If a garnishment order is issued against your salary — whether for an alimony debt or any other debt — the law does not leave the matter open-ended. There are precisely defined maximum percentages, and a portion of your salary that can never be touched, no matter the debt.
📜 The Two Basic Percentages
Article 21 of the Execution Law explicitly states that wages and salaries may not be garnished except within two different maximum limits depending on the type of debt:
Maximum: half of the total wage or salary.
Maximum: one-third of the total wage or salary.
⚖️ When Alimony Competes With Other Debts
You might owe an alimony debt and another debt (a bank loan, for example) at the same time. The law resolves this competition clearly: half the salary is allocated to the alimony debt first, then one-third of the remaining half is allocated to the other debts combined — and if there are multiple other debts, this third is distributed among them according to Sharia and legal principles.
"Wages and salaries may not be garnished or executed against except in the following: (a) up to half of the total wage or salary for an alimony debt. (b) up to one-third of the total wage or salary for other debts. When these compete, half of the total wage or salary is allocated to the alimony debt, and one-third of the remaining half to the other debts; if these debts are multiple, this third is distributed among the creditors according to Sharia and legal principles."
🛡️ What Can Never Be Seized At All?
The same article protects other things from seizure entirely, regardless of the debt's value: state-owned funds, the home the debtor and those they legally support live in (to the extent the execution judge deems sufficient), their means of transport, what they need to practice their profession or craft personally, and their personal necessities.
If you find that a percentage greater than the limits mentioned above has been deducted from your salary under a court garnishment order, this exceeds what the law explicitly states and deserves immediate legal review — the law set these limits specifically to ensure enough remains for you to live with dignity.
✅ What Should You Do If Facing a Garnishment on Your Salary?
- Calculate the actual percentage deducted from your salary ("total wage") and compare it to the maximum limits above.
- If you have more than one debt, make sure the distribution follows the rule: half for alimony, and only one-third of the remaining half for the rest of the debts.
- If you discover an excess, file an objection before the competent execution judge who issued the garnishment order.
- Use Sanad to understand your exact legal steps if garnishment on your salary exceeds the legal limits.
- Execution Law, Royal Decree No. M/53 dated 13/8/1433H — Article 21