Salary garnishment in Colombia: non-attachable limit, one-fifth of the surplus, and 50% cap for alimony or cooperatives (calculation based on the 2026 minimum wage)

Short answer: If you earn the minimum wage, a debt with a bank or an individual cannot touch it. Only alimony payments and loans from legally authorized cooperatives can reach up to 50%. What follows is how to do the math without getting tangled up, because payroll is where most mistakes happen—both by employees who panic unnecessarily and those who calculate too little.

The figures in this article were read on October 4, 2026. The applicable percentages come from regulations established long before this year; what changes in 2026 is the value in pesos of the minimum wage, which is why the starting point for the calculation changes.

First: what paperwork the company needs to make a deduction

The employer cannot deduct, withhold, or offset part of your salary without a written order from you for that specific case or without a court order (Art. 149 of the Substantive Labor Code). There is an important nuance: if the deduction touches the legal or conventional minimum wage, or the non-attachable portion, a court order is required even if you have signed an authorization.

When a garnishment order arrives at the company, it is worth checking four pieces of information: the issuing court, the filing number, who the beneficiary is, and what exact percentage or quota is ordered. If any are missing, or if the order is unclear, the sensible approach is to request clarification from the court rather than improvising a deduction.

Ordinary debt: one-fifth of the surplus

For debts that are not alimony or from legally authorized cooperatives, the rule in Articles 154 and 155 is twofold. The legal or conventional minimum wage is non-attachable, and only one-fifth of the surplus over the monthly minimum can be garnished. The Constitutional Court confirmed this interpretation in Ruling T-864 of 2014.

The formula is as follows:

• Monthly salary minus $1,750,905 (the 2026 monthly minimum according to Decree 1469 of 2025).
• That surplus is divided by 5.
• If the salary does not exceed the minimum, there is nothing to garnish for ordinary debt.

Illustrative example, not an official table: With a monthly salary of $3,000,000, the surplus over $1,750,905 is $1,249,095, and one-fifth of that is $249,819. That is the maximum deduction figure for an ordinary debt in that case; the rest of the salary remains free.

Watch out for one detail: if your contract or a collective agreement sets a minimum higher than the legal one, that is the non-attachable floor, not $1,750,905. And if you manage the payroll for someone on minimum wage, look first at what that employee actually costs in our guide on the cost of a minimum wage employee in 2026, because the garnishment does not change what you pay, only who receives the money.

Alimony and cooperatives: up to 50%

Here the rule changes. Article 156 allows the garnishment of up to 50% of any salary in favor of legally authorized cooperatives or for alimony payments owed according to Article 411 of the Civil Code and related standards. This includes those earning the minimum: 50% of $1,750,905 is the maximum that could be ordered.

Two clarifications to avoid misunderstandings. First, 50% is a cap, not an automatic deduction: the alimony amount is set by the judge and must fall within that limit. Second, the cooperative must be legally authorized; the 50% cap does not extend to an informal lender. And who has the right to collect alimony is defined by law and the family court judge's order, not by a list someone copies from memory.

Here, "alimony" refers to support payments, not food. If you have questions about a specific payment, the answer is in the official document and, if you are not convinced, in the court that issued it.

What is included in the calculation base

Salary is not just the basic amount. According to Article 127, salary includes ordinary remuneration and everything received as direct consideration for the service: overtime, mandatory rest day surcharges, percentages of sales, and commissions. If your income varies each month, the calculation is based on what was earned in that specific month.

Transportation allowance is the most frequently asked exception. In 2026, it is $249,095 per month for those earning up to two minimum wages ($3,501,810), and Decree 1470 of 2025 defines it as a non-salary legal benefit. Furthermore, Article 128 excludes means of transport used to perform the role from salary. Practical conclusion: do not add it to the base for articles 154 and 155.

