How to Collect Money After Winning in Georgia Magistrate Court

You won your case in Georgia Magistrate Court. The judge entered a judgment in your favor. And then nothing happened — because Georgia courts do not collect money for you. The court enters the judgment; everything after that is your responsibility. Here is exactly what to do, in what order, and what each step costs.

This is for anyone holding a Georgia Magistrate Court judgment of up to $15,000 where the debtor has not paid voluntarily. If you are dealing with a judgment from Superior Court or State Court, the general enforcement tools are similar but the specific forms and fees differ.

The First 10 Days (or Zero Days for Defaults)

Before you can enforce anything, you need to know your waiting period. If your judgment came from a contested hearing where the debtor appeared and argued, there is a mandatory 10-day waiting period before enforcement can begin. This gives the debtor time to consider an appeal.

If the judgment was entered by default — the debtor never showed up — there is no waiting period. You can begin enforcement immediately.

Dispossessory (eviction) monetary judgments have a separate 7-day waiting period.

During any waiting period, the debtor might pay voluntarily, file an appeal, or do nothing. An appeal or Petition for Review must be filed within 30 days of entry. Filing alone does not stay enforcement; a stay requires payment of accrued court costs and a court-approved supersedeas bond. If the debtor does neither and the waiting period expires, you proceed.

Step 1: Secure Your Writ of Fi. Fa.

Go to the Magistrate Court clerk's office where your judgment was entered and request a Writ of Fieri Facias — usually called a Fi. Fa. The issuance fee is $4.

The Fi. Fa. is the execution document that supports enforcement. It authorizes a sheriff or marshal to levy on and sell the debtor's assets, and recording it on the GED creates the real-property lien.

Step 2: Record the Fi. Fa. on the General Execution Docket

Take your Fi. Fa. to the Clerk of Superior Court in each county where the debtor owns real property or where you want a lien to attach if the debtor later acquires property. Ask to have it recorded on the General Execution Docket. The fee is $25 per county.

This step does two things. First, it creates a lien on real property the debtor owns in that county — including property they buy later. Second, it establishes your lien's recording date, but senior mortgages, tax liens, and other prior interests may have priority.

Issuance alone does not perfect a lien against third parties or real estate. Record the Fi. Fa. on the GED to create that lien.

Step 3: Find Out What the Debtor Owns

If you already know the debtor's employer and bank, you can skip to Step 4. If you do not, serve post-judgment interrogatories.

File a set of Post-Judgment Interrogatories (MAG 14-05 form) with the Magistrate Court clerk. The filing fee is $10. The interrogatories are served on the debtor by certified mail. The debtor has 30 days from receipt to file sworn, notarized answers, disclosing their employer, bank accounts, real property, vehicles, and other assets.

If the debtor ignores the interrogatories, file a Motion to Compel. The court may order answers and schedule a Show Cause hearing; serve that order on the debtor. If the debtor then fails to appear or answer without legal justification, the court can hold them in civil contempt — fines up to $200 and up to 10 days in county jail. The interrogatories have teeth.

You can also search public records through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) at gsccca.org to find real property, and check county tax assessor records for property ownership.

Step 4: Choose Your Enforcement Tool

Once you know what the debtor has, you pick the enforcement tool that matches:

Bank garnishment — if you know the debtor's bank. Venue is in the county where the financial-institution garnishee resides or maintains a registered agent, not simply where the debtor lives. The summons reaches funds in the account when served and deposits made during the next 5 calendar days, up to the amount in the summons. Court filing fees are $51 to $60, plus $13 to $50 for law-enforcement service. The bank must answer 5 to 15 days after service; funds deposited with the court remain in the registry at least 15 to 20 days before disbursement, and exemption claims can extend that period.

Wage garnishment — if the debtor has a steady job. For a standard weekly pay period, the employer may withhold no more than the lesser of 25% of disposable earnings or the amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed $217.50. The continuing garnishment summons remains active for 179 days after service. Venue is in a county where the employer has a registered agent, operational office, or place of business.

