Money & Debt · Wage Garnishment
Wage Garnishment Laws in Louisiana
How much of your paycheck a creditor can take in Louisiana, 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 Louisiana wage garnishment calculator →
The limit and what is protected in Louisiana
How much a creditor can take, the pay that is exempt, and where it comes from in the code.
| Most a creditor can take | 25% of disposable earnings |
| How the limit works | The federal ceiling: 25% of disposable pay, or 30× the minimum wage protected |
| Fully protected pay | Seventy-five percent of your disposable earnings is exempt from seizure, and in no case can the exemption fall below 30 times the $7.25 federal minimum wage ($217.50) a week. So a creditor reaches at most 25% of disposable pay, and the first $217.50 a week is always protected. |
| 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 | La. R.S. 13:3881(A)(1) |
Louisiana frames the rule as an exemption rather than a cap: 75% of disposable earnings is exempt, so 25% is the most an ordinary creditor can reach, and the protected amount can never drop below 30 times the federal minimum wage a week. That produces the same result as the federal ceiling for consumer debt. The state does not add a head-of-household exemption on top for ordinary debts. Support orders cut the exemption to 50% for a child and 60% for a spouse, so those obligations can take more of your pay than a consumer judgment can.
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if your wages are being garnished in Louisiana. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Confirm the protected floor first
Under La. R.S. 13:3881, 75% of your disposable earnings is exempt, and the protected amount can never fall below $217.50 a week (30 times the federal minimum wage). If your take-home is at or below $217.50 a week, none of it should be garnished.
- Check whether the debt is support
The 25% cap is for ordinary consumer judgments. If the garnishment is for child support the exemption drops to 50%, and for spousal support to 60%, meaning a larger share can be taken. Identify the debt type so you know which figure applies.
- File to protect exempt earnings
If a garnishment or seizure reaches more than the law allows, or hits funds that are exempt, you can raise that with the court, usually within a short deadline on the paperwork. Keep copies of your pay records to show your disposable earnings.
- Get free Louisiana legal help
Louisiana Law Help connects you with free legal aid providers who can check the math, confirm the exemption, and respond to a seizure of wages. 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.
→ Louisiana Law Help (statewide legal aid directory)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 Louisiana workers get wrong
Louisiana gets to the same 25% ceiling as most states, but it writes the rule from the other direction. Instead of saying a creditor can take up to 25%, La. R.S. 13:3881 says 75% of your disposable earnings is exempt from seizure, and it adds that the exemption can never fall below 30 times the federal minimum wage, which is $217.50 a week. The practical result matches the federal rule: a creditor reaches at most 25% of disposable pay, and the first $217.50 of weekly take-home is always protected. Louisiana does not layer a head-of-household exemption on top for ordinary debts, so 25% is the answer on the number for a credit-card or medical judgment. Where the state parts from the consumer rule is support: the exemption drops to 50% of disposable earnings for child support and 60% for spousal support, which lets those obligations take a bigger share than an ordinary creditor ever could.
Common questions
How much of my paycheck can a creditor garnish in Louisiana?
For an ordinary consumer judgment, La. R.S. 13:3881 exempts 75% of your disposable earnings, so a creditor can take at most 25%. The protected amount can never drop below 30 times the federal minimum wage, which is $217.50 a week, so the first $217.50 of weekly take-home is always safe.
Why does Louisiana talk about a 75% exemption instead of a 25% limit?
It is the same rule written the other way around. La. R.S. 13:3881 protects 75% of your disposable earnings from seizure, which means a creditor can only reach the remaining 25%. The statute also sets a hard floor: the exemption is never less than 30 times the federal minimum wage a week.
Can more of my pay be taken for child or spousal support in Louisiana?
Yes. For a child support obligation the exemption drops to 50% of disposable earnings, and for a spousal support obligation it drops to 60%. That means support orders can reach a larger share of your paycheck than an ordinary consumer judgment, which is capped at 25%.
Does Louisiana have a head-of-household exemption for wage garnishment?
No. Unlike some states, Louisiana does not add a head-of-household exemption to shrink the percentage for ordinary consumer debts. Everyone gets the same protection: 75% of disposable earnings exempt, and never less than $217.50 a week.
What is disposable earnings under Louisiana law?
Disposable earnings is the part of your pay left after deductions required by law, plus certain reasonable, in-the-usual-course deductions for retirement, medical, and life insurance benefits that La. R.S. 13:3881 recognizes. The 25% is measured against that disposable figure, not your gross pay.
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.