Ontario Wage and Bank Garnishment Estimator
Estimate
- Exemption branch
- Ordinary judgment debt
- Statutory exemption
- 80% of the wage base
- Percentage used
- 20%
- Statutory starting amount potentially exposed, per pay
- $0.00
- Exempt portion, per pay
- $0.00
- Annualised at the same rate
- $0.00
- Estimated pay periods to collect
- —
- Estimated months to collect
- —
- Notice of garnishment (issue/renew) fee
- $144.00
Protected funds. Employment insurance, social assistance, most pensions, and other statutorily protected funds may be exempt from garnishment.
Special rules. Federal or provincial government employees, federal Crown corporations, and members of the Canadian Armed Forces are subject to distinct garnishment regimes.
Process. Garnishment requires a valid Ontario judgment or order, correct forms, service on the debtor and garnishee, and payment of the notice-of-garnishment fee. Competing notices may affect distribution. Not every account balance is garnishable.
About this calculator
Ordinary wage garnishment in Ontario is governed by the Wages Act. Section 7 exempts 80% of net wages from garnishment, so up to 20% may be garnished. A court may increase or decrease that statutory exemption in an appropriate case. This calculator does not automate support enforcement, federal Crown or federal public servant garnishment, or the Canadian Armed Forces regime - those are governed by separate statutes and enforcement processes and should be checked directly.
Bank and other debt garnishments attach a debt payable to the debtor. When the debt is jointly payable to the debtor and someone else - including a typical joint bank account - Rule 20.08 of the Small Claims Court Rules uses a one-half share as its default mathematical assumption. That default does not mean half of every joint account is legally owned by the debtor: the actual share depends on the evidence, and a court may order a greater or lesser share.
Worked example
A debtor earns $1,600 net every two weeks and owes $5,000 on the judgment. At the default 20% wage garnishment, roughly $320 per pay is estimated, which would take about 16 pay periods - roughly 7.4 months - ignoring competing creditors and any change in employment.
On a $4,000 joint bank balance with a $2,500 judgment, the Rule 20.08 default mathematical share is 50%, giving $2,000 attributable. Because the attributable share ($2,000) is smaller than the judgment balance, the modelled estimate is $2,000. The actual amount depends on evidence of ownership and any court order.
What this estimator produces
This page produces a statutory starting amount potentially exposed to a notice of garnishment on the figures you enter. It is not a prediction of what a creditor will receive, and it is not a statement that any particular money can lawfully be taken. Exemptions, competing creditors, court orders, set-off, stays, protected funds, and the facts of service all sit between the starting amount and any payment.
Two separate modes exist because the arithmetic is genuinely different. Wage garnishment applies a statutory percentage to a wage base every pay period. Bank and other debt garnishment estimates a one-time debt payable by a third party to the debtor. The wage percentage is never applied to a bank balance.
How each mode is calculated
Wage mode. Section 7 of the Wages Act applies its exemption to wages after the deductions the employer is required by law to make. On an ordinary debt, 80% of that base is exempt, leaving 20% as the statutory starting amount. Where the garnishment enforces an order for support or maintenance, 50% is exempt, leaving 50%. A judge may increase or decrease either exemption, which is why the percentage can be overridden. Voluntary deductions are never subtracted from the base by this tool.
Bank and debt mode. The tool estimates the debt payable by the garnishee to the debtor, then limits it to the amount of the notice of garnishment or the judgment balance you enter, whichever is lower. Where the debt is payable jointly to the debtor and another person, Rule 20.08(2) makes one-half the default starting point, subject to a court order for a greater or lesser share.
| Mode | Base figure | Applied to the base | Result label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wage - ordinary debt | Wages after legally required deductions | 20% (80% exempt) | Statutory starting amount potentially exposed, per pay period |
| Wage - support or maintenance | Wages after legally required deductions | 50% (50% exempt) | Statutory starting amount, subject to judicial adjustment |
| Bank or other debt - sole | Debt payable by the garnishee to the debtor | Whole debt, capped by the notice amount | Starting amount potentially exposed, one time |
| Bank or other debt - joint | Debt payable jointly to the debtor and another | 50% default under Rule 20.08(2) | Default starting point, not an ownership finding |
Fixed rules versus your assumptions
| Element | Source | Who decides it |
|---|---|---|
| 80% / 50% wage exemptions | Wages Act, s. 7 | Fixed by statute, but a judge may increase or decrease either |
| Deductions excluded from the wage base | Wages Act, s. 7 | Only deductions required by law; voluntary ones stay in the base |
| One-half default on a jointly payable debt | Rule 20.08(2), O. Reg. 258/98 | Fixed default; the court may order a greater or lesser share |
| The wage figure you enter | The debtor's pay records | Your assumption |
| The bank balance or debt you enter | The garnishee's own records | Your assumption; only the garnishee knows the real figure |
| Whether funds are protected or exempt | The statute creating the payment | Not decided here; raise it on the record |
| Priority among competing creditors | The Rules and any court order | The court and the clerk, not this tool |
How the process runs, in outline
- The notice is directed to the branch or place where the debt is payable to the debtor.
