Garnishment Exemption

A wage or account garnishment feels like the ground being pulled from under you. In fact the law protects exactly that ground: a certain part of your income is exempt from garnishment so you can keep paying rent, food, and electricity. The garnishment exemption calculator makes that protected amount visible instead of leaving you in the dark about what stays with you.

The central provision is Section 850c ZPO. It sets a monthly basic allowance below which nothing may be garnished, and governs how above it only part of the excess can be taken. The exact amounts are adjusted every year on 1 July because they are tied to the development of the tax-free basic allowance. The calculator uses the current garnishment table so you do not calculate with outdated figures.

Your maintenance obligations are decisive. For every person you are legally obliged to support - children, spouse - your garnishment-free amount rises. The calculator asks for the number of dependents and raises the allowance accordingly, so families are not worse off than the law intends.

Maintenance garnishments follow their own rules. Under Section 850d ZPO the person you owe maintenance to can garnish deeper into your income than an ordinary creditor, because their claim takes priority. The calculator distinguishes this case so you do not assume the wrong exemption when it comes to arrears of child or spousal support.

The P-Konto is your most important protective instrument. Convert your current account into a garnishment protection account under Section 850k ZPO and the basic allowance is protected immediately and automatically - the money stays available even while an account garnishment runs. The calculator explains how P-Konto protection works and how you raise it with certificates for maintenance obligations or one-off social benefits.

One important closer: the calculator does not replace debt counselling. If the debt overwhelms you, the route to a recognised debt counselling service is the right one - up to consumer insolvency with debt discharge, which after three years enables a real fresh start. The calculator gives you the numbers and understanding to have that conversation informed. Everything runs in your browser; your income data is not stored.