Does the law set a cap on the amount of an employee´s wages that can be garnished?
A. Yes. The maximum amount of wages to be withheld, defined in ORS 18.385, is generally 25 percent of the employee´s disposable earnings – the net amount the employee receives after taxes. The law also says that an employer may not leave the employee with less than $170 of net disposable earnings in one week. When an employer is withholding wages because of back child support due, ORS 25.414 provides that up to 50 percent of the employee´s net disposable earnings may be withheld.
