How to Collect Your Judgment in New Jersey

A New Jersey judgment is enforceable for 20 years, and can be renewed before it expires. A NJ judgment is enforceable for 20 years from docketing under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-5 and remains a statewide lien on real property for that period. The creditor may file a motion in the original court/case to revive (renew) the judgment for an additional 20-year term before the original period expires.

Yes. Garnishment in New Jersey can reach 10% of income if the debtor earns no more than 250% of the federal poverty level for the household size; otherwise federal CCPA limits apply (generally up to 25% of disposable earnings, or up to 25% for a debt owed to the State). Exemptions: Wage execution only reaches a debtor earning over $217.50/week. Federal CCPA caps apply. NJ's percentage cap (N.J.S.A. 2A:17-56) protects low earners (10% cap below 250% of poverty line).

Through Information Subpoena (written asset discovery; NJ Special Civil Part uses a written information subpoena rather than a routine in-person oral debtor's exam) (Appendix XI-L (Information Subpoena and Written Questions)) — the court orders the debtor to appear and disclose their assets under oath. Creditor serves the debtor an Information Subpoena by regular and certified mail (return receipt). The debtor must answer in writing within 14 days. Failure to answer is enforceable by contempt/motion. If unanswered within 21 days, the creditor may apply for a court order to serve information subpoenas on the debtor's bank, employer, or others who owe the debtor money. An information subpoena cannot be served on the same person more than once every 6 months without court approval. Forms are available from the Office of the Special Civil Part.

A Special Civil Part or other money judgment becomes a statewide lien on the debtor's NJ real estate when it is docketed with the Clerk of the Superior Court in Trenton. The creditor sends a signed copy of the judgment plus a statement for docketing to the Clerk of the Superior Court; the clerk records it in the statewide judgment index. The lien lasts 20 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 New Jersey-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 20 years and is renewable) and try again when their situation changes. We give you the tools, not a guaranteed payout.