisconsin percentage. Section 812.39(2) sets the interaction precisely: a support assignment always outranks an ordinary earnings garnishment regardless of which was served first, and if 25% or more of disposable earnings is already assigned for support, the ordinary creditor gets nothing; if less than 25%, the ordinary creditor's share is cut so the combined total never exceeds 25%. Federal student loan administrative garnishment (15% of disposable pay, 20 U.S.C. § 1095a) and IRS tax levies proceed under independent federal authority, unconstrained by Wisconsin's cap |
| Head-of-household/family exemption | Not a per-dependent dollar add-on, but a broad income-based version of the same idea: § 812.34(2)(b) makes earnings COMPLETELY exempt if the debtor's household income (the debtor's and dependents' earnings and other income together, as defined in § 812.30(8)) falls below the federal poverty line, or if the debtor receives, recently received, or has been found eligible for need-based public assistance; § 812.34(2)(c) separately trims even the ordinary 20% garnishment if it would push household income below the poverty line. Because "dependent" and "household income" are both defined around who the debtor actually supports, this functions as Wisconsin's version of a family-support exemption: structured as a means test tied to the poverty line rather than a fixed dollar figure per dependent |
| Multiple garnishments at once | Only one earnings garnishment runs against a debtor's pay at a time. Under § 812.35(6), if the garnishee is already subject to one or more unterminated earnings garnishments when a new one is served, the garnishee retains the new form and puts it into effect only in the pay period after the last pending garnishment ends: a strict serial queue, not a shared percentage. Section 812.40 reinforces this: even a written extension of an existing garnishment is automatically voided if a different creditor's garnishment is served on the garnishee before that extension takes effect. A ch. 767 support assignment always outranks this ordinary-creditor queue regardless of timing (§ 812.39(2)) |
| Protection from being fired | Wisconsin's anti-retaliation rule, § 812.43, is broader on its face than the federal rule and most peer states: it bars a garnishee from imposing any fee or taking any "adverse action against a debtor by reason of the garnishment of the debtor's earnings," full stop, with no limitation to a first or single garnishment, unlike the federal one-debt rule (15 U.S.C. § 1674) or states that just copy it. A violation gives the debtor a private right of action for reinstatement, back wages and benefits, restoration of seniority, other relief allowed by law, and reasonable attorney fees, a civil remedy, not the criminal penalty some other states attach to their anti-discharge rule |
Compare this rule across all 50 states + DC →
Requirements one by one
Governing law
The earnings-garnishment procedure — the exemption itself, the judicial-relief process, payment and priority rules, and the anti-retaliation rule — lives in one subchapter of the garnishment chapter, Wis. Stat. §§ 812.30 through 812.44. Court-ordered child and spousal support withholding runs on an entirely separate track, under ch. 767. A different statute again, § 815.18(3)(h), sets its own net-income exemption inside Wisconsin's general "property exempt from execution" chapter — a provision mostly invoked in bankruptcy cases, not the ordinary earnings-garnishment process this page covers.
Maximum that can be garnished
Section 812.34(2)(a) exempts 80% of disposable earnings — so an ordinary judgment creditor can reach at most 20% — unless a total exemption applies (household income below the poverty line, or need-based public assistance) or the 20% figure itself would push household income below the poverty line, in which case it's trimmed further. Notably, the earnings-garnishment statute's own text sets no separate dollar floor or minimum-wage multiplier at all; the rule is a flat percentage, adjusted only by the poverty-line and public-assistance provisions.
State rule vs. federal floor
Wisconsin's flat 20% cap already beats the federal CCPA's 25% rule, so Wisconsin doesn't need its own minimum-wage-based floor to be more protective than federal law. But because Wisconsin's earnings-garnishment statute doesn't independently restate the federal 30-times-minimum-wage floor the way most states do, that federal floor still applies underneath Wisconsin's rule only as a backstop guaranteed by federal law itself, not as language written into the state statute.
