Ontario Wage and Bank Garnishment Estimator
Estimate
- Percentage used
- 20%
- Estimated garnishment per pay
- $0.00
- Estimated annualised
- $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.