After a debt judgment in Kentucky: garnishment, bank levy, exemptions

How a creditor collects after a judgment, what the law protects, and how to claim it in time.

Checked against official sources: Oct 24, 2026.

Short answer

After a judgment, the creditor can ask the court to take part of your pay or freeze your bank account, but some money is exempt (protected by law). For a bank or other non-wage garnishment: file a sworn, notarized request for a hearing on the Affidavit to Challenge Garnishment (AOC-150.2) with the clerk within 10 days of the garnishee's date of receipt shown on the order.

How long it lasts
15 years
Interest after the judgment
6%
Exemption form
Official exemption form

Protecting exempt money in Kentucky

For a bank or other non-wage garnishment: file a sworn, notarized request for a hearing on the Affidavit to Challenge Garnishment (AOC-150.2) with the clerk within 10 days of the garnishee's date of receipt shown on the order. The clerk notifies both sides of the hearing date, and the bank keeps holding the money until the hearing. For wages: file AOC-150.2 within 13 days of the payroll check date.

Law: AOC-150 (rev. 7-26); AOC-150.1 (rev. 11-20); AOC-150.2; KRS 425.501; KRS 427.010

Official exemption form

Count your deadline to claim an exemption

The date is counted in your browser.

Read the notice you got from the court, your bank or your employer.

An estimate from our state data, not legal advice. Court holidays and local rules can change a deadline. File early, and ask the court clerk if you are not sure.

Exemption claim cover letter

Bank levies in Kentucky

The creditor gets an Order of Garnishment (Non-Wage) (AOC-150.1) served on your bank. The bank holds your money and must try to mail you a copy. Some funds may be exempt, including Social Security, workers' compensation, unemployment, public assistance/TANF, income tax refunds and some other government benefits, but you must claim and prove the exemption. If federal benefits such as Social Security are deposited directly into your account, the bank must protect up to two months of those deposits automatically (31 C.F.R. Part 212, cited on AOC-150.1).

Your bank must protect up to two months of Social Security, SSI, VA and some other federal benefits that were paid into your account by direct deposit. You don't have to ask.

Law: 31 CFR 212.5, 212.6

How much of your pay can be taken in Kentucky

Federal limit applies: up to 25% of disposable earnings, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage a week, whichever is less. You get a Notice of Rights to Assert Exemption to Wage Garnishment (AOC-150). If you think your employer withheld too much, you have 13 days from the date on the paycheck to go to the Circuit Clerk's office and file an Affidavit to Challenge Garnishment (AOC-150.2); the clerk sets a hearing. The creditor's lawyer holds garnished money for 15 days to allow you to claim an exemption.

Law: KRS 427.010(2)

These garnishment limits are from our sister site, which checks them against official sources: Debt Collector Map: Kentucky

For an ordinary debt, a creditor can take at most 25% of your take-home pay, or the part above 30 times the federal minimum wage if that is less. Many states protect more.

Law: 15 U.S.C. 1673(a)

How long a judgment lasts in Kentucky

Interest after the judgment

6% a year, compounded annually, from the date the judgment is entered. If the judgment is on a contract, promissory note or other written obligation, it earns the interest rate set in that document.

Law: KRS 360.040(1), (3)

How long it lasts

An action on a judgment can be brought within 15 years, counted from the date of the last execution on it.

Law: KRS 413.090(1)

Law: KRS 360.040; KRS 413.090(1)

Judgment interest and how long a judgment lasts, by state

What to do now in Kentucky

  1. Open every letter

    Notices from the court, your bank or your employer can carry short deadlines.

  2. Find where your money comes from

    Get bank statements and benefit award letters: they prove the source of the money.

  3. Ask the court to protect your money

    In Kentucky: For a bank or other non-wage garnishment: file a sworn, notarized request for a hearing on the Affidavit to Challenge Garnishment (AOC-150.2) with the clerk within 10 days of the garnishee's date of receipt shown on the order.

  4. Show up at the hearing

    Bring your proof to the hearing if the creditor objects.

Where to get free help in Kentucky

Questions about collection after a judgment in Kentucky

What is the judgment interest rate in Kentucky?

6% a year, compounded annually, from the date the judgment is entered. If the judgment is on a contract, promissory note or other written obligation, it earns the interest rate set in that document.

Can a judgment be renewed in Kentucky?

An action on a judgment can be brought within 15 years, counted from the date of the last execution on it.

Can a creditor take my paycheck in Kentucky?

Federal limit applies: up to 25% of disposable earnings, or the amount above 30 times the federal minimum wage a week, whichever is less. You get a Notice of Rights to Assert Exemption to Wage Garnishment (AOC-150). If you think your employer withheld too much, you have 13 days from the date on the paycheck to go to the Circuit Clerk's office and file an Affidavit to Challenge Garnishment (AOC-150.2); the clerk sets a hearing. The creditor's lawyer holds garnished money for 15 days to allow you to claim an exemption.

What is a bank levy in Kentucky?

The creditor gets an Order of Garnishment (Non-Wage) (AOC-150.1) served on your bank. The bank holds your money and must try to mail you a copy. Some funds may be exempt, including Social Security, workers' compensation, unemployment, public assistance/TANF, income tax refunds and some other government benefits, but you must claim and prove the exemption. If federal benefits such as Social Security are deposited directly into your account, the bank must protect up to two months of those deposits automatically (31 C.F.R. Part 212, cited on AOC-150.1).

What is the deadline to claim an exemption in Kentucky?

For a bank or other non-wage garnishment: file a sworn, notarized request for a hearing on the Affidavit to Challenge Garnishment (AOC-150.2) with the clerk within 10 days of the garnishee's date of receipt shown on the order. The clerk notifies both sides of the hearing date, and the bank keeps holding the money until the hearing. For wages: file AOC-150.2 within 13 days of the payroll check date.

More for Kentucky

Sources

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Federal sources