New Jersey Information Subpoena: How to Find Out What a Judgment Debtor Owns

You Won — But the Debtor Won't Tell You Where the Money Is

You have a judgment from the Special Civil Part. The debtor isn't paying. And before you can levy a bank account or garnish wages, you need something basic: information. Where do they bank? Where do they work? What do they own?

New Jersey gives judgment creditors a formal tool for exactly this situation — the Information Subpoena, officially Form CN 11840 (Appendix XI-L). It's a court document that compels the debtor to answer written questions about their finances under penalty of perjury.

What the Information Subpoena Covers

The Appendix XI-L form asks the debtor to disclose:

• Bank account names, institutions, and account numbers
• Employer name, address, and pay frequency
• Real estate owned in New Jersey
• Vehicles registered in the debtor's name
• Other sources of income (rental, business, investments)

You can also serve a separate non-party subpoena (Appendix XI-R, Form CN 10191) directly on a bank, employer, or business partner. This is useful when you suspect the debtor will ignore or lie on the standard form.

How to Serve an Information Subpoena

Step 1: Get the form. Download Appendix XI-L (CN 11840) from njcourts.gov. If you're targeting a non-party like a bank, use Appendix XI-R (CN 10191) instead.

Step 2: Serve by certified and regular mail. New Jersey requires dual service — one copy by certified mail with return receipt requested, plus one copy by regular first-class mail. Both go to the debtor's last known address. Use the same dual-mail method for a non-party subpoena.

Step 3: Wait 14 days. The recipient must complete and return the written answers within 14 calendar days of receipt.

Step 4: Don't re-serve too soon. You cannot serve an Information Subpoena on the same person more than once in a six-month period without prior court authorization upon a showing of good cause. If the debtor does not answer, file a Motion to Enforce Litigant's Rights; if an answer is incomplete, you cannot simply re-serve within six months without authorization.

When the Debtor Ignores the Subpoena

This is common. The debtor doesn't return the form, the 14-day window passes, and you're stuck. Here's the formal escalation path:

1. File a Motion to Enforce Litigant's Rights using Packet CN 10546. The filing fee is $25 in regular Special Civil Part cases — but $0 in Small Claims Section cases.
2. Serve the motion on the debtor by certified mail with return receipt requested and regular mail.
3. If the court grants the motion, it issues an Order to Enforce Litigant's Rights directing the debtor to respond within a set timeframe.
4. Serve the signed order by certified mail with return receipt requested and regular mail. Wait 10 days after service, plus 5 days for mailing transit, before taking further enforcement action.
5. If the debtor still ignores the order, you can submit a certification of non-compliance. The judge may then issue a Warrant for Arrest or Order for Execution.

Any arrest warrant is executed by court officers or law enforcement; private creditors cannot arrest the debtor or threaten direct incarceration.

Practical Tips That Save Time

Use the non-party subpoena strategically. If you already know where the debtor banks (a check they gave you, a deposit slip, court records), serve Appendix XI-R directly on the bank to confirm the account is still active before requesting a levy. The bank must respond within 14 calendar days of receipt.

Redact personal identifiers on court filings. Under Rule 1:38-7, you must redact full Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and complete account numbers on anything filed with the court. Show only the last four digits of financial accounts. Full, unredacted account numbers go directly and privately to the Special Civil Part Court Officer executing the levy, not into the public file.

Track everything. Keep copies of the certified mail receipt, the return receipt (or note of non-delivery), and a log of when you mailed each item. If you end up filing a Motion to Enforce, the court needs proof of proper service and that the 14-day window has passed.

What Comes After the Subpoena

The Information Subpoena is discovery, not enforcement. It tells you what the debtor has — it doesn't collect anything. Once you know where the money sits, you move to the enforcement tool that matches the asset:

• Bank account → Request a Writ of Execution and bank levy
• Wages → Apply for a Wage Execution (Packet CN 10548)
• Real estate → Docket the judgment in Trenton to create a statewide lien
• Personal property → Request a Writ of Execution for seizure

Our New Jersey judgment collection guide walks through each enforcement tool with the exact forms, fees, and filing sequence — from the Information Subpoena through to closing the case with a Warrant to Satisfy.

See more New Jersey guides →