Money & Debt · Wage Garnishment
Wage Garnishment Laws in Wisconsin
How much of your paycheck a creditor can take in Wisconsin, 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 Wisconsin wage garnishment calculator →
The limit and what is protected in Wisconsin
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 larger protected amount than the federal floor |
| Fully protected pay | 80% of your disposable earnings is exempt from an earnings garnishment, so a creditor can reach no more than 20%. On top of that, all of your earnings are fully exempt if your household income is below the poverty line, and the garnishment is reduced so it can never push your household income below the poverty line. |
| 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 | Wis. Stat. §812.34(2) |
Wisconsin protects more of a low-income paycheck than the federal rule by using a poverty-line test rather than only a minimum wage floor. Wis. Stat. §812.34(2) exempts 80% of disposable earnings, capping garnishment at 20% instead of the federal 25%. It then adds two poverty-line protections: earnings are totally exempt if household income is below the poverty line, and any garnishment is trimmed so it never drops household income below that line. The poverty schedules are set by the judicial conference and updated each July 1. A Wisconsin earnings garnishment also runs on a 13-week cycle, and the debtor can claim the exemption using the notice served with the garnishment.
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if your wages are being garnished in Wisconsin. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Check whether your household income is below the poverty line
Under Wis. Stat. §812.34(2) all of your earnings are fully exempt if your household income is below the federal poverty line. If a 20% garnishment would push you below that line, the garnishment is limited to the amount of household income above the line. This is Wisconsin's strongest protection, so check it first.
- Confirm the 20% ceiling and the 80% exemption
Even above the poverty line, a Wisconsin creditor can take no more than 20% of your disposable earnings, because 80% is exempt. That is below the 25% federal law allows, so check the math on any earnings garnishment against the 20% cap.
- Return the exemption notice on time
A Wisconsin earnings garnishment comes with an exemption notice (form CV-423). To claim the poverty-line exemption or any other, complete and return it to your employer and the creditor within the deadline stated on the papers. Keep a copy for yourself.
- Get free Wisconsin legal help
Legal Action of Wisconsin and WisLawHelp.org can explain the exemption notice and the poverty-line schedules and screen you for free representation. 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 Action of WisconsinThis 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 Wisconsin workers get wrong
Wisconsin protects a low-income paycheck more aggressively than the federal rule, and it does so with a poverty-line test rather than only a minimum wage floor. Under Wis. Stat. §812.34, 80% of your disposable earnings is exempt from an earnings garnishment, so a creditor can reach no more than 20% of your pay, below the 25% federal ceiling. Then come the poverty-line protections that make Wisconsin distinctive. If your household income is below the federal poverty line, all of your earnings are totally exempt. And if a 20% garnishment would drop your household income below that line, the garnishment is trimmed so it never does. The Wisconsin judicial conference publishes weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, and monthly poverty-line schedules and revises them each July 1, so the protected amount keeps pace with the current guidelines. You claim these exemptions using the notice served with the garnishment.
Common questions
How much of my paycheck can a creditor garnish in Wisconsin?
For an ordinary earnings garnishment, Wis. Stat. §812.34 exempts 80% of your disposable earnings, so a creditor can take at most 20%. That is below the 25% federal law allows. And if your household income is below the poverty line, all of your earnings are fully exempt.
How does the Wisconsin poverty-line exemption work?
Under Wis. Stat. §812.34(2), if your household income is below the federal poverty line, your earnings are totally exempt from garnishment. If taking 20% would push your household income below the poverty line, the garnishment is limited to the amount of household income above the line, so it never drops you below it.
Where do the Wisconsin poverty-line amounts come from?
The Wisconsin judicial conference sets weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, and monthly schedules by dividing the annual federal poverty line by 52, 26, 24, and 12. It revises those schedules every July 1 to reflect the current poverty guidelines, and the revised amounts apply to garnishments commencing after that date.
How do I claim the exemption in Wisconsin?
A Wisconsin earnings garnishment is served with an exemption notice, court form CV-423. To claim the poverty-line exemption or any other, complete the notice and return it to your employer and the creditor by the deadline on the papers. If you miss it, the garnishment proceeds as if you did not qualify.
What debts can still reach my paycheck in Wisconsin despite these limits?
The §812.34 exemptions cover ordinary earnings garnishments. They do not stop garnishment for child support or family support, unpaid federal or state taxes, or defaulted federal student loans. Those follow their own federal rules and can take a share of your pay regardless of the 20% cap and the poverty-line protections.
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.