How much of my paycheck can they legally take for a debt?

Under federal law, there are strict limits on how much a creditor can take from your paycheck for a standard debt. The law states that "the maximum part of the aggregate disposable earnings of an individual for any workweek which is subjected to garnishment may not exceed (1) 25 per centum of his disposable earnings for that week, or (2) the amount by which his disposable earnings for that week exceed thirty times the Federal minimum hourly wage... whichever is less" [cite:us-title15-consumer-credit-sec1673]. Disposable earnings refers to the money you have left after the law requires your employer to take out certain things like taxes [cite:us-title15-consumer-credit-sec1672]. In your case, you mentioned your weekly take-home pay is about $800. If $800 is your disposable earnings, 25% of that would be $200. Since the collection agency took $250, they may have exceeded the federal limit of 25% [cite:us-title15-consumer-credit-sec1673]. However, the law also allows for different rules if the debt is for something else, like child support or taxes [cite:us-title15-consumer-credit-sec1673]. Because your debt is for a credit card, these higher limits for support orders do not apply to you. Additionally, the law protects your job; an employer cannot fire you just because your wages are being garnished for a single debt [cite:us-title15-consumer-credit-sec1674]. It is uncertain if the $250 amount is legal because we do not know your exact 'disposable earnings' (your pay after mandatory tax deductions) or the current federal minimum wage used for the second calculation. If your employer is following a specific state-regulated rule that is similar to federal law, the rules might be slightly different [cite:us-title15-consumer-credit-sec1675].