IRS Wage Garnishment Table
How much can the IRS garnish from my paycheck?
When the IRS moves forward with your wage garnishment, your employer has no choice but to comply with the IRS and remit a portion of your wages to the agency to pay your tax bill. The IRS has more garnishment power than ordinary creditors insofar as it is not subject to the state and federal garnishment limitations, which means it can leave you with very little money each week to live on.
Below are tables that show how much the IRS can garnish from your paycheck. It is easy to see that most people are unable to survive once the IRS begins garnishing wages. We can typically have a garnishment released within 24-48 hours, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or need assistance in releasing a garnishment and protecting yourself from any future collection efforts.
The amount that the IRS will leave you after the garnishment is based upon the number of exemptions you claimed at work on your W-4 and the frequency of your paycheck. The IRS will send a table to your employer with the garnishment that tells them how much to leave you. The most important thing to remember is that this table tells them the maximum amount they can pay you, not the amount they can take through the garnishment. Anything above that amount goes to the IRS.
Filing Status: Single
| Dependents | Weekly | Biweekly | Semi-Monthly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $282.69 | $565.38 | $612.50 | $1,225.00 |
| 1 | $340.38 | $680.77 | $737.50 | $1,475.00 |
| 2 | $398.08 | $796.15 | $862.50 | $1,725.00 |
| 3 | $455.77 | $911.54 | $987.50 | $1,975.00 |
| 4 | $513.46 | $1,026.92 | $1,112.50 | $2,225.00 |
| 5 | $571.15 | $1,142.31 | $1,237.50 | $2,475.00 |
Filing Status: Married Filing Joint
| Dependents | Weekly | Biweekly | Semi-Monthly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $401.92 | $803.85 | $870.83 | $1,741.67 |
| 1 | $459.62 | $919.23 | $995.83 | $1,991.67 |
| 2 | $517.31 | $1,034.62 | $1,120.83 | $2,241.67 |
| 3 | $575.00 | $1,150.00 | $1,245.83 | $2,491.67 |
| 4 | $632.69 | $1,265.38 | $1,370.83 | $2,741.67 |
| 5 | $690.38 | $1,380.77 | $1,495.83 | $2,991.67 |
Filing Status: Married Filing Separate
| Dependents | Weekly | Biweekly | Semi-Monthly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $282.69 | $565.38 | $612.50 | $1,225.00 |
| 1 | $340.38 | $680.77 | $737.50 | $1,475.00 |
| 2 | $398.08 | $796.15 | $862.50 | $1,725.00 |
| 3 | $455.77 | $911.54 | $987.50 | $1,975.00 |
| 4 | $513.46 | $1,026.92 | $1,112.50 | $2,225.00 |
| 5 | $571.15 | $1,142.31 | $1,237.50 | $2,475.00 |
Filing Status: Head of Household
| Dependents | Weekly | Biweekly | Semi-Monthly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $355.77 | $711.54 | $770.83 | $1,541.67 |
| 1 | $413.46 | $826.92 | $895.83 | $1,791.67 |
| 2 | $471.15 | $942.31 | $1,020.83 | $2,041.67 |
| 3 | $528.85 | $1,057.69 | $1,145.83 | $2,291.67 |
| 4 | $586.54 | $1,173.08 | $1,270.83 | $2,541.67 |
| 5 | $644.23 | $1,288.46 | $1,395.83 | $2,791.67 |
Taxpayers 65 and Older and/or Blind
Taxpayers who are 65 or older and/or blind receive additional exemption amounts. The amounts shown in the tables above will be increased for each applicable condition:
| Condition | Weekly | Biweekly | Semi-Monthly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 or Older (Single) | +$38.46 | +$76.92 | +$83.33 | +$166.67 |
| 65 or Older (Married) | +$28.85 | +$57.69 | +$62.50 | +$125.00 |
| Blind (Single) | +$38.46 | +$76.92 | +$83.33 | +$166.67 |
| Blind (Married) | +$28.85 | +$57.69 | +$62.50 | +$125.00 |
These additional amounts are added to the base exemption amount for your filing status. If you are both 65 or older and blind, the additional amount is applied twice.
Wage Garnishment Examples
These examples illustrate how little an IRS wage garnishment leaves you with:
- Single, no dependents, paid biweekly: Your paycheck will be $565.38 and everything else will be sent to the IRS. If you earn $3,000 biweekly, the IRS takes $2,434.62.
- Single parent, 2 children, Head of Household, paid weekly: You will be left with $471.15 to provide for your family every week. If you earn $1,000 per week, the IRS takes $528.85. If you earn $2,000 per week, the IRS takes $1,528.85 every single week until the garnishment is released.
- Married Filing Joint, 3 dependents, paid monthly: Your take-home is capped at $2,491.67. If you earn $6,000 per month, the IRS garnishes $3,508.33.
No matter how much money you make, the IRS is going to leave you with the same amount of take-home pay -- the amount that is exempt from levy. Anything above that amount goes to the IRS. Be careful: if you try to make up for an IRS garnishment by working overtime, all of the extra money that you earn from that overtime is going to be sent to the IRS via the garnishment.
Because of this, there is not a set percentage that the IRS can take. If you do not make a lot of money, an IRS garnishment may only come out to them taking 30% of your pay. If you earn a lot of money, the IRS garnishment may result in the government keeping 80% or 90% of your pay.
We Can Release Your Garnishment in 24-48 Hours
Garnishments require immediate action because the IRS will continue to garnish your paycheck each and every pay period until the proper steps are taken to release the garnishment and get your account into a protected position.
If you do not know what to do to remove your garnishment, call Rick at (866) 573-3755 for a free consultation. He will let you know the steps it will take to release the garnishment, how quickly it can be released, and what needs to be done to prevent this from ever happening again.
Learn more about the full IRS wage garnishment process, including how to get it stopped and what your options are.
Your Next Steps
Give us a call at (866) 573-3755 today to talk to someone safe about your situation. There is no risk and no obligation. We can really simplify this entire process for you.