Minimum-wage protected floor
Chapter 812 doesn't set a minimum-wage-tied floor of its own. The federal 30-times-the-federal-minimum-wage floor still protects a very low earner as a backstop, by operation of federal law, even though Wisconsin's own earnings-garnishment text never mentions it. A separate Wisconsin statute, § 815.18(3)(h) — part of the general execution-exemption chapter, not the earnings-garnishment subchapter — does have its own floor: 75% of net income exempt, but never less than 30 times the greater of the state or federal minimum wage. Since Wisconsin's own minimum wage is $7.25, the same as the federal rate, that alternate floor also comes out to $217.50 a week. It's easy to see why several sources — including, as of this writing, the wage-garnishment claim-package template linked from this page — describe the "30x minimum wage" figure as if it were part of the earnings-garnishment cap itself. It isn't; it comes from a different chapter, used in a different context (chiefly bankruptcy).
Support, tax & student loan debts
Support debts, unpaid taxes, and debts under a state or federal chapter 13 debt-adjustment plan are excluded from the 80%/20% exemption entirely under § 812.34(1). Support withholding runs separately under ch. 767, following the federal CCPA's own support tiers — up to 50% of disposable earnings if you're supporting another spouse or child, 60% if not, more with significant arrears — not a separate Wisconsin percentage. When both a support assignment and an ordinary earnings garnishment exist at once, § 812.39(2) is precise: the support assignment always wins regardless of which came first, and if it already takes 25% or more of disposable earnings, the ordinary creditor gets nothing; if it takes less, the ordinary creditor's share shrinks so the combined total never tops 25%. Federal student loan collection (15% of disposable pay, administratively) and IRS tax levies proceed under their own federal authority, independent of Wisconsin's cap either way.
Head-of-household/family exemption
Wisconsin doesn't add a per-dependent dollar amount on top of the ordinary cap, but it has a broader version of the same protection: earnings are completely exempt if your household income — yours and your dependents' combined — falls below the federal poverty line, or if you receive, recently received, or have been found eligible for need-based public assistance. Even short of a total exemption, the ordinary 20% garnishment is trimmed if taking it would push your household below the poverty line. Because the statute defines "dependent" and "household income" around who you actually support, this functions as Wisconsin's version of a family-support exemption — a means test pegged to the poverty line, not a fixed dollar figure per dependent.
Multiple garnishments at once
Only one earnings garnishment can be active against a paycheck at a time. If a second creditor's garnishment is served while an earlier one is still running, the employer simply holds onto it and starts it the pay period after the first one ends — a strict queue, not a shared percentage split between creditors. This queue is strict enough that even a written agreement to extend an existing garnishment is automatically canceled if a different creditor's garnishment shows up before that extension takes effect. A support assignment, though, always cuts to the front of this line regardless of timing.
Protection from being fired
Wisconsin's rule here is broader than most: an employer may not impose any fee or take any adverse action against an employee "by reason of the garnishment of the debtor's earnings" — full stop, with no limit to a first or single garnishment the way federal law and several other states' rules work. If an employer violates this, the employee can sue for reinstatement, back wages and benefits, restored seniority, and attorney fees — a civil lawsuit remedy, rather than the criminal penalty some other states attach to their version of this rule.
What trips people up
The "30 times minimum wage" figure that shows up in a lot of Wisconsin wage-garnishment writeups — including the claim-package template linked from this page — isn't actually part of the earnings-garnishment statute that governs an ordinary judgment creditor's wage garnishment; it comes from a different Wisconsin statute (§ 815.18(3)(h)) used mainly in bankruptcy and other execution proceedings. The two provisions use different percentages (80% vs. 75%) and sit in different chapters, so don't assume they're the same rule stated twice. It's also easy to overlook that only ONE earnings garnishment can run at a time in Wisconsin — a second creditor doesn't split the 20% with the first; they simply wait. And because Wisconsin recognizes marital property, a debtor's spouse can be named too: the statute's own definition of "debtor" includes "the judgment debtor's spouse whose earnings are marital property," so a spouse's paycheck isn't automatically off-limits for one spouse's debt.
Common questions
Does Wisconsin have a minimum-wage-based floor for wage garnishment like most states?
Not in the earnings-garnishment statute itself — that statute sets a flat 80%/20% split with poverty-line-based protections, no minimum-wage multiplier. A different statute (used mainly in bankruptcy) does have a 30x-minimum-wage floor, but it isn't the rule that governs an ordinary court-ordered wage garnishment.
Can two creditors garnish my wages at the same time in Wisconsin?
