Small claims court · collecting a judgment
When does your judgment expire?
Pick your state and the date the judgment was entered, and see the renewal deadline, the cost to renew, and how many times you can do it — cited to that state's own judgment-renewal rule.
Covers the underlying money judgment's own enforceable term — not a real-property lien's separate, often shorter, duration in states where the two differ (noted above where it applies). Informational only, not legal advice; confirm current deadlines and fees with your court clerk before relying on this for anything you're about to file.
How this is calculated
Last reviewed: September 2026
Four shapes, not one
A money judgment doesn't just quietly stay collectible forever, and states don't all handle its eventual expiration the same way. Some require an active renewal filing before a fixed deadline or the judgment lapses (California, Michigan, New Jersey), some allow exactly one such renewal before a hard ceiling (North Carolina, Washington), some are automatically enforceable for a fixed term with no filing required at all (Florida, New York), and Pennsylvania sets a flat outer limit on collecting from personal property with no renewal mechanism whatsoever. This calculator picks the right shape for your state rather than forcing all eight into one renewal model.
California's consumer-debt exception
Most small claims judgments are exactly the kind of judgment California singles out: money owed by an individual for personal, family, or household purposes. For that category, a 2023 law limits renewal to once, for 5 years instead of the standard 10 — not the unlimited 10-year renewals a business debtor or a wages, tort, or fraud judgment still gets. The two checkboxes shown for California exist because that branch is genuinely part of the statute, not an edge case this calculator is guessing at.
What this doesn't cover
- A real-property lien's separate duration. Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania all draw a line between the underlying judgment's own enforceable term (what this tool computes) and a real-property lien recorded from it, which can run on its own shorter, separately renewable clock. That lien-specific question isn't modeled here.
- Renewals after a renewal. For states that allow unlimited renewals (Michigan, New Jersey, and California outside its capped branch), this tool computes the deadline from the original entry date only — if a judgment has already been renewed once, count the next deadline from that renewal's filing date instead.
- Interest and partial payments. Some states' renewal paperwork asks for the current amount owed, principal plus accrued interest and any partial payments — this tool only computes the deadline and fee, not that running balance. Pair it with the Judgment Interest Calculator for the balance itself.
States currently covered
California, Florida, New York (New York City), Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, New Jersey, Washington. More states are added on an ongoing basis.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I miss the renewal deadline?
In most states covered here, the judgment simply becomes unenforceable — there's no grace period and no way to renew it after the fact. Washington is the strictest about timing: its one renewal has to be filed inside a 90-day window before expiration, not just "before it expires." Mark the deadline somewhere you'll actually see it.
Does renewing a judgment also renew the interest that's accruing on it?
Yes — a renewed judgment keeps accruing statutory postjudgment interest the same way the original did. Use the Judgment Interest Calculator to see how much has built up before you renew, since some states' renewal paperwork asks you to state the current amount owed, principal plus interest.
Why does California ask about the debtor and the type of debt?
Because California's renewal rule genuinely branches on those two facts. An ordinary personal-debt judgment against an individual, under $50,000, gets one renewal for 5 years — not the unlimited 10-year renewals available for a business debtor or a wages, tort, or fraud judgment. Almost every small claims judgment is capped by claim amount well under that $50,000 line, so the debtor type and debt type are what actually decide which rule applies here.
Can I still collect after a judgment expires?
Not through the court's enforcement process — that's what "expires" means here. A few states (noted above) draw a distinction between the underlying judgment and a real-property lien recorded from it, which can run on its own separate, sometimes shorter clock; this calculator covers the judgment's own enforceable term, not that separate lien question.
Related tools
See how much interest has accrued on an unpaid small claims judgment, using each state's statutory postjudgment interest rate.
Open tool →Wage Garnishment CalculatorSee how much of a paycheck a small claims judgment creditor can actually garnish, by state — cited to each state's own wage-garnishment statute.
Open tool →Judgment Collection Cost CalculatorSee what it costs to have a bank levy served to collect an unpaid small claims judgment, by state — cited to each state's own fee schedule and sheriff/marshal fee statute.
Open tool →Total Cost to Sue CalculatorThe full out-of-pocket cost to sue in small claims court — filing fee plus service of process, added together and cited to each court's own fee schedule.
Open tool →