Collect a Small-Claims Judgment the Debtor Has Not Paid

  1. Verify the judgment is final and no appeal is pending
    30 min

    A money judgment becomes enforceable only after the appeal window closes or the appeal is resolved. A collecting step taken too early can be suspended or undone, and it wastes the fees you paid for it.

    Check the docket.

    1. Open your court’s online case portal — most courts publish one; if yours does not, ask the clerk of the issuing court.
    2. Look up your case number and open the case docket.
    3. Find the judgment entry and note its docket entry number and date.
    4. Scan the docket after that entry for a notice of appeal, a motion to set aside, or a motion for new trial.
    5. If any of those appears, stop here and wait for the outcome before collecting.

    Appeal window. State rules commonly give the losing party 30 days to appeal, but the window varies by state and by court type. When the judgment is still inside that window, plan to wait it out.

    Record on your collection sheet — the case number, the judgment date and docket entry number, and the date the appeal window closes.