How to Collect Your Judgment in Washington
You already won. Here's how to actually get paid — debtor's exam, wage garnishment, bank levies, and property liens, with the exact Washington forms and deadlines.
Your collection options in Washington
Work them roughly in this order — find the assets first, then go after them.
Find the money — debtor's asset exam
Form No statewide WPF form number; ordered by motion/order to appear under RCW 6.32Compels the debtor to disclose, under oath, where they bank, work, and what they own — the information every other step depends on.
File a motion/application for an order in supplemental proceedings under RCW 6.32 in the court that entered the judgment; the court issues an order requiring the debtor to appear and answer questions under oath about income, assets, bank accounts, and employment. Failure to appear can result in contempt and arrest.
Garnish wages
Form WPF GARN series – Application for Writ of Garnishment (WPF GARN 01.0100); Writ of Garnishment for Continuing Lien on EarningsDiverts part of the debtor's paycheck to you — up to Consumer-debt judgments: exempt = greater of 80% of disposable earnings or 35x the state minimum hourly wage (so up to 20% garnishable). Non-consumer judgments: exempt = greater of 75% disposable or 35x federal minimum wage (up to 25% garnishable)..
Washington gives consumers EXTRA protection: only 20% of disposable earnings is reachable on consumer-debt judgments (vs. 25% for other debts). May begin garnishment ~5 days after judgment entry. Continuing lien on earnings lasts 60 days.
Filed with: Clerk of the court that entered the judgment (Superior, District, or transcribed small-claims judgment) under RCW Chapter 6.27
Levy the bank account
Form WPF GARN 01.0200 (Writ of Garnishment – Debts Other Than Earnings – After Judgment)Freezes and pulls non-exempt funds straight from the debtor's bank account.
File an Application for Writ of Garnishment (WPF GARN 01.0100); the county clerk issues a Writ of Garnishment for debts other than earnings (WPF GARN 01.0200) served on the bank/financial institution as garnishee under RCW Chapter 6.27.
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 Superior Court judgment is automatically a lien on the debtor's non-exempt real estate in the county where entered (RCW 4.56.200). To create a lien in other counties (or from a district/small-claims judgment), file a certified abstract/transcript of judgment with the Superior Court clerk of that county.
The fine print that matters in Washington
How long your judgment lasts
RCW 6.17.020: a judgment is enforceable for 10 years from entry and may be renewed/extended once for an additional 10 years by filing a petition/application within 90 days before expiration (district/small-claims judgments transcribed to Superior Court follow the Superior Court rules).
Interest while you wait
RCW 4.56.110 sets judgment interest; RCW 19.52.020 / 4.56.110 fix the maximum/consumer rate at 9% and tort/other at 2 points above the 26-week Treasury or prime rate. The 9% consumer figure applies to judgments founded on consumer debt or written contracts up to the statutory max.
What the debtor can protect (exemptions)
Homestead exemption (RCW 6.13.030) is the greater of $125,000 or the county median sale price of a single-family home. Personal-property exemptions (RCW 6.15.010): household goods, $3,250 motor vehicle (one) or $6,500 (two), tools of trade, wildcard, etc. Wages: consumer judgments protect 80% of disposable earnings. Social Security, pensions, and public benefits are exempt.
Washington gotchas
Washington protects MORE wages from consumer-debt garnishment than federal law: only 20% of disposable earnings reachable on consumer debt (RCW 6.27.150), and exemption uses the STATE minimum wage (35x). Post-judgment interest differs by debt type (9% consumer vs. variable for tort/other). Continuing wage garnishment lien lasts only 60 days, so creditors must re-serve.
Let us prepare your Washington collection paperwork
We prepare your Washington-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.
Washington Judgment Collection FAQ
A Washington judgment is enforceable for 10 years, and can be renewed before it expires. RCW 6.17.020: a judgment is enforceable for 10 years from entry and may be renewed/extended once for an additional 10 years by filing a petition/application within 90 days before expiration (district/small-claims judgments transcribed to Superior Court follow the Superior Court rules).
Yes. Garnishment in Washington can reach Consumer-debt judgments: exempt = greater of 80% of disposable earnings or 35x the state minimum hourly wage (so up to 20% garnishable). Non-consumer judgments: exempt = greater of 75% disposable or 35x federal minimum wage (up to 25% garnishable).. Exemptions: RCW 6.27.150: for consumer-debt garnishments, the greater of 80% of disposable earnings or 35x the state minimum wage is exempt. Federal benefits, retirement, and other categories also exempt; debtor files an Exemption Claim (Earnings) (GARN 01.0520).
Through Supplemental Proceedings (judgment debtor examination) (No statewide WPF form number; ordered by motion/order to appear under RCW 6.32) — the court orders the debtor to appear and disclose their assets under oath. File a motion/application for an order in supplemental proceedings under RCW 6.32 in the court that entered the judgment; the court issues an order requiring the debtor to appear and answer questions under oath about income, assets, bank accounts, and employment. Failure to appear can result in contempt and arrest.
A Superior Court judgment is automatically a lien on the debtor's non-exempt real estate in the county where entered (RCW 4.56.200). To create a lien in other counties (or from a district/small-claims judgment), file a certified abstract/transcript of judgment with the Superior Court clerk of that county. 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 Washington-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 Washington
Where you file your garnishment or levy depends on the counties.
King County
Pierce County
Snohomish County
Spokane County
Clark County
Thurston County
Kitsap County
Yakima County
Whatcom County
Benton County
Skagit County
Cowlitz County
All 39 counties in Washington
Official Washington sources
- https://www.courts.wa.gov/forms/?fa=forms.contribute&formID=20
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=6.27.150
- https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=6.27
- https://www.courts.wa.gov/forms/documents/GARN%2001.0200%20Writ%20of%20Garnishment%20not%20earnings.pdf
- https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/supplemental-proceedings
- https://www.courts.wa.gov/forms/documents/GARN%2001.0520%20Exemption%20Claim_earnings.pdf
This page is general information about collecting a money judgment in Washington, 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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