Money & Debt · Wage Garnishment
Wage Garnishment Laws in Missouri
How much of your paycheck a creditor can take in Missouri, the pay that is fully protected, and what to do right now if a garnishment has started, cited to the statute.
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The limit and what is protected in Missouri
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% (10% head of family) of disposable earnings |
| How the limit works | A lower percentage cap than the federal 25% |
| Fully protected pay | Weekly disposable pay up to $217.50 (30 times the $7.25 federal minimum wage) is fully protected for everyone. A creditor can reach only the lesser of the applicable percentage cap or the amount above $217.50 a week. |
| 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 | Mo. Rev. Stat. §525.030 |
The head-of-family exemption reduces the garnishment percentage but is not automatic in practice; you generally have to identify yourself as a resident head of family, and courts use a claim or affidavit process to apply the 10% rate. The 10% cap applies only when the debt is not for the support of another person. Everyone else, and every debtor on a support, tax, or bankruptcy garnishment, is subject to the standard 25% / 30x federal minimum wage limit.
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if your wages are being garnished in Missouri. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Check whether you are a resident head of family
Under Mo. Rev. Stat. §525.030, a Missouri resident who is the head of a family has garnishment on an ordinary judgment capped at 10% of disposable pay instead of 25%. If you support family members and live in Missouri, this can cut the withholding more than half.
- Claim the head-of-family exemption in writing
The 10% rate is not always applied for you. After you are served, file the head-of-family exemption affidavit or claim with the court by the deadline on your papers. Missing it can leave you at the standard 25% cap.
- Confirm the protected floor
Whichever percentage applies, the first $217.50 of your weekly disposable pay cannot be touched, and a creditor takes only the lesser of the percentage cap or the amount above that floor. If your take-home is at or below $217.50 a week, none of it should be garnished.
- Get free Missouri legal help
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and Legal Aid of Western Missouri help residents claim exemptions and respond to garnishments at no charge. 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.
→ Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (statewide legal aid network)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 Missouri workers get wrong
Missouri stands out because it cuts the garnishment rate sharply for people who support a family. On an ordinary consumer judgment, Mo. Rev. Stat. §525.030 lets a creditor take up to 25% of your disposable pay, the same as the federal ceiling. But if you are the head of a family and a resident of Missouri, and the debt is not for supporting another person, the cap drops to just 10% of your disposable earnings. That is one of the lower ordinary-debt rates in the country. On top of the percentage cap, the first $217.50 of weekly disposable pay, which is 30 times the $7.25 federal minimum wage, is always protected, so lower earners often have nothing taken. The head-of-family rate is not always applied automatically, so you generally have to claim it after you are served. The 10% rate does not cover garnishments for child or spousal support, bankruptcy orders, or state and federal taxes, which follow separate rules.
Common questions
How much of my paycheck can a creditor garnish in Missouri?
On an ordinary consumer judgment, the standard cap under Mo. Rev. Stat. §525.030 is the lesser of 25% of your disposable pay or the amount above $217.50 a week. But if you are a Missouri resident and the head of a family, the cap drops to 10% of disposable pay, as long as the debt is not for supporting another person.
What is the Missouri head-of-family garnishment exemption?
It is a reduced garnishment rate. Under §525.030, a Missouri resident who is the head of a family has ordinary-judgment garnishment capped at 10% of disposable earnings instead of the usual 25%. The head of a family is someone who supports and maintains dependents connected by blood, marriage, adoption, or guardianship.
Is the 10% head-of-family rate applied automatically in Missouri?
Not usually. You generally have to identify yourself as a resident head of family and claim the exemption after you are served, often with an affidavit filed with the court. If you do not claim it by the deadline on your papers, the garnishment can proceed at the standard 25% cap.
What is the $217.50 protected amount in Missouri?
It is a weekly floor of pay that cannot be garnished at all. Missouri uses the federal formula: 30 times the $7.25 federal minimum wage equals $217.50 a week. A creditor can reach only the portion of your weekly disposable pay above that figure, and never more than the applicable 25% or 10% cap, whichever leaves you more.
Does the 10% head-of-family cap apply to child support in Missouri?
No. The reduced 10% rate covers ordinary consumer judgments. It does not apply to garnishments for the support of any person, to bankruptcy orders, or to state or federal tax debts. Support garnishments in particular follow their own higher federal limits and can take a much larger share of your 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.