How to Garnish Wages in Connecticut After a Small Claims Judgment

You Won — But the Debtor Still Has a Paycheck

Getting a small claims judgment in Connecticut doesn't put money in your hand. If the debtor won't pay voluntarily, wage garnishment is one of the most reliable collection tools available — you redirect a portion of their paycheck directly to you through their employer. Connecticut calls this a "wage execution," and it runs through the court clerk and a State Marshal, not you personally.

Here's exactly how the process works under CGS § 52-361a.

Filing Form JD-CV-3 With the Court Clerk

Wage garnishment starts with Form JD-CV-3, officially titled "Wage Execution Proceedings — Application, Order, Execution." You complete this form and submit it to the court clerk at the Superior Court where your judgment was entered.

The clerk reviews your application against the court record, verifies the judgment balance, and issues the execution. You can't serve it yourself — once issued, you hand the execution to a Connecticut State Marshal, who serves it on the debtor's employer.

The application carries a $105 statutory fee paid to the clerk; it may be recoverable as a taxable cost.

One prerequisite catches many creditors off guard: if the court set up an installment payment plan under Practice Book § 24-30(a), execution is automatically stayed as long as the debtor keeps paying on schedule. The stay lifts the moment the debtor misses a payment.

What Happens After the Employer Is Served

When the marshal serves the wage execution on the employer, several things happen in sequence:

1. The employer must immediately give the debtor a copy of the execution along with Form JD-CV-3a (the Exemption and Modification Claim Form)
2. The debtor gets 20 days from the date of service to file an exemption or modification claim with the court
3. No wages are withheld during that 20-day window
4. If the debtor doesn't file a claim, the employer begins deducting the statutory amount from each paycheck and sends it to the marshal

The marshal then deducts the statutory 15% commission under CGS § 52-261 and forwards the rest to you.

The Connecticut Garnishment Formula

Connecticut limits how much an employer can withhold. Under CGS § 52-361a(f), the garnishable amount is the lesser of two calculations:

Method A: 25% of the debtor's weekly disposable earnings

Method B: The amount by which weekly disposable earnings exceed 40 times the Connecticut minimum wage

"Disposable earnings" means gross earnings minus amounts required to be withheld for federal income and employment taxes, normal retirement contributions, union dues and initiation fees, group life insurance premiums, health insurance premiums, and federal tax levies. Voluntary deductions like 401(k) contributions don't reduce the calculation.

With Connecticut's minimum wage at $16.94 per hour in 2026, the 40-times floor is $677.60 per week. That means:

• A debtor earning $500/week in disposable income: fully exempt (below $677.60)
• A debtor earning $650/week: $0 garnished (disposable earnings are below the $677.60 floor)
• A debtor earning $1,200/week: $300 garnished (Method A applies — 25% of $1,200)

The employer calculates this each pay period and withholds accordingly.

When the Debtor Claims an Exemption

If the debtor files Form JD-CV-3a, the court schedules a hearing to consider the statutory exemption claim or request to modify the amount.

During this period, withholding is paused. If the court denies the claim, garnishment resumes. If it's partially granted, the court may modify the withholding amount.

Practical Considerations

Wage execution works only if the debtor has a regular job with a Connecticut employer — or an out-of-state employer with a registered agent in Connecticut. You need to know where they work, which is why post-judgment discovery tools like interrogatories (Form JD-CV-23) and debtor examinations (Form JD-CV-54) exist.

The marshal collects applicable fees from execution proceeds before forwarding the net amount. The $105 application fee may be recoverable as a taxable cost, and the commission reduces the funds you receive from the execution.

If you're navigating Connecticut's full judgment enforcement system and want every tool laid out in order, the Collecting a Small Claims Judgment in Connecticut guide walks through wage executions alongside bank levies, property liens, and asset discovery — with the forms, fees, and deadlines mapped out step by step.

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