Bank account garnishment laws by state decide how much of your checking or savings balance a creditor can take after winning a judgment, and how long you have to object once the bank freezes the account.
This page puts those rules for all 50 states side by side, so you can find your state in seconds without guessing. The answer changes from state to state because each legislature writes its own exemption statute.
Some states leave a set amount in the account automatically, and many leave nothing unless you file a claim. Every row in this summary of bank account garnishment laws by state comes from that state’s own verified guide on this site, and the guide is where the full rule, the statute and the sources live.
Click any state below for its full bank account garnishment laws by state guide, with the statute citation, the sources and the figures behind each row.
Quick Facts — Bank account garnishment laws by state (2026)
- Shortest window to act: Nebraska gives 3 business days to claim an exemption, and Ohio gives 5 business days. Oklahoma and South Dakota each give 5 days after notice.
- Longest window to act: Maryland allows 30 days after notice. It is also one of the states that leaves $500 in a deposit account without the debtor having to elect it.
- Most common rule: 35 states have no automatic exemption at all. Money is protected there only if you claim it, and 29 states tie the claim deadline to the notice itself rather than to a fixed number of days.
- Highest and lowest automatic amounts: Massachusetts protects $2,500 per person in a bank or credit-union account, and New Mexico protects $2,400 in depository and investment accounts. Pennsylvania’s general exemption is $300 in total across accounts.
- The notable outlier: Delaware’s row lists the whole account, based on a rule about how Delaware banks are treated under the state’s garnishment law. Read the Delaware guide for exactly when that applies.
- What changes the answer for you: The type of debt and the source of your deposits both matter. Washington sets different protected amounts for consumer debt and private debt, and Nevada’s $2,000 protection applies when exempt money was deposited into the account.
- True in every state, and where to get help: In all 50 states the garnishment notice is what starts the clock or sets the deadline, so read it the day it arrives. Free help is usually available from a local legal aid office or the court’s self-help center.
Bank account garnishment laws by state — All 50 States Compared
The bank account garnishment laws by state table below shows the two figures that frame the question in every state. Here is what each column means:
Automatic Exemption = the amount or category the bank must leave alone without you filing anything; “none” means the state protects money only by its source or by a claim you file.
Claim Deadline = how long you have, after the levy notice, to file the claim of exemption that keeps protected money from leaving the bank.
| State | Automatic Exemption | Claim Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Alaska | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Arizona | none | 10 days after notice |
| Arkansas | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| California | $2,244 as of July 1 2025 — the minimum basic standard of adequate… | set by the notice; see guide |
| Colorado | none | 14 days after notice |
| Connecticut | the lesser of the account balance or $1,000, left in the account by… | set by the notice; see guide |
| Delaware | the whole account: Delaware banks are not subject to the state's… | set by the notice; see guide |
| Florida | none | 20 days after notice |
| Georgia | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Hawaii | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Idaho | none | 14 days after notice |
| Illinois | $1,000 of the $4,000 wildcard is applied automatically, but only… | set by the notice; see guide |
| Indiana | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Iowa | none | 10 days after notice |
| Kansas | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Kentucky | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Louisiana | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Maine | none | 20 days after notice |
| Maryland | $500 in a deposit account, without the debtor having to elect it; the… | 30 days after notice |
| Massachusetts | $2,500 per person in a bank or credit-union account is exempt from… | set by the notice; see guide |
| Michigan | none | 14 days after notice |
| Minnesota | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Mississippi | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Missouri | none | 20 days after notice |
| Montana | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Nebraska | none | 3 business days |
| Nevada | $2,000 (or the whole balance if less) when exempt money was deposited… | 10 days after notice |
| New Hampshire | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| New Jersey | none | 10 days after notice |
| New Mexico | $2,400 in depository and investment accounts for an individual or… | set by the notice; see guide |
| New York | 240 times the greater of the federal or New York minimum hourly wage… | 20 days after notice |
| North Carolina | none | 20 days after notice |
| North Dakota | none | 10 days after notice |
| Ohio | $400 — the garnishment order binds only money above $400 (R.C.… | 5 business days |
| Oklahoma | none | 5 days after notice |
| Oregon | a base protected account balance across all accounts at the bank —… | set by the notice; see guide |
| Pennsylvania | $300 in total across accounts (the general exemption, 42 Pa.C.S.… | set by the notice; see guide |
| Rhode Island | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| South Carolina | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| South Dakota | none | 5 days after notice |
| Tennessee | none | 20 days after notice |
| Texas | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Utah | none | 14 days after notice |
| Vermont | $700 in bank deposits is exempt (12 V.S.A. 2740(15)), and Vermont… | set by the notice; see guide |
| Virginia | $1,000 across all of the debtor's accounts at the bank, held… | set by the notice; see guide |
| Washington | automatically protected: $2,000 for consumer debt; $1,000 for private… | set by the notice; see guide |
| West Virginia | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Wisconsin | none | set by the notice; see guide |
| Wyoming | none | 10 days after notice |
Each bank account garnishment laws by state cell comes from the verified data behind that state’s own guide on this site, which prints the figure with the statute and the date it was read. Where a cell says “see guide,” the state’s rule needs more than one line, and the guide covers it in full.