Social benefits follow a different rule. According to Article 344, they are non-attachable, except for debts to legally authorized cooperatives and for alimony, in which case the garnishment cannot exceed 50% of the benefit. In other words, severance pay or bonuses are not entirely shielded, but the one-fifth of the surplus rule does not apply to them either. If you are calculating a final settlement, review how to calculate the final settlement for voluntary resignation and keep in mind that if there is a garnishment, those benefits are governed by Article 344.

Payroll deduction (libranza) and garnishment are not the same

It is common to confuse them. A "libranza" or direct deduction is an agreement you sign with an entity, and Law 1527 of 2012 (Art. 3, numeral 5) requires that, after legal deductions, you must be left with at least 50% of your net salary or pension. Judicial garnishment, on the other hand, follows Articles 154 to 156 and requires a court order if it touches the non-attachable portion.

Do not add both "50%" limits as if they were the same operation: they have different origins and bases. And if you have already paid off a debt and want to clear your history, that is a different matter; see how to process a financial clearance and reporting to credit bureaus.

When multiple deductions arrive at the same time

If several garnishments coincide, each is applied within its own cap—the one-fifth of the surplus or the 50% for alimony or cooperatives—and according to what each order states. There is no single legal formula of "20% plus 50%." If the paperwork does not add up or contradicts itself, payroll should not invent the distribution: the correct action is to consult the court.

Regarding health and pension contributions: they are deducted according to their own regulations, and there is no basis for subtracting them again before calculating the one-fifth, unless the court order indicates the base on which the amount should be liquidated. In case of doubt, the court order prevails.

Something that affects everyone: the legality check of the minimum wage increase was still open in the Council of State on October 3, 2026, without a final ruling. As long as there is no ruling to the contrary, $1,750,905 is the amount applied. Verify the current figure at mintrabajo.gov.co before finalizing.

This guide does not replace reading the court order or seeking advice from a lawyer or accountant for your specific case. If you believe you were overcharged, keep the order and pay stubs and file a claim with the court that ordered the measure.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ If I earn the minimum wage, can my salary be garnished?

For an ordinary debt, no: the legal or conventional minimum wage cannot be garnished. The exceptions are debts to legally authorized cooperatives and alimony payments, which can reach up to 50% of any salary, including the minimum wage. The specific amount is set by court order (verify with the official source).

❓ How much is one-fifth in 2026?

It is one-fifth of the amount exceeding $1,750,905, not the entire salary. As an illustrative example, with $3,000,000 the surplus is $1,249,095 and one-fifth of that is $249,819. It is an arithmetic operation based on the law, not a different official table, and it does not apply if the salary does not exceed the minimum wage (verify with the official source).

❓ Is the transport subsidy subject to garnishment?

No. In 2026, the transport subsidy is $249,095 and Decree 1470 of 2025 defines it as a non-salary benefit for those earning up to two minimum wages. Therefore, it is not added to the base for articles 154 and 155 when calculating the deduction for ordinary debt (verify with the official source).

❓ Do alimony and cooperatives use the same 20%?

No. Article 156 of the Labor Code allows for garnishment of up to 50% of the entire salary for alimony payments or debts to legally authorized cooperatives, not just one-fifth of the surplus. The exact amount is defined by the court order and cannot exceed that 50% (verify with the official source).

❓ Can they garnish severance pay or the annual bonus (prima)?

As a general rule, social benefits are exempt from garnishment, regardless of the amount. The exceptions are debts to legally authorized cooperatives and alimony payments, and in those cases, the garnishment cannot exceed 50% of the benefit, according to article 344 (verify with the official source).

❓ Is a bank payroll deduction (libranza) the same as a court-ordered garnishment?

No. A 'libranza' requires that after legal deductions, at least 50% of the net salary or pension remains, according to Law 1527 of 2012. A judicial garnishment follows articles 154 to 156 and requires a court order if it affects the non-garnishable portion (verify with the official source).

❓ What do I do if payroll deducted too much?

A deduction that affects the minimum wage or the non-garnishable portion requires a court order, even if you signed an authorization. Save the court order and pay stubs and file a claim with the court that issued the measure. This article does not set a deadline or a fine in pesos for the employer (verify with the official source).