How much of your wage must a bailiff leave you?
The minimum wage stays with you — that is the floor. Income is not seized where it does not exceed one month's minimum wage. Where the wage is higher, the debtor keeps an amount equal to the minimum wage plus one third of the part exceeding it, where the wage does not exceed five times the minimum wage. And dependants raise the shield: for each person the debtor maintains by law or pays maintenance to, the protected amount rises by one third of the minimum wage per month. One exception matters: this extra protection does not apply where the claim being enforced is child maintenance.
📋 The rules
- The minimum wage is not seized
- Above it: 1/3 of the excess also protected
- Up to five times the minimum wage
- Each dependant: +1/3 of the minimum wage
- For child maintenance the shield does not apply
🔓 Exceptions
- The dependants' shield does not apply when enforcing child maintenance
- Under certain conditions part of the minimum wage may also be seized
- The debtor must not be left below the subsistence minimum
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The protection is not automatic — you have to claim it. The bailiff does not know about your dependants unless you prove them: each child or other dependant raises the protected amount by a third of the minimum wage, but only if you submit the data. A second limit: under certain conditions part of the minimum wage can be seized, but a person must not be left below the subsistence minimum calculated by Statistics Estonia. Third: where child maintenance is being enforced the rules are harsher — the dependants' shield does not apply, because the claim itself exists to maintain a child. Talk to the bailiff: a payment schedule is almost always cheaper than seizure.
📎 Official sources
- Riigi Teataja · Code of Enforcement Procedure →
- Chamber of Bailiffs and Trustees →
- Labour Inspectorate · Legal help →
❓ Frequently asked
How much of the wage is left?
Income is not seized where it does not exceed one month's minimum wage. Above that, the debtor keeps the minimum wage plus one third of the amount exceeding it.
Do dependants increase the protection?
They do. For each person the debtor maintains by law or pays maintenance to, the amount not subject to seizure rises by one third of the minimum wage per month.
Is child maintenance treated differently?
It is. When child maintenance is being enforced, the additional dependants' protection does not apply, because the claim exists precisely to maintain the child.
Can the minimum wage itself be seized?
Under certain conditions part of it can be, but the debtor must not be left below the subsistence minimum calculated by Statistics Estonia. That is the absolute lower limit.
Does the protection apply automatically?
Not fully. The bailiff does not know about your dependants unless you prove them, so submit the data — otherwise more of your wage is seized than the law would actually allow.
🔎 Common searches
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