How to Collect Your Judgment in Vermont
You already won. Here's how to actually get paid — debtor's exam, wage garnishment, bank levies, and property liens, with the exact Vermont forms and deadlines.
Your collection options in Vermont
Work them roughly in this order — find the assets first, then go after them.
Find the money — debtor's asset exam
Form Motion for Financial Disclosure (Form 100-00279); Financial Disclosure Affidavit (Form 100-00127)Compels the debtor to disclose, under oath, where they bank, work, and what they own — the information every other step depends on.
File a Motion for Financial Disclosure (100-00279) with the court that entered the judgment; court sets a hearing where the judge questions the debtor under oath about income and assets and can order payments. Debtor may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Affidavit (100-00127).
Garnish wages
Form Motion for Trustee Process – wages (Form 100-00506); non-wage Trustee Process (Form 100-00505)Diverts part of the debtor's paycheck to you — up to 25% of disposable weekly earnings (federal CCPA cap); exempt = greater of 75% of weekly disposable earnings or 30x the federal minimum wage.
Vermont calls wage garnishment 'trustee process'; the employer is the 'trustee.' Cannot file the motion until at least 30 days after judgment and no appeal pending. Court issues an order to the employer directing how much to withhold.
Filed with: Court that entered the judgment (Civil or Small Claims Division of the Superior Court)
Levy the bank account
Form Motion for Trustee Process – non-wage (Form 100-00505); Writ of Execution (Form 100-00502)Freezes and pulls non-exempt funds straight from the debtor's bank account.
File a Motion for Trustee Process (non-wage, 100-00505) naming the bank as trustee, or obtain a Writ of Execution (100-00502) directing the sheriff to levy on the debtor's non-exempt personal property and accounts.
Lien their real estate
Attaches to property the debtor owns for 8 years — you get paid when they sell or refinance. The cheap, passive backstop.
Record a certified copy of the judgment (judgment lien) in the land records of the town/city clerk where the debtor's real property is located under 12 V.S.A. § 2901–2902.
The fine print that matters in Vermont
How long your judgment lasts
Action on a judgment (and a judgment lien on real property) must generally be brought within 8 years under 12 V.S.A. § 506 / § 2903; a judgment lien recorded under 12 V.S.A. § 2901-2903 is good for 8 years from recording and may be renewed by re-recording. The underlying judgment can be enforced/renewed by bringing a new action on the judgment within the limitations period.
Interest while you wait
Interest on a judgment lien accrues at 12% per annum under 12 V.S.A. § 2903(e); statutory legal/judgment rate is 12% (1% per month) per 9 V.S.A. § 41a / 12 V.S.A. § 2903.
What the debtor can protect (exemptions)
Vermont homestead exemption is $125,000 (27 V.S.A. § 101). Personal-property exemptions under 12 V.S.A. § 2740 (motor vehicle to $2,500, tools of trade, household goods, wildcard, etc.). Wage exemption = greater of 75% disposable or 30x federal minimum wage. Public benefits (Social Security, SSI, unemployment, etc.) exempt.
Vermont gotchas
Wage garnishment is 'trustee process' – different terminology. Cannot start collection until 30 days after judgment and no appeal pending. Vermont uses state-numbered forms (1xx-xxxxx series), not letter-prefixed codes. Small claims judgments are collected through the Civil Division using the same process.
Let us prepare your Vermont collection paperwork
We prepare your Vermont-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.
Vermont Judgment Collection FAQ
A Vermont judgment is enforceable for 8 years, and can be renewed before it expires. Action on a judgment (and a judgment lien on real property) must generally be brought within 8 years under 12 V.S.A. § 506 / § 2903; a judgment lien recorded under 12 V.S.A. § 2901-2903 is good for 8 years from recording and may be renewed by re-recording. The underlying judgment can be enforced/renewed by bringing a new action on the judgment within the limitations period.
Yes. Garnishment in Vermont can reach 25% of disposable weekly earnings (federal CCPA cap); exempt = greater of 75% of weekly disposable earnings or 30x the federal minimum wage. Exemptions: The greater of 75% of disposable weekly earnings or 30x the federal minimum hourly wage is exempt; public benefits and other categories exempt (List of Exemptions, Form 100-00511).
Through Financial Disclosure Hearing (debtor's examination of ability to pay) (Motion for Financial Disclosure (Form 100-00279); Financial Disclosure Affidavit (Form 100-00127)) — the court orders the debtor to appear and disclose their assets under oath. File a Motion for Financial Disclosure (100-00279) with the court that entered the judgment; court sets a hearing where the judge questions the debtor under oath about income and assets and can order payments. Debtor may be required to file a Financial Disclosure Affidavit (100-00127).
Record a certified copy of the judgment (judgment lien) in the land records of the town/city clerk where the debtor's real property is located under 12 V.S.A. § 2901–2902. The lien lasts 8 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 Vermont-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 8 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 Vermont
Where you file your garnishment or levy depends on the counties.
Chittenden County
Rutland County
Washington County
Windsor County
Franklin County
Windham County
Addison County
Bennington County
Caledonia County
Orange County
Orleans County
Lamoille County
Official Vermont sources
This page is general information about collecting a money judgment in Vermont, 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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