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Updated for 2026 guidelines

California Child Support Wage Garnishment Calculator 2026

Federal law would let support withholding reach 65 percent of a paycheck. California does not go there: by default, half of disposable earnings is off limits, a flat 50 percent cap that protects more of the check than the federal tiers.

Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log

Check the California support withholding ceiling

Earnings

Weekly pay left after deductions required by law, such as taxes (15 U.S.C. 1672). Voluntary deductions still count as disposable.

Situation
Does the paying parent support another spouse or dependent child?
Do the arrears cover a period more than 12 weeks ago?

Maximum weekly withholding for support: $400.00

That is 50% of disposable earnings under the California cap for this situation (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 706.052), at or below the federal CCPA tier.

How this limit was computed
Line itemAmount
Federal CCPA ceiling: 60% of disposable earnings (15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2))15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support) (U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror))$480.00
State cap: 50% of disposable earnings (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 706.052)One-half of disposable earnings is exempt: the default maximum withheld for support is 50%. On motion the court may equitably divide earnings, but never above the federal CCPA caps of 15 U.S.C. 1673.Code Civ. Proc. 706.052 (support withholding: 50% default cap) (California Legislature)$400.00
Maximum support withholding: 50% of disposable earnings15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support) (U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror))$400.00

Assumptions

  • Disposable earnings are earnings minus deductions required by law (15 U.S.C. 1672); voluntary deductions are not subtracted.
  • Obligor does not support another spouse or dependent child.
  • No arrears older than 12 weeks.

Estimate only. The court or state agency calculation controls.

California cap under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 706.052; federal ceiling under 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2). Rules last reviewed 2026-08-06.

Estimate only, and not certified for court use under California Rules of Court, rule 5.275. The earnings assignment order served on the employer controls the actual deduction.

How support withholding works on a California paycheck

Support in California is normally collected straight from wages. Family Code section 5230 makes an earnings assignment order part of every support order, telling the employer to deduct the support amount, plus any arrears payback, before the paycheck goes out.

The question is how much of a paycheck that deduction can consume, and California answers it differently than federal law. The federal Consumer Credit Protection Act sets ceilings of 50 or 60 percent of disposable earnings, rising to 55 or 65 percent when arrears are over 12 weeks old. Code of Civil Procedure section 706.052 takes a simpler line: for a support withholding order, one-half of disposable earnings is exempt. The default California maximum is 50 percent, full stop.

Because a state may always protect more of a paycheck than federal law requires, but never less, the working cap in California is the lower of the two numbers, which is the state’s 50 percent in every scenario. The federal tiers only matter as an absolute outer wall: a court asked to divide earnings among competing needs can adjust the split, but even then it may not authorize withholding beyond the federal CCPA limits.

Disposable earnings has the federal meaning: what remains after deductions required by law, like income tax and Social Security. Voluntary deductions, a 401(k) election or optional insurance, do not reduce the base the 50 percent applies to.

California cap
50% of disposable earnings by default; one-half is exemptsource
Federal CCPA tiers
50% / 55% / 60% / 65% by family status and arrears agesource
Which controls
The lower number: California’s 50% undercuts every higher federal tiersource
How withholding starts
Earnings assignment order required with every support order (Fam. Code § 5230)source

How to use this estimate

Enter your weekly disposable earnings and answer the two federal-tier questions, whether you support another spouse or child and whether arrears are over 12 weeks old. The tool computes the matching federal tier, then applies California’s 50 percent exemption on top and shows both lines, so you can see exactly where the state cap undercuts the federal one.

The cap is a ceiling, not the payment. Your actual deduction is the support amount in the earnings assignment order, plus any arrears component; the percentage matters only when that total is large relative to the paycheck.

If a court has equitably divided your earnings on motion, your order may differ from the default 50 percent, but it can never lawfully exceed the federal CCPA limits. Check the order itself against your pay stub.

What this estimate includes

  • The CCP § 706.052 default: 50% of disposable earnings withholdable, half exempt
  • The four federal CCPA tiers, computed and shown for comparison
  • Disposable earnings figured from legally required deductions

What it leaves out

  • The actual support and arrears amounts in your earnings assignment order
  • Court-ordered equitable divisions that move the percentage in your case
  • Priority and allocation when multiple withholding orders compete
  • Other garnishment types, which follow different and generally lower limits

California garnishment FAQs

How much of a paycheck can California withhold for child support?

By default, at most 50 percent of disposable earnings. Code of Civil Procedure section 706.052 exempts one-half of disposable earnings from a support withholding order, which is stricter than the federal tiers that run up to 65 percent. The 50 percent holds whether or not you support a second family and whatever the age of the arrears.

Why do other sites say 60 or 65 percent?

Those are the federal CCPA ceilings, and they are the right answer in states that simply adopt them. California legislated below the federal ceiling. Federal law sets a maximum states may not exceed, but a state may protect more of the paycheck, and California does: half the disposable earnings stay exempt by default.

Can withholding ever go above 50 percent in California?

Only by court order. An interested party can ask the court to divide earnings equitably, considering everyone the debtor must support, and the resulting order can depart from the default split. Even then, the statute forbids authorizing more than the federal CCPA limits of 15 U.S.C. 1673, so 65 percent is the absolute wall.

What counts as disposable earnings?

Earnings minus deductions required by law: federal and state income tax withholding, Social Security, Medicare, and mandatory state contributions. Voluntary deductions do not shrink the base, so a large 401(k) contribution does not lower the amount subject to the 50 percent cap.

Is wage withholding automatic in California support cases?

Effectively yes. Family Code section 5230 requires the court issuing a support order to also issue an earnings assignment order, which is served on the employer. Parties can agree to alternative arrangements the court approves, but withholding is the default collection method.

My pay stub shows more than half my disposable pay going to support. What now?

Compare the deduction against the earnings assignment order and the 50 percent default. Unless a court has ordered a different division, withholding above one-half of disposable earnings is more than the statute allows, and the local child support agency or the court that issued the order is the place to raise it.

Official sources

Official sources last verified: .

Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log

Changelog: page first published with the 50 percent state cap and the federal tier comparison. Material changes are dated in the update log.