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Wage garnishment and exemptions in Oregon

How much of your pay a creditor can take in Oregon. Here is what is protected in your bank account, the property you can keep and how to claim an exemption.

Checked against official sources: Oct 24, 2026

Short answer

Here is Oregon's rule on wage garnishment. 75% of your disposable earnings are protected, and you always keep at least $400 a week for wages paid July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The law sets a separate amount for each longer pay period: $832 for two weeks, $912 for a half month and $1,792 for a month (ORS 18.385(2)). In a bank account: When a bank gets a garnishment, it must leave you full access to a base amount in all your accounts combined, starting at $2,500 and adjusted each July 1 for inflation (the current figure is posted by the Oregon Judicial Department).

Wage limit
Up to 25%
Federal benefits in a bank account
Up to 2 months protected
Law
ORS 18.385; ORS 18.785; ORS 18.348

How much can they take from your paycheck in Oregon?

Credit cards, medical bills and other ordinary debts, once a creditor has a judgment.

Pay after taxes and other deductions the law requires, before voluntary ones such as a 401(k).

Enter your take-home payThe most a creditor can take appears here.

An estimate, not legal advice.

Deadline and form to protect your money in Oregon

The papers from the court, your employer or your bank list the deadline to claim an exemption. Ask the court how to file the claim: Oregon court self-help (official).

Pay or bank account being taken? Claim an exemption →Get the exemption claim letter →

in the Debt lawsuits section

Your paycheck and garnishment in Oregon

Wage limit
Stricter than federal. 75% of your disposable earnings are protected, and you always keep at least $400 a week for wages paid July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The law sets a separate amount for each longer pay period: $832 for two weeks, $912 for a half month and $1,792 for a month (ORS 18.385(2)). From July 1, 2027, the amounts are tied to the Oregon minimum wage (30 times the hourly minimum wage for a week), and the Oregon Judicial Department publishes them each year.
Law
ORS 18.385; ORS 18.785; ORS 18.348

Where Oregon protects more than the federal 25% cap (15 U.S.C. 1673(a)), the state rule wins.

In nearby states

What Oregon protects in a bank account

When a bank gets a garnishment, it must leave you full access to a base amount in all your accounts combined, starting at $2,500 and adjusted each July 1 for inflation (the current figure is posted by the Oregon Judicial Department). Exempt money such as wages (up to $7,500) and federal benefits stays protected in the account if it can be identified. (ORS 18.785(2)(j); ORS 18.348)

Your bank must automatically protect two months of directly deposited Social Security, SSI or VA benefits (31 CFR 212.5, 212.6). How garnishment follows a lawsuit.

More Oregon rules

  • Oregon protects a base amount in bank accounts automatically when a garnishment arrives (ORS 18.785).
  • 2024 (Or. Laws 2024 ch. 100): garnishment reform, including the automatic bank account protection (ORS 18.785) and higher wage floors (ORS 18.385).

Property you can keep in Oregon

  • Home: up to $150,000 of equity ($300,000 for two or more household members who owe the debt), adjusted yearly for inflation (ORS 18.395).
  • Vehicle: up to $10,000 (ORS 18.345(1)(d)).
  • Household goods up to $3,000 (ORS 18.345(1)(f)).

Other kinds of debt follow other limits

  • Child support: a support order can take 50% or 60% of disposable earnings, depending on whether you support another family, and 55% or 65% for support over 12 weeks overdue (15 U.S.C. 1673(b)).
  • Federal student loans: no lawsuit is needed: up to 15% of disposable pay, after at least 30 days' written notice (20 U.S.C. 1095a).
  • Other debts owed to a federal agency: an agency can garnish up to 15% of disposable pay, and you keep at least 30 times the federal minimum wage a week (31 CFR 285.11).
  • Federal taxes: the IRS uses its own exempt amount, set by your standard deduction and dependents; give your employer the Statement of Dependents and Filing Status within 3 days (26 U.S.C. 6334(a)(9), (d); IRS wage levy rules).

The lawsuit comes first in Oregon

If you don't respond in time, the court can enter judgment against you for the amount claimed plus fees.

The time to answer in Oregon: Circuit court: you must file an answer or motion within 30 days after you are served (ORCP 7 C(2)).

Got court papers? Count your answer deadline →

in the Debt lawsuits section

What to do if you are sued in Oregon

Protecting your pay and property in Oregon

  1. Read every notice

    Exemption deadlines on court, employer or bank papers can be short, so mark them at once.

  2. Work out what Oregon protects

    Oregon's wage rule: 75% of your disposable earnings are protected, and you always keep at least $400 a week for wages paid July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.

  3. Protect your bank money

    Oregon also protects money in an account: When a bank gets a garnishment, it must leave you full access to a base amount in all your accounts combined, starting at $2,500 and adjusted each July 1 for inflation (the current figure is posted by the Oregon Judicial Department). Two months of direct-deposited federal benefits must be left alone (31 CFR 212.6).

  4. Claim your exemptions in court

    Ask the court clerk for the exemption claim form and file it by the deadline. Start with Oregon court self-help (official).

  5. Talk to legal aid

    Free help in Oregon: Oregon DOJ Consumer Hotline and Oregon Division of Financial Regulation.

Questions about garnishment in Oregon

Can a creditor take my wages in Oregon, and how much?

Stricter than federal. 75% of your disposable earnings are protected, and you always keep at least $400 a week for wages paid July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The law sets a separate amount for each longer pay period: $832 for two weeks, $912 for a half month and $1,792 for a month (ORS 18.385(2)). From July 1, 2027, the amounts are tied to the Oregon minimum wage (30 times the hourly minimum wage for a week), and the Oregon Judicial Department publishes them each year.

Can a creditor empty my bank account in Oregon?

When a bank gets a garnishment, it must leave you full access to a base amount in all your accounts combined, starting at $2,500 and adjusted each July 1 for inflation (the current figure is posted by the Oregon Judicial Department). Exempt money such as wages (up to $7,500) and federal benefits stays protected in the account if it can be identified. (ORS 18.785(2)(j); ORS 18.348)

What property is protected from creditors in Oregon?

Home: up to $150,000 of equity ($300,000 for two or more household members who owe the debt), adjusted yearly for inflation (ORS 18.395). Vehicle: up to $10,000 (ORS 18.345(1)(d)). Household goods up to $3,000 (ORS 18.345(1)(f)).

Can a creditor garnish federal benefits in my bank account in Oregon?

Your bank must automatically protect two months of directly deposited Social Security, SSI or VA benefits (31 CFR 212.5, 212.6). When a bank gets a garnishment, it must leave you full access to a base amount in all your accounts combined, starting at $2,500 and adjusted each July 1 for inflation (the current figure is posted by the Oregon Judicial Department).

Related Oregon pages

Sources and last check

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Federal sources