Sheriff levy — if the debtor owns a vehicle, equipment, or other tangible personal property. You instruct the County Sheriff to seize and sell the property at a public sale. Law-enforcement levy fees range from $15 to $79, and advance deposits for execution expenses frequently range from $300 to over $1,500 depending on the asset; the realistic recovery after costs can be modest on personal property.

Property lien via GED — if the debtor owns real estate, your recorded Fi. Fa. from Step 2 creates a lien on the debtor's real property in that county. A later sale or refinance may require the lien to be addressed, subject to senior liens and available equity. This is a long game — you may collect when they eventually sell the property, which could be years — but it costs nothing beyond the $25 GED recording you already paid.

What If the Debtor Has Nothing?

Some debtors genuinely have no seizable assets. Social Security benefits, disability payments, and certain retirement funds are exempt from garnishment under federal and Georgia law. If the debtor has no job, no bank account with non-exempt funds, and no property, they are effectively judgment-proof.

That does not mean your judgment is worthless. A Georgia judgment becomes dormant 7 years after entry if no Writ of Fi. Fa. is issued and recorded on the GED, or 7 years after the last recorded execution entry. Recording again before that period runs preserves active status. A dormant judgment may be revived within 3 years through an action or motion to revive. Post-judgment interest accrues at the rate fixed on the judgment entry date: the Federal Reserve prime rate plus 3 percentage points, unless the underlying written contract specifies the rate. If the debtor's circumstances change — they get a job, open a bank account, buy a car — you can enforce then.

The Real Timeline

Most pro se creditors expect collection to happen quickly. Here is what actually happens:

• Voluntary payment after demand letter: 1 to 2 weeks (if it works at all)
• Fi. Fa. issuance and GED recording: 1 to 3 days of courthouse visits
• Post-judgment interrogatories: 30 days for the debtor to respond, plus 2 to 4 weeks if you need to file a Motion to Compel
• Bank garnishment: the financial institution answers 5 to 15 days after service; funds deposited with the court remain in the registry at least 15 to 20 days before disbursement
• Wage garnishment: the employer's first answer is due 30 to 45 days after service; the summons remains active for 179 days
• Full satisfaction from wage garnishment: months or longer, depending on the judgment amount and the debtor's income

The process is not fast. But the statutory interest clock runs in your favor the entire time, and every dollar you spend on enforcement (court fees, service costs) is recoverable from the debtor as part of the judgment balance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Magistrate Court clerk help me collect?

No. The court's staff do not collect the judgment for you. The creditor is responsible for asset discovery, post-judgment applications, fees, and directing law-enforcement personnel.

Can the debtor appeal after the 10-day waiting period?

An appeal from a contested judgment, or a Petition for Review of a default judgment, must be filed within 30 days of entry. Filing alone does not stay enforcement; a stay requires payment of accrued court costs and a court-approved supersedeas bond. Once the appeal or review period expires without a filing, you proceed with enforcement.

What if the debtor lives in a different county than where I won?

You can enforce across counties. Record the Fi. Fa. on the GED in each county where the debtor owns property or where you want a lien to attach to later-acquired property. File garnishment where the garnishee resides or maintains a registered agent; for an employer, venue may also be in a county where it has an operational office or place of business. To record a lien in another county, request a certified copy of the Fi. Fa. from the issuing court and submit it to that county's Superior Court clerk.

How much does it cost to collect a judgment myself in Georgia?

The base enforcement sequence — Fi. Fa. ($4), GED recording ($25), and interrogatories ($10) — costs under $50. Add a garnishment ($51 to $60 in court filing fees plus $13 to $50 for service) and you are typically under $200 total. All enforcement costs are recoverable from the debtor as part of the judgment balance.

The Collecting a Small Claims Judgment in Georgia guide maps every enforcement tool, form, and fee across all four government offices — structured in the order that protects your money and avoids wasted filings.

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