Introduction - If you win your small claims case, you may be awarded a monetary judgment by the court. Generally, a defendant/debtor must pay the judgment within 30 days or within the amount of time mandated by the court. If a judgment debtor does not pay, the court cannot collect the debt for you. However, you can pursue collection on your own.

Certification of the Judgment: Before any attempting to collect the debt, the judgment must be certified by the court.  This is done by filing a “Notice of Non-payment and Request for Transfer” form with the district court clerk’s office.  After you submit the form, the judgment will be entered on the district court’s judgment docket and you may seek to collect the judgment by garnishment, execution or other sanctioned process.

Demand Letters - Generally, the first step in debt collection is to send a letter to the debtor requesting payment within a specified amount of time.  There are federal statutes, 15 USC §§ 1692a - p , and state statutes, RCW §§ 19.16.110 - 240, that govern a creditor’s methods of communicating with a debtor.

Judicially Assisted Methods of Collection - If the debtor does not respond to a demand letter, there are three alternate collection methods you can pursue with assistance from the court. 

Garnishment – A writ of garnishment is a court order directing a third party, for example, an employer, to withhold a portion of the debtor’s paycheck and direct those funds to the creditor.  RCW Chapter 6.27 governs garnishment.

Execution – A writ of execution is a court order authorizing the sheriff to seize certain property belonging to the debtor and sell it with the proceeds being paid to the creditor.  RCW Chapter 6.17 governs execution. 

Judicial Lien – A lien is a legal right that a creditor has in a debtor’s real property.  While a creditor generally does not take possession of the debtor’s property, the lien can remain in place until the debt is satisfied.  RCW §§ 4.56.190 - 210 address judgment liens. 

Print Resources

The Washington Collection Sourcebook (KF 170.W37 1996 REF) 

Washington Lawyers Practice Manual, Volume III, Chapter 7 – Collecting Claims and Enforcing Judgments (KF 300.W27 1986 v.3 REF)

Helpful Information on the Internet

The Federal Trade Commission has a list of FAQs related to debt collection. 

Nolo Publishers has an online guide to writing demand letters. 

The Small Claims Court website explains what to do when a small claims debtor does not pay within 30 days of the judgment.

The King County Bar Association has published a small claims court guide that contains information on methods of collection and links to court forms.

Washington Law Help also has published a guide on small claims court cases that includes information on collection of judgments.