No — only one earnings garnishment runs at a time. A second creditor's garnishment is held by your employer and starts only after the first one ends, unless the second is a support assignment, which always jumps the line.
Can my employer fire me for having my wages garnished more than once?
No — Wisconsin's rule bars any adverse action "by reason of" a garnishment, with no limit to a single garnishment, which is broader than the federal one-debt rule.
Statutes and sources
- Wis. Stat. § 812.34(2) — "(a) Unless the court grants relief under s. 812.38 (2) or par. (b) or (c) applies, 80 percent of the debtor's disposable earnings are exempt from garnishment under this subchapter... (c) If the garnishment of 20 percent of the debtor's disposable income... would result in the debtor's household income being below the poverty line, the amount of the garnishment is limited to the debtor's household income in excess of the poverty line." — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/812.34 (accessed 2026-07-05)
- Wis. Stat. § 812.34(1) — "The exemptions provided in this section do not apply if the judgment debt... (a) Was ordered by a court under s. 128.21 or by any court of the United States under 11 USC 1301 to 1330. (b) Is for the support of any person. (c) Is for unpaid taxes." — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/812.34 (accessed 2026-07-05)
- Wis. Stat. § 812.30 — "'Dependent' means the debtor's spouse if living in the debtor's household and any other individual whom the debtor is legally required to support... 'Disposable earnings' means that part of the earnings of the debtor remaining after deducting social security taxes and federal and state income taxes... 'Household income' means the disposable earnings of the debtor and dependents during any month in which the garnishment is in effect, plus unearned income..." — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/812.30 (accessed 2026-07-05)
- Wis. Stat. § 812.35(6) — "If the garnishee may become obligated to the debtor for earnings... but one or more earnings garnishments against the debtor have already been served on the garnishee and not terminated, the garnishee shall retain the earnings garnishment form and place the garnishment into effect the pay period after the last of any prior earnings garnishments terminates." — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/812.35 (accessed 2026-07-05)
- Wis. Stat. § 812.39(2) — "Court-ordered assignments of the debtor's earnings for support... regardless of the date the garnishee first receives notice of the assignment, take priority over an earnings garnishment under this subchapter. If the debtor's earnings are subject to assignment under s. 767.75, the creditor shall not be entitled to an amount greater than 25 percent of the debtor's disposable earnings less the amount assigned under s. 767.75." — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/812.39 (accessed 2026-07-05)
- Wis. Stat. § 812.43 — "a garnishee shall not impose any fee or take any adverse action against a debtor by reason of the garnishment of the debtor's earnings. If a garnishee violates this section, the debtor may bring an action for reinstatement, back wages and benefits, restoration of seniority, other relief allowed by law and reasonable attorney fees." — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/812.43 (accessed 2026-07-05)
- Wis. Stat. § 815.18(3)(h) — "Net income. Seventy-five percent of the debtor's net income for each one week pay period. The benefits of this exemption are limited to the extent reasonably necessary for the support of the debtor and the debtor's dependents, but to not less than 30 times the greater of the state or federal minimum wage." — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/815.18(3)(h) (accessed 2026-07-05)
- Wis. Stat. § 767.75(1f) — "A payment order constitutes an assignment of all commissions, earnings, salaries, wages, pension benefits... and other money due or to be due in the future to the department or its designee." — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/767.75(1f) (accessed 2026-07-05)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1673(a) — "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... whichever is less." — https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title15/USCODE-2011-title15-chap41-subchapII-sec1673 (accessed 2026-07-05)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1673(b) — "The maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings of an individual for any workweek which is subject to garnishment to enforce any order for the support of any person shall not exceed— (A)... 50 per centum... and (B)... 60 per centum." — https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title15/USCODE-2011-title15-chap41-subchapII-sec1673 (accessed 2026-07-05)
- 20 U.S.C. § 1095a(a)(1) — "the amount deducted for any pay period may not exceed 15 percent of disposable pay, except that a greater percentage may be deducted with the written consent of the individual involved." — https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section1095a&num=0&edition=prelim (accessed 2026-07-05)
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
Get the answer for your situation
You just read how Wisconsin handles this in general. Ezel applies current Wisconsin law to your facts and answers your specific question, with citations.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer cites the authority it relies on.