How much of your salary can be garnished from July 2026?

On 1 July 2026 the exempt amounts protected from wage garnishment rose. I explain how much net pay you keep, how maintenance obligations affect the figure, and what you can do now if your wages are being attached.

Has your employer received a garnishment and transfer order, and suddenly part of your salary has vanished? Or are you a creditor wondering how much a wage garnishment could realistically recover? Since 1 July 2026, new and higher exempt amounts apply — and anyone still working with last year’s figures is either giving away money or overestimating what they can reach.

In brief

Since 1 July 2026, your earned income is fully protected from garnishment up to 1,587.40 euros net per month, provided you have no maintenance obligations towards anyone. That protected amount rises further for every person you are legally required to support. Above the threshold, only a portion of the excess can be attached, and from 4,866.30 euros (with no maintenance obligations) everything beyond that is fully garnishable. The legal basis is section 850c of the Code of Civil Procedure (ZPO), read together with the annual exempt-amounts notice issued by the Federal Ministry of Justice, published in the Federal Law Gazette on 26 March 2026.

How I can help

• Checking whether your employer is applying the correct exempt amount
• Calculating the correct garnishable amount, taking your maintenance obligations into account
• Objecting to incorrect payroll calculations while a garnishment is running
• Applying to increase the protected amount where you face particular hardship (section 850f ZPO)
• Representing you before creditors, the bailiff and the enforcement court
• Advising on personal insolvency where the garnishment is no longer sustainable in the long term

The new exempt amounts since 1 July 2026

Under the 2026 exempt-amounts notice, which came into force on 1 July 2026 and applies until 30 June 2027, the figures have risen by roughly two per cent compared with the previous year:

• Basic exempt amount (no maintenance obligation): 1,587.40 euros per month remains protected in every case.
• First dependent (spouse/civil partner, child): an additional exempt amount of 597.42 euros.
• Second to fifth dependent: a further 332.83 euros per person.

These amounts apply regardless of whether the maintenance is child support, spousal maintenance or maintenance for other legally entitled dependants — what matters is that the maintenance obligation actually exists and that the maintenance is in fact being paid. If it is not being paid, the employer may not take that person into account in the calculation.

How the garnishable amount above the threshold is calculated

If you earn more than the basic exempt amount, the entire excess is not garnished. Section 850c(3) ZPO protects part of the amount above the threshold on a proportional basis as well:

• Of the excess income, three tenths (30%) remain protected in principle.
• For the first dependent, two further tenths are added.
• For the second to fifth dependent, one further tenth each.

So if you have five maintenance obligations, 3 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 9 tenths of the excess remain protected — only one tenth is within reach. This protection does, however, end at the upper garnishment limit: from 4,866.30 euros per month (with no maintenance obligations; correspondingly higher where such obligations exist), every further euro is fully garnishable. The precise intermediate calculation for your individual income and maintenance situation is best worked out with an up-to-date garnishment calculator or in a consultation.

How a wage garnishment unfolds — what happens now

1. Title and enforcement application: The creditor needs an enforceable title (for example a judgment or an enforcement order) and applies to the enforcement court for a garnishment and transfer order (PfÜB) against you as the debtor and your employer as the third-party debtor.
2. Service on the employer: The garnishment only takes effect once it is served on the employer. From that point the employer is obliged to withhold the garnishable amount and pay it over to the creditor.
3. Calculation by the employer: The employer must apply the exempt amounts correctly themselves — and in practice mistakes happen often here, particularly where there are several maintenance obligations or several garnishments running at the same time (order of priority!).
4. Your right to object: If the employer calculates incorrectly or fails to take maintenance obligations into account, you can raise this with both the employer and the enforcement court and demand a correction.
5. Application for adjustment (section 850f ZPO): Where you have particular needs — such as high additional expenses due to illness — the enforcement court can, on application, raise the protected amount beyond the statutory exempt figures.

