The lawful maximum you may withhold on one paycheck, under the 2026 federal CCPA test and the stricter state rule
| Lawful maximum to withhold this period | — | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Federal CCPA cap | — | USD |
| State cap | — | USD |
| Protected earnings floor for this period | — | USD |
| Over-withheld on this check | — | USD |
| Over-withheld per year at this rate | — | USD |
| Room left to withhold this period | — | USD |
| Which rule binds | — |
Keep this calculation in the employee file.
Every cap on this page is free, with no key and no limit. The full version adds CSV export of this worksheet (inputs, binding rule, every cap) and a renewal alarm on the date a state minimum wage changes and the protected floor moves.
Get the full version — $60$60 once · one licence key per person or team seat · 7-day full refund. A US payroll compliance attorney bills $250-$400 an hour, and reviewing one earnings withholding order is about an hour of that time.
This page is the working piece. The full pack has everything below.
The lawful maximum you may withhold on one paycheck, under the 2026 federal CCPA test and the stricter state rule
A US payroll compliance attorney bills $250-$400 an hour, and reviewing one earnings withholding order is about an hour of that time.
Buy the full version — $60It takes one paycheck - gross pay, disposable earnings, pay period, state and order type - and returns the largest amount you may lawfully withhold on that check. It runs both halves of the federal CCPA Title III test and the stricter 2026 state cap, then tells you which of the two rules binds.
US payroll clerks and small-business bookkeepers who process an earnings withholding order by hand, without a payroll bureau. If you have ever applied the federal twenty-five percent line to a California or New York order, this is the check that catches it before the paycheck goes out.
The cap moves with the state minimum wage, so the protected floor changed again for 2026: California is 48 x $16.90, Washington 35 x $17.13, New York metro 30 x $17.00. A model trained earlier quotes last year's floor with total confidence, and a generic calculator usually applies the federal test only.
Every calculation is free and unlimited: all 8 jurisdiction rules, all 4 pay periods, all 3 order types, in the popup and on the web page, with no key and no watermark. The $60 key adds CSV export of the worksheet for the employee file and a renewal alarm when a state minimum wage changes and the protected floor moves.
A US payroll compliance attorney bills $250-$400 an hour, and reviewing one earnings withholding order is about an hour of that time. Getting it wrong costs both ways: withhold too much and you owe the employee the excess, withhold too little and most states let the creditor pursue you for the shortfall.
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