Wage Garnishment Exemptions in Virginia:
How Much Can You Protect?
If a creditor is garnishing your paycheck in Virginia, you are not powerless. State and federal law cap how much can be taken, and the Virginia homestead exemption lets you recover a portion of what has already been withheld.
How much of your wages can be taken
For most judgment creditors, a wage garnishment in Virginia can take up to 25% of your disposable earnings each pay period. A bank account, by contrast, can be frozen in full until you claim an exemption.
How much you can protect with a homestead deed
The Virginia homestead exemption lets you protect up to $5,000 of money and personal property — up to $10,000 if you are 65 or older, plus an additional $10,000 if you are a veteran with a 40% or greater service-connected disability, and $500 more for each dependent you support. These figures are current as of July 2026 and will be adjusted for inflation starting April 1, 2027, and every three years after that, based on the Consumer Price Index.
See How Much You May Be Able to Recover
Answer a few quick questions about your situation. This is an estimate only, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
The exemption renews every 8 years
Amounts you previously claimed count against your maximum for eight years; after eight years, a homestead deed you filed long ago no longer reduces what you can protect today.
How to claim it
Record a Virginia Homestead Deed in your Circuit Court land records, then assert your homestead claim in the court handling the garnishment — usually the General District Court that issued the summons — before or on the return date (court date). Start your homestead deed online, or read how to stop a garnishment in Virginia.