How much of my Social Security can be garnished for debt?

Certain debts could eat away at a portion of your Social Security benefits, making it tough to cover your expenses. Nora Carol Photography/ When it comes to managing your retirement finances, there's typically little room for error. After all, it can be tough to cover even one major expense when you're living on a fixed income, and that's even more true in today's inflationary landscape , where the cost of living is rising rapidly. Things can be even more difficult, though, for the millions of seniors who are fully reliant on their monthly Social Security benefits to cover all of their expenses in retirement, especially if they're carrying high-rate debt. About 67% of seniors say that their Social Security benefits account for more than half of their retirement income, according to 2024 data from The Senior Citizens League , and about 27% say that their entire retirement income comes from these benefits. What's perhaps more concerning, though, is that the average retiree receives just over $2,000 in monthly Social Security benefits, but even those receiving the maximum — about $5,181 for 2026 — may have little room to cover unexpected expenses. Given how reliant many seniors are on Social Security, it's important to know how unpaid debt can impact these benefits, particularly when it comes to aggressive collection tactics like wage garnishment . …