Bank account garnishment laws by state: What Every State Shares
Under all bank account garnishment laws by state, the basic steps are the same. A creditor first has to win a court judgment. It then asks the court for a garnishment order directed at your bank. The bank freezes some or all of the balance and sends notice, and you get a limited time to tell the court that part of the money is exempt.
Only after that window closes, or after a judge rules on your claim, is the money paid over to the creditor.
The other shared feature is that protection usually has to be asserted, not assumed. In most states the bank holds everything it finds, and exempt money stays frozen until you file a claim. A minority of states build in an automatic floor. Ohio’s order binds only money above $400, Virginia keeps $1,000 across all of your accounts at the bank, and Connecticut leaves the lesser of the balance or $1,000.
Read side by side, bank account garnishment laws by state show one structure with very different starting protections.
Bank account garnishment laws by state: What Makes It Different
The biggest thing that moves the answer is the statute. Some states set a flat dollar figure, like Vermont’s $700 in bank deposits or Illinois, where $1,000 of the $4,000 wildcard is applied automatically. Others use a formula. New York ties its protected amount to 240 times the greater of the federal or New York minimum hourly wage, and California uses a figure of $2,244 as of July 1 2025.
Oregon protects a base balance across all accounts at the bank. Because each formula is set by a different law, bank account garnishment laws by state cannot be reduced to one national number.
How banks and courts handle the paperwork also matters, and so do your own choices. The deadline in the notice controls in 29 states, so the date printed on your paperwork matters more than any general rule. The kind of money in the account can change what is protected, as Nevada’s rule on deposited exempt funds shows.
And whether you file an exemption claim on time often decides whether protected money is released or paid out.
The deadline on your notice is the one date you cannot afford to miss. Under bank account garnishment laws by state, the window can be as short as 3 business days in Nebraska, so find your state’s guide and read the claim instructions as soon as the notice arrives.
Bank account garnishment laws by state: What to Do Next
Start by finding your state in the table and opening its full guide. Each state page carries the statute citation, the sources the figure came from, and the date that figure was verified, so you can check the rule yourself or show it to a lawyer or court clerk.
Then compare the claim deadline on your notice with the one listed for your state, and gather records that show where the money in the account came from.
This summary of bank account garnishment laws by state is a starting point. The state guide holds the details that apply to your case.
Next, use the site’s free tools to apply your state’s rule to your own numbers. They show how much of a given balance the state protects automatically and how much you would have to claim. If anything on the notice is unclear, a legal aid office or the court’s self-help center can explain the forms at no cost.
Bank account garnishment laws by state tell you what each side is allowed to do. What you do about a specific debt is your decision to make with that information.
Check what a levy can take from your account
Pick your state, enter the balance and where the money came from; the checker shows what is protected and the deadline to claim it.
Open the Levy Exemptions CheckerFind Your Bank account garnishment laws by state
Ready to see the bank account garnishment laws by state where you live? Click any state name in the table above, or browse the full category below.
Browse All Bank account garnishment laws by state Guides →
Related Master Guides
- Judgment Expiration by State
- Maximum Interest Rate by State
- Debt Statute of Limitations by State
- Payday Loan Rates by State
- Debt Collection Laws by State
- Small Claims Court Limits by State
- UTMA Age by State
- Money Rights Guides for All 50 States
Official Sources
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, garnishment: www.consumerfinance.gov — when a collector can reach a bank account or a paycheck
- 31 CFR Part 212 (eCFR): www.ecfr.gov — the two-month protection for directly deposited federal benefits
- State statutes and agency pages: linked inside each state guide, with the date each was read
Bank account garnishment laws by state data compiled from the verified figures behind each state’s guide on this site, which cites the statute and the source with the date each figure was read. Figures change by statute and by year, so each row links to the page that explains it. Last reviewed October 2026.
Disclaimer: This page is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Rules, deadlines and figures vary by state and change over time. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.