Wage garnishment and exemptions in Missouri
Missouri uses the federal 25% limit on wage garnishment. Below: bank accounts, the property Missouri lets you keep, and the steps to claim it.
Short answer
Missouri follows the federal limit on wage garnishment. For most people the federal limit applies (25% of take-home pay, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less). If you are the head of a family and a Missouri resident, no more than 10% can be taken. We could not confirm a general dollar amount protected in a bank account in Missouri; directly deposited federal benefits are still protected (31 CFR 212.6).
- Wage limit
- 25% (federal limit); 10% for head of family
- Federal benefits in a bank account
- Up to 2 months protected
- Law
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 525.030(2); § 513.440
How much of your pay can be garnished in Missouri
- Wage limit
- For most people the federal limit applies (25% of take-home pay, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less). If you are the head of a family and a Missouri resident, no more than 10% can be taken. These limits don't apply to support orders, bankruptcy orders, or state or federal taxes.
- Head of household
- Head of a family who lives in Missouri: garnishment capped at 10% of weekly earnings after required withholding (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 525.030(2)(1)(c)). A head of family may also claim $1,250 plus $350 per dependent child in other property, but 10% of wages is not covered by that exemption (§ 513.440).
- Law
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 525.030(2); § 513.440
Missouri is one of 17 states in our 48 state guides that use the federal limit (15 U.S.C. 1673(a)).
In nearby states
What creditors can't take in Missouri
- Home: $15,000 of value now; rises to $40,000 on January 1, 2027 (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 513.475, as amended by H.B. 1870 (2026)).
- Motor vehicles: up to $5,000, and up to $10,000 of the unused household-goods exemption can be moved to a vehicle (§ 513.430.1(5)).
- Household goods up to $15,000; any other property up to $1,700 (§ 513.430.1(1), (3)).
Good to know in Missouri
- Missouri gives heads of family extra wage protection: only 10% can be garnished (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 525.030).
- Missouri's homestead exemption jumps from $15,000 to $40,000 on January 1, 2027 (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 513.475).
- 2026: H.B. 1870 (merged with S.B. 835 & 1111) raises the homestead exemption to $40,000, effective January 1, 2027.
Money in your bank account in Missouri
Two months of federal benefits paid by direct deposit are off-limits to a garnishment, and the bank applies this on its own (31 CFR 212.5, 212.6). How garnishment follows a lawsuit.
Before a garnishment: the court case in Missouri
If you don't appear on the return date, the court can enter a default judgment against you.
Answer the lawsuit by the deadline. In Missouri: Associate circuit court (most debt cases): you do not have to file a written answer, but any affirmative defenses or counterclaims must be filed in writing by the return date and time on the summons, and you should be in court then (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 517.031).
How to claim an exemption in Missouri
Keep every paper
Note any deadline to claim exemptions on papers from the court, your employer or your bank; it can be short.
Apply Missouri's wage rule
Missouri's wage rule: For most people the federal limit applies (25% of take-home pay, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less). Head of a family who lives in Missouri: garnishment capped at 10% of weekly earnings after required withholding (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 525.030(2)(1)(c)).
Look at your bank account
Federal benefits paid by direct deposit are protected too (31 CFR 212.6).
Claim your exemptions in court
Ask the court clerk for the exemption claim form and file it by the deadline.
Talk to legal aid
Free help in Missouri: Missouri Attorney General Consumer Protection Hotline.
Questions about garnishment in Missouri
Can a creditor take my wages in Missouri, and how much?
For most people the federal limit applies (25% of take-home pay, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less). If you are the head of a family and a Missouri resident, no more than 10% can be taken. These limits don't apply to support orders, bankruptcy orders, or state or federal taxes.
Does Missouri protect more pay for a head of family?
Head of a family who lives in Missouri: garnishment capped at 10% of weekly earnings after required withholding (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 525.030(2)(1)(c)). A head of family may also claim $1,250 plus $350 per dependent child in other property, but 10% of wages is not covered by that exemption (§ 513.440).
What are Missouri's property exemptions?
Home: $15,000 of value now; rises to $40,000 on January 1, 2027 (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 513.475, as amended by H.B. 1870 (2026)). Motor vehicles: up to $5,000, and up to $10,000 of the unused household-goods exemption can be moved to a vehicle (§ 513.430.1(5)). Household goods up to $15,000; any other property up to $1,700 (§ 513.430.1(1), (3)).
More for Missouri
- Missouri: every collection right on one page
- Statute of limitations in Missouri: 10 years
- Sued by a debt collector in Missouri: date on the summons
- “Is my debt too old?” checker for Missouri
- Dispute a debt and ask for proof (validation letter)
- Tell a collector to stop or limit contact
- Wage garnishment limits by state
- Guide: sued by a debt collector
Wage garnishment in nearby states
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.110
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.320
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 525.030
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 513.430
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 513.440
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 513.475
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 517.031
- Missouri Division of Finance: Consumer Credit Licensing
- Missouri AG: Consumer Complaints
- CFPB: Debt collection (Regulation F)
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.340
Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.