Overview Compliance Assistance Materials Basic Information Fact Sheets Applicable Laws and Regulations Related Topics and Links DOL Contacts Return to By Law Menu

Frequently Asked Questions What is a wage garnishment? Which Federal law regulates wage garnishment? To whom does the law apply?

OVERVIEW

The federal wage garnishment law, Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA), protects employees from discharge by their employers because their wages have been garnished for any one debt, and limits the amount of an employee's earnings that may be garnished in any one week. The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment Standards Administration (ESA) administers this Act.

COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE MATERIALS

BASIC INFORMATION

• Employment Law Guide: Wage Garnishment - Describes in easy to understand language the statutes and regulations administered by DOL that regulate wage garnishment.

FACT SHEETS

• Fact Sheet #30: The Federal Wage Garnishment Law, Consumer Credit Protection Act's Title 3 (CCPA) - Provides general information concerning the amount that may be withheld from a person's earnings under the CCPA and an employees' protection from termination because of garnishment for any single debt.

• Fact Sheet: Visits to Employers - Provides general information about the laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division.

APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS

• Consumer Credit Protection Act - Protects employees from discharge by their employers because their wages have been garnished for any one debt, and limits the amount of an employee's earnings that may be garnished in any one week.

• 29 CFR Part 870 - Regulations on the restriction on garnishment.

RELATED TOPICS AND LINKS

• Letter To Employer & Important Notice To Employer (PDF) - A wage garnishment form to be sent by federal employees to their employing agencies.

DOL CONTACTS*

• Employment Standards Administration (ESA)
  Wage and Hour Division
  200 Constitution Avenue, NW
  Room S-3502
  Washington, DC 20210
  Contact WHD
  Tel: 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243)
  TTY: 1-877-889-5627
  Local Offices

• For questions on other DOL laws,
  please call DOL's Toll-Free Help Line at 1-866-4-USA-DOL. Live assistance is
  available in English and Spanish, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Additional service is available in more than 140 languages through a translation service.
  Tel: 1-866-4-USA-DOL
  TTY: 1-877-889-5627

*Pursuant to the U.S. Department of Labor's Confidentiality Protocol for Compliance Assistance Inquiries, information provided by a telephone caller will be kept confidential within the bounds of the law. Compliance assistance inquiries will not trigger an inspection, audit, investigation, etc.