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💼 Wage garnishment and exemption limits

How much of your income has been exempt from garnishment since 1 July 2026: basic exemption of €1,587.40 and supplements for maintenance.

wage garnishment garnishment exemption limit garnishment table basic exemption amount maintenance obligation employer

In brief

If a creditor has an enforceable title, they can have your wages garnished. Your employer then pays the attachable part to the creditor.

Part of your income always stays free. From 1 July 2026 the basic exemption is €1,587.40 net per month. For the first person you are legally obliged to support, €597.42 is added, and €332.83 for each further person up to the fifth. Above €4,866.30 net, the rest is fully attachable.

Step by step

  1. Check the garnishment and transfer orderIs it from the court, who is the creditor, how high is the claim?
  2. Tell your employer about maintenance obligationsThey increase the amount exempt from garnishment.
  3. Use the garnishment tableThe employer calculates the attachable amount using the table for the current notice.
  4. Get adviceDebt counselling helps with settlement and the insolvency route.

Deadlines

€1,587.40
Monthly basic exemption from garnishment, valid from 1 July 2026 (previously €1,555.00).Pfändungsfreigrenzenbekanntmachung 2026 vom 19.03.2026, BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 80 (zu § 850c ZPO)
€597.42 / €332.83
Additionally for the first person you must support, and for each further person up to the fifth.§ 850c Abs. 2 ZPO in Verbindung mit der Bekanntmachung 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 80)
€4,866.30
Net income above which the excess amount is fully attachable.§ 850c Abs. 3 Satz 3 ZPO in Verbindung mit der Bekanntmachung 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 80)
Watch out – common mistakes
  • The amounts are adjusted every year on 1 July (§ 850c Abs. 4 ZPO); always check the current table.
  • The statute itself states older amounts (for example €1,178.59); the annual notice is what counts.
  • People you support must be reported to your employer, otherwise too much will be withheld.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Legal basis

§ 850c ZPO determines which earned income is exempt from garnishment. The limits are adjusted every year on 1 July in line with the development of the basic tax allowance (§ 850c Abs. 4 ZPO). The Pfändungsfreigrenzenbekanntmachung 2026 of 19 March 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 80) is decisive; it applies from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.

Amounts from 1 July 2026

  • Basic exemption: €1,587.40 per month (previously €1,555.00)
  • First person entitled to maintenance: €597.42 (previously €585.23)
  • Further persons up to the fifth: €332.83 each (previously €326.04)
  • Full attachability from: €4,866.30 net (previously €4,766.99)

Weekly and daily rates

  • Basic exemption: €365.33 per week, €73.06 per day
  • First person entitled to maintenance: €137.50 per week, €27.50 per day
  • Further persons up to the fifth: €76.60 each per week, €15.32 each per day
  • Full attachability from: €1,119.90 per week, €223.99 per day

Above the limit

Above the limit, the excess amount is fully attachable (upper limit, § 850c Abs. 3 Satz 3 ZPO). Of the additional earnings below it, part remains exempt under § 850c Abs. 3 ZPO (according to the text of the statute three tenths, with further shares for maintenance obligations); the exact amounts are found in the garnishment table.

Who is responsible
  • Employer (calculation and payment to the creditor)
  • Amtsgericht (local court) – enforcement court
  • Debt counselling
Further reading
Protected account (P-Konto)Bailiff and asset disclosure

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Wage garnishment and exemption limits“?
How much of your income has been exempt from garnishment since 1 July 2026: basic exemption of €1,587.40 and supplements for maintenance.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
  • €1,587.40: Monthly basic exemption from garnishment, valid from 1 July 2026 (previously €1,555.00). (Pfändungsfreigrenzenbekanntmachung 2026 vom 19.03.2026, BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 80 (zu § 850c ZPO))
  • €597.42 / €332.83: Additionally for the first person you must support, and for each further person up to the fifth. (§ 850c Abs. 2 ZPO in Verbindung mit der Bekanntmachung 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 80))
  • €4,866.30: Net income above which the excess amount is fully attachable. (§ 850c Abs. 3 Satz 3 ZPO in Verbindung mit der Bekanntmachung 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 80))
What should I do first?
  • Check the garnishment and transfer order: Is it from the court, who is the creditor, how high is the claim?
  • Tell your employer about maintenance obligations: They increase the amount exempt from garnishment.
  • Use the garnishment table: The employer calculates the attachable amount using the table for the current notice.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • The amounts are adjusted every year on 1 July (§ 850c Abs. 4 ZPO); always check the current table.
  • The statute itself states older amounts (for example €1,178.59); the annual notice is what counts.
  • People you support must be reported to your employer, otherwise too much will be withheld.
Evidence
  • Pfändungsfreigrenzenbekanntmachung 2026 vom 19.03.2026, BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 80
  • Gesetze im Internet, ZPO § 850c, retrieved 20 September 2026
As of

September 2026 · Sources and method

A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.