Money & Debt · Wage Garnishment
Wage Garnishment Laws in Colorado
How much of your paycheck a creditor can take in Colorado, the pay that is fully protected, and what to do right now if a garnishment has started, cited to the statute.
Want your own number? Run your paycheck through the Colorado wage garnishment calculator →
The limit and what is protected in Colorado
How much a creditor can take, the pay that is exempt, and where it comes from in the code.
| Most a creditor can take | 20% of disposable earnings |
| How the limit works | A lower percentage cap than the federal 25% |
| Fully protected pay | Weekly disposable pay up to 40 times the higher of the Colorado or federal minimum wage is fully protected. Because the Colorado minimum wage is well above the federal $7.25, that floor is far larger than the federal $217.50, which uses only 30 times the federal minimum wage. |
| Other exemptions |
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| Federal backstop | The federal 25% / 30× minimum-wage floor also applies; a creditor can never take more than federal law allows. |
| Statute | C.R.S. §13-54-104 |
Colorado lowered its cap from 25% to 20% of disposable earnings and raised the floor from 30 times to 40 times the minimum wage under House Bill 19-1189, effective for writs of garnishment issued on or after October 1, 2020. The higher of the state or federal minimum wage applies. A separate 35% cap and 30-times floor still apply to garnishment of fraudulently obtained public assistance, not to ordinary consumer debt.
The 20% cap, the 40-times-minimum-wage floor, and the employer-health-insurance deduction all took effect for writs of garnishment issued on or after October 1, 2020, under House Bill 19-1189. Older writs may reflect the previous 25% / 30-times rule, so check the date of the writ.
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if your wages are being garnished in Colorado. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Confirm the 20% cap and 40-times floor
Under C.R.S. §13-54-104, a creditor can take only the lesser of 20% of your disposable pay or the amount by which your weekly disposable pay exceeds 40 times the higher of the Colorado or federal minimum wage. Both the lower percentage and the larger floor make Colorado more protective than the federal 25% rule.
- Subtract voluntary health-insurance premiums
Colorado excludes employer-provided health insurance that is voluntarily withheld from your pay before the garnishable amount is calculated. Make sure those premiums are being deducted, because leaving them in the base overstates what a creditor can take.
- Ask for a hardship reduction if you qualify
House Bill 19-1189 lets you ask the court to further reduce or eliminate the garnishment if you can show the withholding is necessary to support yourself or your family. File that request with the court, and keep records of your income and expenses.
- Get free Colorado legal help
Colorado Legal Services and the Colorado Judicial Branch self-help center can point you to the garnishment forms, the exemption process, and the deadlines. This is legal information, not legal advice, so confirm your own situation with a lawyer.
You do not have to face a garnishment alone. This resource can help you check whether an exemption applies and how to file the paperwork.
→ Colorado Legal Services (statewide legal aid)This is general legal information, not legal advice. Deadlines to claim an exemption are short and vary by court, so act quickly and confirm the specifics for your case.
What Colorado workers get wrong
Colorado made its wage garnishment law noticeably more protective in 2020. Under House Bill 19-1189, effective for writs of garnishment issued on or after October 1, 2020, C.R.S. §13-54-104 lowered the cap from 25% of disposable earnings to 20%, and it raised the protected floor from 30 times the minimum wage to 40 times. The statute uses the higher of the Colorado or federal minimum wage, and because the Colorado minimum wage sits well above the federal $7.25, that floor protects far more than the federal $217.50 a week. The same law added two more protections. Employer-provided health insurance that is voluntarily withheld from your pay is subtracted before the garnishable amount is figured, and you can ask the court to reduce or eliminate the garnishment entirely if you show it is necessary to support yourself or your family. A separate, harsher rule still applies only to fraudulently obtained public assistance, not to ordinary consumer debt.
Common questions
How much of my paycheck can a creditor garnish in Colorado?
For an ordinary consumer judgment, C.R.S. §13-54-104 lets a creditor take the lesser of 20% of your disposable pay or the amount by which your weekly disposable pay exceeds 40 times the higher of the Colorado or federal minimum wage. That is lower than the federal 25% cap and protects a larger floor.
When did Colorado lower its garnishment cap to 20%?
The 20% cap and the 40-times-minimum-wage floor took effect under House Bill 19-1189 for writs of garnishment issued on or after October 1, 2020. Before that, Colorado followed the federal 25% cap and 30-times floor. If your writ predates October 1, 2020, the older rule may apply, so check the date.
Does health insurance reduce my garnishable pay in Colorado?
Yes. Under the 2020 reforms, employer-provided health insurance that is voluntarily withheld from your pay is subtracted from your disposable earnings before the garnishable amount is calculated. That reduces the base a creditor can reach, so confirm the premium is being deducted.
Can I ask a Colorado court to lower a garnishment for hardship?
Yes. House Bill 19-1189 added a process to ask the court to reduce or eliminate the garnishment if you can show the withholding is necessary to support yourself or your family. You file the request with the court, ideally with documentation of your income and necessary expenses.
What debts can still reach my Colorado wages beyond the 20% cap?
The 20% cap applies to ordinary consumer judgments. Child support, spousal support, unpaid taxes, and defaulted federal student loans follow their own federal rules and can take more. A separate 35% cap and 30-times floor apply to fraudulently obtained public assistance, not to ordinary consumer debt.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.