Updated for 2026 guidelines
Michigan Child Support Wage Garnishment Calculator 2026
Most states let support withholding climb to 55, 60, or even 65 percent of disposable earnings under the federal tiers. Michigan stops at 50 percent, full stop, for everything support-related combined.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Estimate the Michigan withholding ceiling
Maximum weekly withholding for support: $400.00
That is 50% of disposable earnings under the Michigan cap for this situation (Mich. Comp. Laws 552.608), at or below the federal CCPA tier.
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| 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 (Mich. Comp. Laws 552.608)Total income withheld under all support-related orders (current support, arrears, fees, health-care premiums) shall not exceed 50% of the payer disposable earnings, as defined in 15 U.S.C. 1672.MCL 552.608 (50% withholding cap on disposable earnings) (Michigan 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.
Michigan cap under Mich. Comp. Laws 552.608; federal ceiling under 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)(2). Rules last reviewed 2026-08-06.
How income withholding works in Michigan
Michigan support orders are paid by income withholding as a default, administered by the Friend of the Court and routed through the Michigan State Disbursement Unit. The employer deducts from each paycheck according to the notice it is served with.
The ceiling is simpler here than in most states. MCL 552.608 says the total withheld under all support-related obligations, current support, arrears, fees, and health care premiums together, shall not exceed 50 percent of the payer disposable earnings. The federal Consumer Credit Protection Act would allow 55, 60, or 65 percent in some situations; Michigan law never lets support withholding get there.
Disposable earnings has the federal meaning from 15 U.S.C. 1672: pay left after deductions required by law, such as income tax withholding and Social Security. Deductions you chose, like a retirement contribution, do not shrink the base the 50 percent applies to.
The notice itself is governed by MCL 552.607, which requires the income withholding notice to state the amounts for current support and arrears, and gives the payer a way to contest a withholding they believe is wrong, including one that goes past the cap.
- Withholding ceiling
- A flat 50% of disposable earnings for all support obligations combinedsource
- Compared to federal law
- Stricter than the CCPA tiers, which run up to 65% (15 U.S.C. 1673(b))source
- Disposable earnings
- Pay after legally required deductions, per 15 U.S.C. 1672source
- Notice and contest
- MCL 552.607 governs the withholding notice and the contest proceduresource
How to use this estimate
Enter your weekly disposable earnings and answer the two federal-tier questions. In most states those answers move the ceiling between 50 and 65 percent. In Michigan they cannot: the tool takes the lower of the federal tier and the state cap, and the MCL 552.608 cap of 50 percent governs every combination.
Remember the cap is a ceiling, not the payment. Your order sets the actual support amount, usually plus a payment toward arrears, and the 50 percent line only bites when that total is large next to the paycheck.
If your pay stub shows support deductions above half of your disposable earnings, that is what the MCL 552.607 contest process exists for. Raise it with the Friend of the Court office on the case rather than with payroll, because the employer follows the notice it was served with.
What this estimate includes
- The flat 50 percent Michigan cap from MCL 552.608, applied over the federal tiers
- Disposable earnings figured from legally required deductions
- The federal CCPA tier your answers would select, shown for comparison
What it leaves out
- The actual withholding amount in your order and any arrears add-on
- Non-support garnishments, which follow different Michigan rules and lower limits
- Employer processing and allocation when several support orders compete
To see what your paycheck looks like after taxes before any withholding, the PayDecode take-home pay calculator covers that side of the math.Open the PayDecode paycheck calculator
Michigan garnishment FAQs
How much of a paycheck can Michigan withhold for child support?
At most 50 percent of disposable earnings, counting everything support-related together: current support, arrears, fees, and health care premium amounts. MCL 552.608 sets that flat cap, and it holds even where federal law would permit 55, 60, or 65 percent.
Do the federal 55, 60, and 65 percent tiers ever apply in Michigan?
Not to support withholding. The federal CCPA tiers are maximums, and a state may protect more of the paycheck than federal law requires. Michigan does exactly that with its 50 percent cap, so the second-family and 12-week-arrears questions that raise the ceiling elsewhere do not raise it here.
What counts as disposable earnings in Michigan?
The federal definition applies: earnings left after deductions required by law, like federal and state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare. Voluntary deductions, such as a 401(k) contribution or optional insurance, still count as disposable earnings when the 50 percent is measured.
What if my employer is withholding more than half my pay?
MCL 552.607 gives the payer a written way to contest an income withholding notice, and exceeding the statutory cap is the kind of mistake the process addresses. Contact the Friend of the Court office handling the case; the employer cannot change the deduction until the notice it follows changes.
Does support withholding need a separate garnishment lawsuit?
No. Income withholding is the standard payment mechanism built into Michigan support orders, started through the Friend of the Court without a separate creditor suit. Ordinary creditor garnishments are a different Michigan procedure with much lower limits and different forms.
What happens when two support orders hit one paycheck?
The 50 percent cap applies to the combined support withholding, not to each order separately. When the orders together would pass the cap, the available amount is allocated between the cases under the withholding rules, and the employer may not deduct past the ceiling.
Official sources
Official sources last verified: .
- MCL 552.608 (50% withholding cap on disposable earnings)
Michigan Legislature Last checked
- MCL 552.607 (income withholding notice; arrears statement; contest procedure)
Michigan Legislature Last checked
- 15 U.S.C. 1673 (CCPA garnishment limits: 50/55/60/65% for support)
U.S. Congress (text via Cornell LII mirror) Last checked
- DOL WHD Fact Sheet #30 (CCPA garnishment; rev. Dec. 2024)
U.S. Dept. of Labor WHD Last checked
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Changelog: page first published with the MCL 552.608 flat 50 percent cap and the federal tier comparison. Material changes are dated in the update log.