The debtor is ignoring the court — what happens if they are hiding their money?

The guide shows you exactly how to find it. It walks you through filing an order for the debtor's examination, preparing the questions and document demands, running a public-record asset search, subpoenaing bank and financial records, and confirming the employer and wages. Once the assets are located, they are pursued through a recorded judgment lien, wage garnishment, or a sheriff's levy on the bank account.

How much will this cost me on top of winning the case?

Roughly US$150–$700 in filing, writ, recording, and sheriff fees, depending on your state's fee schedule. The guide also has you decide up front whether collection is worth the cost for your judgment before you start spending, so you are not committed to an effort that cannot pay for itself.

What if the debtor claims their money or property is exempt?

The guide screens the likely targets for exemptions before you commit to an enforcement method, so you will know which assets are legally reachable ahead of time. It also includes the step for answering a debtor's claim of exemption once one is filed against a garnishment or levy.

What if my debtor is in active bankruptcy?

Then this guide is not for you. It does not cover bankruptcy proceedings, and its prerequisites require confirming the debtor is not in active bankruptcy first, for example by checking PACER or the issuing court. If the debtor is in bankruptcy, talk to an attorney instead.

Collect on a judgment the other side is ignoring

Q: Do I need a lawyer to collect this judgment, or can I do it myself?

You can do it yourself with this guide. It is built around the calculation that for judgments up to roughly $50,000, a collection attorney or judgment buyer taking 30–50% of what is collected often is not worth it. Larger, complex, or multi-debtor cases may justify hiring a lawyer instead.

Q: Does this guide work in my state?

It follows US state-court procedure in template form, so the process translates across states. You will need to verify the specific forms and fee schedules for your own state, and the guide says so explicitly rather than pretending one set of paperwork works everywhere.

The debtor's assets located through public records and post-judgment discovery, the judgment abstracted and liened, wages garnished or bank accounts levied through the sheriff, exemptions anticipated, and the judgment renewed before it expires if collection runs long.

Fby Finito HQEchipa Finito

Created last monthUpdated 2 weeks ago

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Who it's for

People who won a money judgment in small claims or civil court and discovered the debtor simply is not paying. Best fit for judgments up to roughly $50,000 where a collection attorney or judgment buyer taking 30–50% of what is collected is not worth it; larger, complex, or multi-debtor cases may justify hiring a lawyer.

About this playbook

A win in court is a piece of paper; this guide turns it into money. You will take stock of what your judgment can legally reach, locate the debtor's bank accounts, employer, real property, and business interests through public records and a court-ordered examination, record an abstract of judgment to attach a lien, and force payment through wage garnishment or a sheriff's levy. It covers the exemption rules that make some targets untouchable, the exact paperwork for each enforcement method, and the renewal filing that keeps the judgment alive. It does not cover bankruptcy proceedings, fraudulent-transfer lawsuits, or appeals, and it follows US state-court procedure in template form — verify the specific forms and fee schedules for your state.

What you'll do, step by stepFree preview

5 phases · 20 steps

Only a sample is open: 3 of 20 steps can be read in full. The rest unlock when you buy.

Phase 1: Know your judgment and what it can reach
5 steps
Phase 2: Locate the debtor and the money
5 steps
Phase 3: Turn the judgment into a lien
3 steps
Phase 4: Force payment through garnishment and levy
4 steps
Phase 5: Collect to the end and keep the judgment alive
3 steps

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Details

Estimated duration13 hours 5 min

Steps20

Estimated budgetUS$150–$700 in filing, writ, recording, and sheriff fees

What you need first

A final, enforceable money judgment in your favor from a US court; the judgment debtor's legal name and last known address; confirmation that the debtor is not in active bankruptcy (check PACER or the issuing court); and access to the court that issued the judgment. State-specific forms and fee schedules apply.