How to collect a judgment in Ontario: the order of steps

Legal information, not legal advice. This guide and our free tools give legal information. They do not give advice about your case. A licensed lawyer can give legal advice.

The answer

Collect a judgment in a set order: ask for payment in writing, find the money, then use the tool that matches what you found. The court does not collect for you. You enforce the judgment yourself. Postjudgment interest runs at 4.0% in 2026. Each enforcement step starts with an Affidavit for Enforcement Request (Form 20P).

This guide gives the order of the steps and the decision points. For the full list of tools and fees, read how to collect: garnishment, writs, and examinations. For the wage limit, read wage garnishment and the 20% limit. For the whole path, read how Small Claims Court works in Ontario.

What to do

1. Send a dated payment letter to the debtor. State the judgment amount, the costs, and postjudgment interest at 4.0% for 2026. Give a date to pay. Keep a copy.
2. If the debtor proposes payments, put the terms in writing. Record each payment with its date and its amount.
3. Find the money. File Form 20P and ask the clerk to issue a Notice of Examination (Form 20H). The fee is $68. Serve it on the debtor. A debtor who is a person must complete Form 20I and serve it on you.
4. Choose the tool by what you found. Wages or a bank account: garnishment. Land: a writ to the sheriff. Goods or a vehicle: a writ to the bailiff. Assets in another court area: a certificate of judgment.
5. To garnish, file Form 20P that names one debtor and one garnishee. The clerk issues a Notice of Garnishment (Form 20E); the fee is $144. Serve the garnishee. For a bank, serve the branch where the account is payable. Then serve the debtor within 5 days. Wages: at most 20% of net wages.
6. To seize land, file Form 20P and ask for a Writ of Seizure and Sale of Land (Form 20D) to the sheriff. The fee is $68. You cannot file Form 20D online. The sheriff cannot sell the land in the first 6 months [VERIFY]. To seize goods or a vehicle, ask for Form 20C to the bailiff. The fee is $68, plus a bailiff fee of $38 each time, or $64 with a sale.
7. Renew before 6 years pass. A writ expires on its 6th anniversary; renew it with Form 20N. A garnishment lasts 6 years; renew it with Form 20E.1.
8. Record every payment. When the debt is paid in full, file a Notice of Termination of Garnishment (Form 20R) to end a garnishment.

Which tool fits what you found?

Fees are from O. Reg. 332/16, as stored 2026-01-06.

What you found	Tool	Form	Fee	Rule
A job with regular pay	Garnishment of wages, at most 20% of net wages	20E, with 20P	$144	r. 20.08; Wages Act s. 7(2)
A bank account	Garnishment, served at the branch where the account is payable	20E, with 20P	$144	r. 20.08(6.2)
Land or a house	Writ of seizure and sale of land, to the sheriff	20D, with 20P	$68	r. 20.07
A vehicle, equipment, or goods	Writ of seizure and sale of personal property, to the bailiff	20C, with 20P	$68, plus $38 or $64 each time the bailiff acts	r. 20.06; O. Reg. 332/16 s. 2(1)
Assets in another court area	Certificate of judgment, to enforce there	20A, with 20P	$30	r. 20.04
Nothing yet	Examination of the debtor	20H; the debtor completes 20I	$68	r. 20.10

Only the bailiff or the sheriff can seize property. Never seize property yourself. Fill in the affidavit with our free builder: Form 20P.

What if the debtor moves, has nothing, or goes bankrupt?

The debtor moved to another court area. Get a certificate of judgment (Form 20A) from the court that gave the judgment. The fee is $30. File it in the court area where the debtor now lives or has assets, and enforce there.

The debtor has nothing now. Interest runs at the postjudgment rate until payment. Keep the writ and the garnishment alive with renewals. After 6 years, you need leave of the court to issue a new writ. Examine the debtor again when their situation changes [VERIFY limit on repeat examinations].

The debtor goes bankrupt. A bankruptcy or a consumer proposal stops most collection steps against the debtor: [VERIFY] Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act stay. Stop enforcement and get legal advice before you spend more.

Deadlines and fees

Fees are from O. Reg. 332/16, as stored 2026-01-06. They change on January 1, 2027.

• Notice of Examination (Form 20H): $68.
• Notice of Garnishment (Form 20E): $144 to issue or renew.
• Writ of seizure and sale (Form 20C or 20D): $68. Bailiff fee: $38 each time, or $64 with a sale.
• Certificate of judgment (Form 20A): $30.
• Serve the debtor within 5 days after you serve the garnishee.
• Writs and garnishments last 6 years. Renew a writ with Form 20N and a garnishment with Form 20E.1.

Common mistakes

• Do not pay for a writ before you know what the debtor owns. Do the examination first.
• Do not serve the garnishee and forget the debtor. Serve the debtor within 5 days.
• Do not name 2 garnishees on 1 notice. Each notice names one debtor and one garnishee.
• Do not send Form 20D to Submissions Online. It goes to the sheriff.
• Do not let a writ expire. Renew it before the 6th anniversary.

Questions people ask

Does the court collect the money for me after I win?

No. A judgment is an order to pay, and you enforce it yourself under Rule 20 of the Rules of the Small Claims Court (O. Reg. 258/98). Each step starts with an Affidavit for Enforcement Request, Form 20P (rules 20.04 to 20.10). The clerk issues the notice or the writ. The bailiff or the sheriff seizes property; you never seize it yourself (rules 20.06 and 20.07).

How do I find out where the debtor works or banks?

Examine the debtor. The clerk issues a Notice of Examination, Form 20H, on your Form 20P affidavit (rule 20.10(1) and (2)). The examination is private, under oath, and recorded (rule 20.10(6)). A debtor who is a person must complete a financial information form, Form 20I, and serve it on you (rule 20.10(4.1)). For a company, you examine an officer or a director (rule 20.10(5)).

Can I garnish a bank account after a Small Claims judgment?

Yes. File Form 20P that names the debtor and the bank as garnishee (rule 20.08(3)). The clerk issues Form 20E for $144 (rule 20.08(4); O. Reg. 332/16, as stored 2026-01-06). Serve the branch where the account is payable (rule 20.08(6.2)), then serve the debtor within 5 days (rule 20.08(6.1)). The 20% limit applies to wages, not to a bank account (Wages Act s. 7(2)). Some deposits can be exempt [VERIFY].

How long is a Small Claims judgment enforceable in Ontario?

A writ of seizure and sale expires on its 6th anniversary, and you can renew it with Form 20N (rules 20.06(2) and (3), 20.07(3) and (4); O. Reg. 222/25). A garnishment also lasts 6 years, and you renew it with Form 20E.1 (rule 20.08(5.1) to (5.3)). After 6 years you need leave of the court to issue a new writ (rules 20.06(1.1), 20.07(1.1)). Interest runs until payment (CJA s. 129).

Can a lawyer collect my judgment for a percentage of what they recover?

Yes. Ontario allows contingency fees with a written agreement in the standard form (Solicitors Act s. 28.1; O. Reg. 563/20). Mithril Law takes selected judgments on contingency at a maximum of 25% of what is recovered, under that written agreement. Legal services provided by Mithril Law — Jonathan Kleiman, licensed Ontario lawyer.

When to get a lawyer

Get legal advice if the debtor hides assets, disputes the garnishment at a hearing, or files for bankruptcy. Mithril Law takes selected judgments on contingency at a maximum of 25%, under a written agreement in the form set by O. Reg. 563/20: collect my judgment. Legal services provided by Mithril Law — Jonathan Kleiman, licensed Ontario lawyer.

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