Ontario Small Claims Court · After judgment · rule 20.04

Form 20A: Certificate of Judgment

Form 20A is the Certificate of Judgment, the document the clerk of the Ontario Small Claims Court issues to confirm a judgment for enforcement (rule 20.04). It states the date and the amount of the order, the postjudgment interest rate, and the amount still owing (rule 20.04). You request it with an Affidavit for Enforcement Request (Form 20P) (rule 20.04). You use it to enforce the judgment at a different Small Claims Court location: the clerk issues the certificate to the clerk at the court location you name in the request (rule 20.04(1)).

Open the Collect screen The official PDF (ontariocourtforms.on.ca)

When you use it

  • • Use it when the debtor, their employer, their bank, or their property is in a different Small Claims Court area from the court that gave judgment; the certificate goes to the location you specify (rule 20.04(1)).
  • • File the Form 20P affidavit with it, with the balance owing on that date (rule 20.04).
  • • Pay the fee when you file the request (O. Reg. 332/16).

The facts

Rule
rule 20.04, O. Reg. 258/98
Court fee
$30 (O. Reg. 332/16, as stored 2026-01-06)
Official revision
2014
Who files it
After judgment

How this site fills it

The Collect screen fills Form 20A and the Form 20P affidavit from the case record. It takes the judgment date, the amount, the payments received, and the balance owing.

Open the Collect screen

How to complete and file Form 20A

  1. 01

    Confirm the judgment date and amount, and add any costs the court ordered (rule 20.04).

  2. 02

    Subtract every payment the debtor made, and calculate postjudgment interest (Courts of Justice Act s. 129).

  3. 03

    Complete the Affidavit for Enforcement Request (Form 20P) with those figures (rule 20.04).

  4. 04

    Swear or affirm the affidavit before a commissioner for taking affidavits (Form 20P).

  5. 05

    File Form 20A and Form 20P with the court that gave judgment, and pay the fee (rule 20.04; O. Reg. 332/16).

  6. 06

    The clerk sends the issued certificate to the clerk at the court location you named; your garnishment, writ, or examination then starts there (rule 20.04(1)).

Questions people ask about Form 20A

What is a certificate of judgment used for?
A certificate of judgment (Form 20A) confirms a Small Claims Court judgment: the date, the amount, the postjudgment rate, and the balance owing (rule 20.04). You use it to move the judgment to the court location you name in the Form 20P request, in most cases where the debtor lives, works, banks, or owns property (rule 20.04(1)). A garnishment or an examination is issued there (rule 20.08; rule 20.10). The clerk issues the certificate on your Form 20P affidavit (rule 20.04).
Do I need a certificate of judgment to garnish wages?
Not when you enforce in the court that gave the judgment. A Notice of Garnishment (Form 20E) is issued on a Form 20P affidavit in the court where the debtor lives or carries on business (rule 20.08). If that is a different location, request a certificate of judgment (Form 20A) issued to that location first (rule 20.04(1)). Wages are capped at 20% (Wages Act s. 7(2)).
How long is a Small Claims Court judgment good for?
There is no limitation period for a proceeding to enforce a court order (Limitations Act, 2002, s. 16(1)(b)), so the judgment itself does not expire. The enforcement documents do: a writ of seizure and sale and a notice of garnishment each last 6 years and can be renewed (rules 20.06 to 20.08). The enforcement tools do expire. A writ of seizure and sale and a notice of garnishment each stay in force for 6 years, and each can be renewed (rule 20.06; rule 20.07; rule 20.08). Postjudgment interest runs from the judgment date (Courts of Justice Act s. 129). Start enforcement early, while the debtor's assets are easy to find.
Where do I get a certificate of judgment?
From the clerk of the Small Claims Court that gave the judgment (rule 20.04). File an Affidavit for Enforcement Request (Form 20P) with the certificate form and the fee (rule 20.04; O. Reg. 332/16). Outside Toronto, file through Submissions Online (rule 1.05.4). In Toronto, use the Ontario Courts Public Portal (rule 1.05.5). The Collect screen fills both forms from your case record.

Legal information, not legal advice. Rules are from the Rules of the Small Claims Court, O. Reg. 258/98; fees from O. Reg. 332/16 as stored 2026-01-06. Legal services provided by Mithril Law — Jonathan Kleiman, licensed Ontario lawyer.