How to Collect Your Judgment in New York
You already won. Here's how to actually get paid — debtor's exam, wage garnishment, bank levies, and property liens, with the exact New York forms and deadlines.
Your collection options in New York
Work them roughly in this order — find the assets first, then go after them.
Find the money — debtor's asset exam
Form Information Subpoena (CPLR 5224)Compels the debtor to disclose, under oath, where they bank, work, and what they own — the information every other step depends on.
The creditor (or creditor's attorney as officer of the court) serves an Information Subpoena with written questions on the debtor or third parties (banks, employers) to discover the debtor's money and property. The person served must answer the written questions within 7 days. The creditor may also subpoena the debtor for an oral examination/deposition under CPLR 5223-5224.
Garnish wages
Form Income Execution (CPLR 5231)Diverts part of the debtor's paycheck to you — up to Lesser of 10% of gross income OR 25% of disposable earnings; nothing may be withheld if weekly disposable earnings are at/below 30x the federal (or higher NY) minimum wage, and withholding cannot reduce disposable earnings below that floor.
Called an 'Income Execution' in NY. The sheriff/marshal first serves the debtor; if the debtor does not begin voluntary payments within 20 days, the income execution is served on the employer. Debtor may move to modify under CPLR 5231(i) or 5240.
Filed with: Income execution is issued by the creditor's attorney or the clerk and delivered to a sheriff (or, in New York City, a City Marshal), who serves it on the debtor and then on the employer.
Levy the bank account
Form Execution (CPLR 5230/5232); Restraining Notice (CPLR 5222)Freezes and pulls non-exempt funds straight from the debtor's bank account.
The creditor serves a Restraining Notice (CPLR 5222) on the bank to freeze up to twice the judgment amount, and/or delivers an Execution to the sheriff/marshal (CPLR 5230, 5232) to levy on and collect the funds. The Exempt Income Protection Act (CPLR 5222-a) requires exemption notices/forms and protects a baseline amount and exempt funds (Social Security, unemployment, workers' comp, pensions, support, etc.).
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.
A money judgment becomes a lien on the debtor's real property in a county when a transcript of the judgment is docketed with that county clerk (CPLR 5018, 5203). For judgments from lower courts, the creditor obtains a transcript of judgment and files it with the county clerk where the debtor owns real estate.
The fine print that matters in New York
How long your judgment lasts
A NY money judgment is enforceable for 20 years (CPLR 211(b)), but is a lien on real property for only 10 years (CPLR 5203). The creditor may commence a renewal action under CPLR 5014 during the year before the 10-year lien expires; the renewal judgment extends the real-property lien for another 10 years and is docketed as a 'renewal judgment'.
Interest while you wait
CPLR 5004. Effective April 30, 2022, consumer-debt judgments against natural persons accrue at 2% (CPLR 5004(b)); the general statutory rate remains 9% (CPLR 5004(a)).
What the debtor can protect (exemptions)
Exempt Income Protection Act (CPLR 5222-a) shields exempt funds (Social Security, SSI, unemployment, workers' comp, public assistance, pensions, child/spousal support) and a baseline minimum bank balance from restraint/levy. Wage exemptions track CPLR 5231 (30x-minimum-wage floor; 25% disposable cap). Real-property lien lasts 10 years (vs. 20-year judgment enforceability).
New York gotchas
Consumer-debt judgments against individuals carry a 2% (not 9%) post-judgment interest rate since April 30, 2022 — critical for consumer collections. The 20-year judgment life and the 10-year real-property lien are different clocks; renew the lien via a CPLR 5014 action in the year before year 10. Wage cap is the LESSER of 10% gross and 25% disposable, and nothing is reachable below the 30x-minimum-wage floor. Enforcement runs through a sheriff (or NYC City Marshal), not the clerk.
Let us prepare your New York collection paperwork
We prepare your New York-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.
New York Judgment Collection FAQ
A New York judgment is enforceable for 20 years, and can be renewed before it expires. A NY money judgment is enforceable for 20 years (CPLR 211(b)), but is a lien on real property for only 10 years (CPLR 5203). The creditor may commence a renewal action under CPLR 5014 during the year before the 10-year lien expires; the renewal judgment extends the real-property lien for another 10 years and is docketed as a 'renewal judgment'.
Yes. Garnishment in New York can reach Lesser of 10% of gross income OR 25% of disposable earnings; nothing may be withheld if weekly disposable earnings are at/below 30x the federal (or higher NY) minimum wage, and withholding cannot reduce disposable earnings below that floor. Exemptions: No deduction if weekly disposable earnings are 30x or less the prevailing (federal/state) minimum wage. Withholding limited to 25% of disposable earnings and may not push disposable earnings below the 30x-minimum-wage floor (CPLR 5231).
Through Information Subpoena (written asset discovery); deposition/examination of the judgment debtor also available under CPLR 5223-5224 (Information Subpoena (CPLR 5224)) — the court orders the debtor to appear and disclose their assets under oath. The creditor (or creditor's attorney as officer of the court) serves an Information Subpoena with written questions on the debtor or third parties (banks, employers) to discover the debtor's money and property. The person served must answer the written questions within 7 days. The creditor may also subpoena the debtor for an oral examination/deposition under CPLR 5223-5224.
A money judgment becomes a lien on the debtor's real property in a county when a transcript of the judgment is docketed with that county clerk (CPLR 5018, 5203). For judgments from lower courts, the creditor obtains a transcript of judgment and files it with the county clerk where the debtor owns real estate. 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 New York-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.
Collecting a judgment by county in New York
Where you file your garnishment or levy depends on the counties.
Kings County
Queens County
New York County
Suffolk County
Bronx County
Nassau County
Westchester County
Erie County
Monroe County
Richmond County
Onondaga County
Orange County
All 62 counties in New York
Official New York sources
- https://www.nycourts.gov/courthelp/AfterCourt/collection.shtml
- https://www.nycourts.gov/Courthelp/Aftercourt/informationSubpoena.shtml
- https://www.nycourts.gov/courthelp/AfterCourt/collectionBasics.shtml
- https://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/cvp/article-50/5004/
- https://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/cvp/article-50/5014/
- https://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/cvp/article-52/5231/
- https://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/cvp/article-52/5222/
- https://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/cvp/article-52/5222-a/
- https://nylag.org/oca-consumers-post-judgment-interest/
This page is general information about collecting a money judgment in New York, 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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