Wage garnishment in Hawaii
On these earnings, Hawaii caps ordinary garnishment at $154 a week. Figures assume $1,000 gross and $800 disposable earnings in a week, for ordinary consumer debt.
| Limit | Weekly maximum |
|---|---|
| Federal (Title III)15 U.S.C. §1673 | $200 |
| HawaiiHRS §652-1(a)(4) | $154 |
A marginal scale on monthly disposable earnings: 5% of the first $100, 10% of the next $100, and 20% of everything above $200. The rates apply to slices of the same paycheck, the way an income-tax bracket table does.
A portion of the defendant's wages... remaining after the deduction of any amounts required by law to be withheld by withholding the amount to be determined as follows: five per cent of the first $100 per month, ten per cent of the next $100 per month, and twenty per cent of all sums in excess of $200 per month, or an equivalent portion of the above amount per week.
What this does not cover
- The bands are MARGINAL, not a cliff. Selecting one rate for the whole paycheck — the way Minnesota's scale works — gives a materially different figure at every income level.
- §652-1(b) applies the same rates after judgment as before it.
Source: Hawaii State Legislature — HRS §652-1, read 2026-08-22.
Work out your own Hawaii garnishment
Already set to Hawaii. Enter your pay and this applies both limits — Hawaii’s and the federal one — and shows whichever binds. Disposable earnings are computed for you, so a voluntary deduction cannot quietly shrink the garnishment base.
Model the rest of this paycheck
Hawaii garnishment: common questions
How much of my paycheck can be garnished in Hawaii?
A marginal scale on monthly disposable earnings: 5% of the first $100, 10% of the next $100, and 20% of everything above $200. The rates apply to slices of the same paycheck, the way an income-tax bracket table does. On $1,000 gross and $800 disposable earnings a week, that works out to $154. Federal law alone would allow $200.
Do these limits cover child support or back taxes in Hawaii?
No. Every figure here is for ORDINARY consumer debt. Child support and alimony carry their own, much higher federal limits — 50% to 65% of disposable earnings depending on whether you support another family and how far in arrears you are. Tax levies and bankruptcy orders are separate again, and Hawaii carves out further exceptions listed above.
How much can be garnished for a federal student loan in Hawaii?
Hawaii's limit above does not apply. A defaulted federal student loan can be collected by administrative wage garnishment without a court judgment, "notwithstanding any provision of State law" (31 U.S.C. §3720D). The most it can take is 15% of disposable pay, and never so much that you keep less than 30 times the federal minimum wage — $217.50 a week (34 C.F.R. §34.19). On $800 of disposable earnings a week that is $120. Private student loans are different: they are ordinary consumer debt, need a court judgment first, and follow Hawaii's limit.
What counts as disposable earnings?
Under federal law it is gross pay minus deductions REQUIRED by law: income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and legally mandated retirement. A voluntary deduction does not reduce disposable earnings even though it reduces take-home pay — a 401(k), health premium, HSA or union dues do not shrink what can be garnished.
More on Hawaii pay and deductions
Hawaii paycheck calculator
Hawaii's own brackets, deductions and payroll assessments, with the sources behind each.
Where Hawaii ranks
What Hawaii leaves you against every other state on the same salary, and where a move gains most.
Hawaii unemployment benefits
How Hawaii works out a weekly benefit, for how long, and the caps either side of it.