Wage garnishment and exemptions in Oregon

How much of your pay a creditor can take in Oregon. Here is what is protected in your bank account, the property you can keep and how to claim an exemption.

Short answer

Here is Oregon's rule on wage garnishment. 75% of your disposable earnings are protected, and you always keep at least $400 a week for wages paid July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The law sets a separate amount for each longer pay period: $832 for two weeks, $912 for a half month and $1,792 for a month (ORS 18.385(2)). In a bank account: When a bank gets a garnishment, it must leave you full access to a base amount in all your accounts combined, starting at $2,500 and adjusted each July 1 for inflation (the current figure is posted by the Oregon Judicial Department).

Wage limit
Up to 25%
Federal benefits in a bank account
Up to 2 months protected
Law
ORS 18.385; ORS 18.785; ORS 18.348

Your paycheck and garnishment in Oregon

Wage limit
Stricter than federal. 75% of your disposable earnings are protected, and you always keep at least $400 a week for wages paid July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The law sets a separate amount for each longer pay period: $832 for two weeks, $912 for a half month and $1,792 for a month (ORS 18.385(2)). From July 1, 2027, the amounts are tied to the Oregon minimum wage (30 times the hourly minimum wage for a week), and the Oregon Judicial Department publishes them each year.
Law
ORS 18.385; ORS 18.785; ORS 18.348

Where Oregon protects more than the federal 25% cap (15 U.S.C. 1673(a)), the state rule wins.

In nearby states

What Oregon protects in a bank account

When a bank gets a garnishment, it must leave you full access to a base amount in all your accounts combined, starting at $2,500 and adjusted each July 1 for inflation (the current figure is posted by the Oregon Judicial Department). Exempt money such as wages (up to $7,500) and federal benefits stays protected in the account if it can be identified. (ORS 18.785(2)(j); ORS 18.348)

Your bank must automatically protect two months of directly deposited Social Security, SSI or VA benefits (31 CFR 212.5, 212.6). How garnishment follows a lawsuit.

More Oregon rules

  • Oregon protects a base amount in bank accounts automatically when a garnishment arrives (ORS 18.785).
  • 2024 (Or. Laws 2024 ch. 100): garnishment reform, including the automatic bank account protection (ORS 18.785) and higher wage floors (ORS 18.385).

Property you can keep in Oregon

  • Home: up to $150,000 of equity ($300,000 for two or more household members who owe the debt), adjusted yearly for inflation (ORS 18.395).
  • Vehicle: up to $10,000 (ORS 18.345(1)(d)).
  • Household goods up to $3,000 (ORS 18.345(1)(f)).

The lawsuit comes first in Oregon

If you don't respond in time, the court can enter judgment against you for the amount claimed plus fees.

The time to answer in Oregon: Circuit court: you must file an answer or motion within 30 days after you are served (ORCP 7 C(2)).

What to do if you are sued in Oregon

Protecting your pay and property in Oregon

  1. Read every notice

    Exemption deadlines on court, employer or bank papers can be short, so mark them at once.

  2. Work out what Oregon protects

    Oregon's wage rule: 75% of your disposable earnings are protected, and you always keep at least $400 a week for wages paid July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.

  3. Protect your bank money

    Oregon also protects money in an account: When a bank gets a garnishment, it must leave you full access to a base amount in all your accounts combined, starting at $2,500 and adjusted each July 1 for inflation (the current figure is posted by the Oregon Judicial Department). Two months of direct-deposited federal benefits must be left alone (31 CFR 212.6).

  4. Claim your exemptions in court

    Ask the court clerk for the exemption claim form and file it by the deadline. Start with Oregon court self-help (official).

  5. Talk to legal aid

    Free help in Oregon: Oregon DOJ Consumer Hotline and Oregon Division of Financial Regulation.

Questions about garnishment in Oregon

Can a creditor take my wages in Oregon, and how much?

Stricter than federal. 75% of your disposable earnings are protected, and you always keep at least $400 a week for wages paid July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The law sets a separate amount for each longer pay period: $832 for two weeks, $912 for a half month and $1,792 for a month (ORS 18.385(2)). From July 1, 2027, the amounts are tied to the Oregon minimum wage (30 times the hourly minimum wage for a week), and the Oregon Judicial Department publishes them each year.

Can a creditor empty my bank account in Oregon?

When a bank gets a garnishment, it must leave you full access to a base amount in all your accounts combined, starting at $2,500 and adjusted each July 1 for inflation (the current figure is posted by the Oregon Judicial Department). Exempt money such as wages (up to $7,500) and federal benefits stays protected in the account if it can be identified. (ORS 18.785(2)(j); ORS 18.348)

What property is protected from creditors in Oregon?

Home: up to $150,000 of equity ($300,000 for two or more household members who owe the debt), adjusted yearly for inflation (ORS 18.395). Vehicle: up to $10,000 (ORS 18.345(1)(d)). Household goods up to $3,000 (ORS 18.345(1)(f)).

Can a creditor garnish federal benefits in my bank account in Oregon?

Your bank must automatically protect two months of directly deposited Social Security, SSI or VA benefits (31 CFR 212.5, 212.6). When a bank gets a garnishment, it must leave you full access to a base amount in all your accounts combined, starting at $2,500 and adjusted each July 1 for inflation (the current figure is posted by the Oregon Judicial Department).

Related Oregon pages

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Federal sources