How to Collect Your Judgment in Alaska
You already won. Here's how to actually get paid — debtor's exam, wage garnishment, bank levies, and property liens, with the exact Alaska forms and deadlines.
Your collection options in Alaska
Work them roughly in this order — find the assets first, then go after them.
Find the money — debtor's asset exam
Compels the debtor to disclose, under oath, where they bank, work, and what they own — the information every other step depends on.
The creditor can ask the court for a hearing where the debtor appears and is questioned about assets, so the creditor can decide how to execute. See CIV-550 (Execution Procedure: Judgment Creditor Booklet).
Garnish wages
Form CIV-525 (Writ of Execution for Garnishment of Earnings)Diverts part of the debtor's paycheck to you — up to Federal CCPA cap (generally 25% of disposable earnings); employer applies a formula and weekly/exempt-earnings protections apply.
Alaska creditors also frequently garnish the debtor's Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) using a Writ of Execution on PFD (CIV-502).
Filed with: clerk of court that entered the judgment; writ served on the employer
Levy the bank account
Form CIV-500 (Writ of Execution)Freezes and pulls non-exempt funds straight from the debtor's bank account.
Creditor obtains a Writ of Execution from the clerk and the process server/peace officer levies on (sweeps) the debtor's bank account; a brief waiting period applies after judgment (48 hours in small claims) before the writ issues.
Lien their real estate
Attaches to property the debtor owns for 10 years — you get paid when they sell or refinance. The cheap, passive backstop.
Record a certified copy of the judgment with the recorder's office in the recording district where the debtor's real property is located (AS 09.30.010).
Court fee: recorder's office recording fee (varies)
The fine print that matters in Alaska
How long your judgment lasts
A judgment is enforceable for 10 years (AS 09.35.020). If 5 years pass without a writ of execution outstanding, the creditor must get court permission to execute by motion (Civil Rule 69 / CIV-565 'Summons on Motion to Execute After 5 Years'). The judgment itself may be renewed/extended by court action within the 10-year period.
Interest while you wait
AS 09.30.070(a); rate is set per year, see court form ADM-505
What the debtor can protect (exemptions)
Alaska exemptions are adjusted by regulation (8 AAC 95). Homestead exemption is roughly $54,000-$72,900 of equity (periodically adjusted). Weekly wage/earnings exemption and household-support exemption apply; the Permanent Fund Dividend is partially reachable. Claim exemptions via CIV-531/CIV-515/CIV-537.
Alaska gotchas
Two clocks: judgment lasts 10 years (AS 09.35.020), but if 5 years pass with no execution outstanding the creditor needs a court order (CIV-565) to execute. Post-judgment interest is a floating statutory rate set each year (AS 09.30.070) — do NOT assume a fixed 10%. The PFD is a uniquely Alaskan collection target (CIV-502).
Let us prepare your Alaska collection paperwork
We prepare your Alaska-specific enforcement forms — debtor's exam, garnishment, levy, or lien — plus a plain-English playbook telling you exactly where to file and what each step costs. You file them; we never charge a cut of what you collect.
Collection firms take 33–50% of what they recover. On a $4,000 judgment that's $1,300–$2,000. Our flat fee keeps the rest in your pocket.
Alaska Judgment Collection FAQ
A Alaska judgment is enforceable for 10 years, and can be renewed before it expires. A judgment is enforceable for 10 years (AS 09.35.020). If 5 years pass without a writ of execution outstanding, the creditor must get court permission to execute by motion (Civil Rule 69 / CIV-565 'Summons on Motion to Execute After 5 Years'). The judgment itself may be renewed/extended by court action within the 10-year period.
Yes. Garnishment in Alaska can reach Federal CCPA cap (generally 25% of disposable earnings); employer applies a formula and weekly/exempt-earnings protections apply. Exemptions: Debtor may file CIV-531 'Claim of Exemption from Garnishment' (and CIV-515/CIV-537 for other exemptions). Weekly earnings exemption applies; larger exemption if the debtor's earnings alone support a household.
Through Judgment Debtor Hearing (examination of judgment debtor) — the court orders the debtor to appear and disclose their assets under oath. The creditor can ask the court for a hearing where the debtor appears and is questioned about assets, so the creditor can decide how to execute. See CIV-550 (Execution Procedure: Judgment Creditor Booklet).
Record a certified copy of the judgment with the recorder's office in the recording district where the debtor's real property is located (AS 09.30.010). The lien lasts 10 years.
You pay the court and sheriff their own filing/levy fees directly (usually modest, and recoverable from the debtor). Our Judgment Collection service is a flat $299 — we prepare your Alaska-specific enforcement forms and a step-by-step filing playbook; you file them. Compared with collection firms that take 33–50% of what they recover, that's hundreds to thousands less on a typical judgment.
Some debtors are "judgment-proof" — no job, no bank account, no equity — and no tool can squeeze money that isn't there. The honest play is the debtor's exam to confirm what exists, then keep the judgment alive (it lasts 10 years and is renewable) and try again when their situation changes. We give you the tools, not a guaranteed payout.
Collecting a judgment by county in Alaska
Where you file your garnishment or levy depends on the counties.
Anchorage Municipality
Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Fairbanks North Star Borough
Kenai Peninsula Borough
Juneau City and Borough
Bethel Census Area
Ketchikan Gateway Borough
Kodiak Island Borough
North Slope Borough
Nome Census Area
Sitka City and Borough
Kusilvak Census Area
All 30 counties in Alaska
Official Alaska sources
- https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/debt/collection.htm
- https://courts.alaska.gov/shc/debt/decision.htm
- https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/civ-550.pdf
- https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/civ-511.pdf
- https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/civ-502.pdf
- https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/civ-565.pdf
- https://law.justia.com/codes/alaska/title-9/chapter-30/article-1/section-09-30-070/
- https://public.courts.alaska.gov/web/forms/docs/adm-505.pdf
This page is general information about collecting a money judgment in Alaska, not legal advice. Forms, fees, and procedures change and vary by court — confirm the current requirements with the court that entered your judgment before filing.
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