Money & Debt · Wage Garnishment
Wage Garnishment Laws in New Hampshire
How much of your paycheck a creditor can take in New Hampshire, 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 New Hampshire wage garnishment calculator →
The limit and what is protected in New Hampshire
How much a creditor can take, the pay that is exempt, and where it comes from in the code.
The near-total wage protection is for ordinary creditors only. Wages can still be reached for court-ordered child support and alimony, unpaid federal or state taxes, and defaulted federal student loans, all of which follow their own federal rules. And once your pay lands in a bank account it is no longer treated as wages, so a creditor with a judgment can try to freeze and levy that account.
| Most a creditor can take | None from wages for ordinary consumer debt |
| How the limit works | Ordinary consumer debt cannot be garnished from wages |
| Fully protected pay | Wages you earn after the garnishment writ is served on your employer are fully exempt, so a creditor cannot reach future paychecks. For the narrow pre-service snapshot the law allows on a judgment, wages up to 50 times the federal minimum wage per week ($362.50 at $7.25) are also exempt. |
| Other exemptions |
|
| Federal backstop | Not applicable — wages are protected from ordinary consumer garnishment here. |
| Statute | RSA 512:21 |
New Hampshire keeps a wage-attachment procedure in RSA 512 on the books, but it works nothing like a 25% garnishment. Because wages earned after the writ is served are fully exempt, an attachment can only reach a snapshot of wages already earned before service, not future paychecks, so there is no continuing garnishment for consumer debt. Practitioners report the process is seldom used because of its cost, the case-by-case court approval it requires, and these limits. Treat New Hampshire as functionally barring ordinary wage garnishment while confirming your own situation.
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if your wages are being garnished in New Hampshire. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Confirm what kind of debt the creditor is collecting
If the debt is an ordinary consumer or contract debt, a creditor generally cannot reach your ongoing New Hampshire wages, because RSA 512:21 exempts wages earned after the writ is served. If it is child support, alimony, taxes, or a federal student loan, different rules apply, so identify the debt type first.
- Watch for a bank account levy instead of a wage garnishment
Because deposited pay is no longer treated as wages, a judgment creditor may try to freeze your bank account rather than your paycheck. Track which funds stay exempt after deposit, such as Social Security or support you receive, and be ready to claim them.
- Raise the exemption if a creditor still tries
If a creditor attempts a wage attachment, point to the RSA 512:21 exemptions, including the full exemption for wages earned after service and the 50 times minimum wage floor for pre-service wages. File any objection or claim of exemption with the court by the deadline on your papers.
- Get free New Hampshire legal help
New Hampshire Legal Assistance and 603 Legal Aid help residents respond to collection cases and raise exemptions at no cost. 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.
→ New Hampshire Legal Assistance (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 New Hampshire workers get wrong
New Hampshire gives working people some of the strongest wage protection in the country, though it comes from the structure of the law rather than a flat ban. RSA 512:21 fully exempts wages for labor you perform after the garnishment writ is served on your employer. Because a creditor can never reach the paychecks you earn going forward, there is no continuing wage garnishment for ordinary consumer debt the way a 25% cap works in other states. The narrow attachment the law does allow reaches only a snapshot of wages you had already earned before service, and even that is protected up to 50 times the federal minimum wage per week, or $362.50 at $7.25. Practitioners note the process is rarely used because it is costly and needs case-by-case court approval. The protection is not total: child support, alimony, taxes, and defaulted federal student loans follow their own federal rules, and money loses its wage protection once it hits a bank account.
Common questions
Can a credit card company garnish my wages in New Hampshire?
For practical purposes, no. RSA 512:21 fully exempts the wages you earn after a garnishment writ is served, so an ordinary creditor cannot reach your future paychecks. The narrow attachment the law allows can only touch wages you had already earned before service, and even that is limited, so there is no ongoing garnishment for consumer debt.
Is wage garnishment ever allowed in New Hampshire?
Wages can still be reached for court-ordered child support and alimony, unpaid federal or state taxes, and defaulted federal student loans, which follow their own federal rules. For ordinary consumer debt, the wage-attachment procedure in RSA 512 exists but is seldom used and cannot reach the pay you earn after the writ is served.
What is the 50 times minimum wage exemption in New Hampshire?
For the narrow slice of pre-service wages a creditor might reach on a judgment, RSA 512:21 exempts the amount up to 50 times the federal minimum wage per week, which is $362.50 at $7.25. That is a higher floor than the federal 30 times ($217.50), on top of the full exemption for wages earned after service.
If my wages are protected, why did a creditor freeze my bank account?
The wage exemption covers your earnings while they are wages. Once your pay is deposited, it is treated as an ordinary bank balance rather than wages, so a creditor with a judgment can try to freeze and levy the account. Some deposited funds, such as Social Security, may still be exempt and can be claimed back.
Does the federal 25 percent garnishment limit apply in New Hampshire?
For ordinary consumer debt it does not really come into play, because New Hampshire's structure keeps a creditor from reaching your ongoing wages at all rather than capping them at a percentage. The federal percentage limits matter mainly for the debts that can still be garnished, such as child support and defaulted federal student loans.
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.