Exceptions and special cases

• Several garnishments at once: Where more than one order exists, the priority principle applies in principle — whoever attaches first is paid first. Maintenance creditors enjoy a preferential rank under certain conditions.
• Maintenance obligations not disclosed: If the employer is unaware of a maintenance obligation, they apply the basic exempt amount without any increase. You must actively prove the obligation (for example with a birth certificate or a maintenance title).
• Special case — social benefits: Certain payments such as child benefit, parenting allowance or parts of social benefits are wholly or partly protected from garnishment and are treated differently in the calculation from regular earned income.
• The P-Konto (garnishment-protection account): Credit balances in a current account are subject to their own, similarly structured exempt amounts under the garnishment-protection account — which is legally distinct from wage garnishment, even though the two sets of rules are aligned with one another.

A practical example

A single employee with no maintenance obligations earns 2,400 euros net per month. His employer receives a garnishment and transfer order. After the exempt amount of 1,587.40 euros, an excess of 812.60 euros remains. Of that, three tenths (around 243.78 euros) stay additionally protected; the rest is garnishable in principle. When he presents the employer with a maintenance title for his child, the calculation shifts markedly in his favour: the basic exempt amount rises by 597.42 euros, and instead of three tenths, five tenths of the excess now remain protected. The garnishable amount falls noticeably — a typical illustration of how important it is to notify your employer of maintenance obligations promptly and with proof.

Common mistakes

• Maintenance obligations not proven: Many debtors assume the employer already knows about their children or spouse — but without proof, the employer calculates using the lower basic exempt amount.
• Simply accepting an incorrect calculation: Especially where there are several garnishments or changing exempt amounts from 1 July, payslips often go unchecked, even though calculation errors are common in practice.
• Applying for an increase too late: Those facing particular financial burdens often wait too long before making an application under section 850f ZPO, instead of bringing it before the enforcement court early.
• Avoiding contact with the creditor: Instalment arrangements or settlements are frequently never even attempted, although they can often end or ease a running garnishment.
• Putting off personal insolvency too long: Where the garnishment is no longer sustainable in the long term, the route to discharge of residual debt is often only considered far too late.

Frequently asked questions

Do the new exempt amounts apply automatically, or do I have to apply for something?

The basic exempt amount and the increase for proven maintenance obligations are applied automatically by the employer as soon as they are aware of the maintenance obligation. Only an additional increase on grounds of particular hardship under section 850f ZPO has to be applied for separately at the enforcement court.

What happens to a Christmas bonus or overtime pay?

These payments too generally count as garnishable earned income and are included in the calculation, in some cases under their own special rules for particular allowances. Whether an exception applies in a given case depends on the nature of the payment and should be checked specifically.

Can I get around the exempt amount by taking a second job?

No. Where you hold more than one employment, the income is generally added together for the purpose of calculating the exempt amounts, so the protection does not multiply.

What is the difference between wage garnishment and garnishment of a P-Konto?

Wage garnishment affects your salary directly at the employer, whereas the P-Konto protects the credit balance already paid out into your current account. Both sets of rules are similarly structured and aligned with one another, but they operate separately in law.

How long does a wage garnishment last?

A wage garnishment generally runs until the titled claim, together with interest and costs, has been paid off in full — unless it is ended sooner by a settlement, an instalment arrangement, cancellation of the order or insolvency proceedings.

Your next step

Whether you are a debtor who suspects an incorrect calculation, or a creditor who wants to know what a wage garnishment can realistically recover: applying the new exempt amounts from July 2026 correctly can make a difference of several hundred euros a month. I will assess your specific situation, calculate the garnishable amount reliably, and represent you before your employer, the creditor or the court. You can find more about my work in civil law at /en/topics/civil-law — arrange an initial consultation and I will go through the next steps with you.

This article provides general information and is no substitute for legal advice in an individual case. Last updated: 2026-08-05.

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