- The debtor is generally served within five days after the garnishee is served.
- A garnishee generally pays into court within 10 days after being served, or after the debt becomes payable if that is later.
- A notice of garnishment is ordinarily issued within six years of the order and remains in force for six years, subject to the Rules and any renewal.
- The first payment is generally held for about 30 days so that other creditors and disputes can be dealt with.
- Competing creditors, other orders, and stays can change who is paid and when. A co-owner of a jointly payable debt has process and hearing rights.
- The creditor must terminate the garnishment once the judgment is fully paid.
None of this guarantees collection. A notice of garnishment can produce nothing at all if the employment has ended, the account is empty, the funds are exempt, or other claims rank ahead.
Three worked examples with the arithmetic shown
Example 1 - Ordinary debt, ordinary pay period
The debtor's wages for the period, after the deductions the employer is required by law to make, are $1,200. The employee also has $150 deducted for a voluntary savings plan, which is not subtracted. Ordinary exemption: 80% of $1,200 = $960 exempt. 20% of $1,200 = $240 is the statutory starting amount potentially exposed for that pay period.
Example 2 - Same base, support exception
On the same $1,200 statutory wage base, a garnishment enforcing support or maintenance uses the 50% exemption: $600 exempt and $600 as the statutory starting amount. A judge may increase or decrease that exemption on the facts, and support enforcement ordinarily proceeds through the Family Responsibility Office rather than through this route.
Example 3 - Jointly payable bank debt
A bank reports $2,000 payable on an account held jointly by the debtor and one other person. Rule 20.08(2) makes one-half the default starting point: $1,000. That figure is still limited by the amount of the notice of garnishment and by any court order, and it is not a finding that the debtor beneficially owns half the money. The co-owner can be heard on the question, and the court may order a greater or lesser share.
Common mistakes
- Applying the 20% wage percentage to a bank balance. It applies to wages only.
- Subtracting voluntary deductions from the wage base before applying the percentage.
- Reading the result as money the creditor will receive rather than a statutory starting amount.
- Treating the 50% joint default as proof of ownership.
- Assuming all pensions and benefits are, or are not, protected. Protection depends on the statute creating the payment and on the facts.
- Guessing at a bank balance. Only the garnishee's statement shows what is actually payable.
Limitations of this estimator
- It does not automate family-support enforcement through the Family Responsibility Office.
- It does not cover federal Crown, federal public servant, or Canadian Armed Forces garnishment, which are governed by separate regimes.
- It cannot classify funds as exempt or protected.
- It does not model competing creditors, priorities, set-off, or stays.
- It does not decide beneficial ownership of any account.
- It cannot tell you whether the notice was validly issued or served.
Before relying on these figures
- Confirm the judgment is enforceable and the balance is current, including post-judgment interest.
- Confirm the wage base from pay records, distinguishing required from voluntary deductions.
- Confirm which exemption branch applies, and whether any order has varied it.
- Identify the correct garnishee and the branch or place where the debt is payable.
- Check for exempt or protected funds and for other creditors already in line.
- Read the current text of Wages Act s. 7 and Rule 20.08 before filing anything.
Practical next steps
- Work out the enforceable balance first, including interest and recoverable costs, before choosing an enforcement step.
- Budget for the enforcement fee to issue or renew a notice of garnishment ($144.00), which is separate from the amount recovered.
- Keep the garnishee's statements: they are the only reliable evidence of what is actually payable.
- If you are the debtor or a co-owner, raise exemptions, protected funds, or ownership promptly rather than after payment out.
Sources, version notes, and revision history
The exemption percentages, the joint-debt default, and the process outline on this page were checked against the Wages Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. W.1, the Rules of the Small Claims Court (O. Reg. 258/98), and Ontario's Guide to procedures in Small Claims Court, after judgment. Links appear in the sources list on this page.
Revision note. On this review the wage mode gained an explicit support-or-maintenance exemption branch (50% exempt) alongside the ordinary branch, the wage base was relabelled as wages after legally required deductions, and every output was relabelled as a statutory starting amount potentially exposed rather than an amount that will be received.
Legal information reviewed: 21 August 2026. Checked against the official sources listed on this page. Rates, fees and rules change; confirm anything you rely on.
Frequently asked questions
Can more or less than 20% of wages be garnished?
Does the 50% joint-account default reflect ownership?
Is every bank balance garnishable?
What if there are other creditors?
Related calculator and guides
- Wage and bank garnishment after a Small Claims Court judgment
The Wages Act 20% rule, joint-debt defaults, protected funds, and what ownership questions the court decides.
- Small Claims Court costs and the section 29 cap
What you may add to the judgment debt before enforcing it.