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

What can be taken from your pay and bank account, and how to claim exempt money.

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). Fill out the exemption form the bank mails you, sign it, attach proof and copies of your bank statements for the 60 days before the garnishment, and mail or deliver one copy to the creditor (or its lawyer) and one copy to the bank within 14 days of the postmark date on the envelope the bank sent you.

How long it lasts
10 years
Interest after the judgment
See the rule
Exemption form
Official exemption form

Claiming what the law protects in Minnesota

Fill out the exemption form the bank mails you, sign it, attach proof and copies of your bank statements for the 60 days before the garnishment, and mail or deliver one copy to the creditor (or its lawyer) and one copy to the bank within 14 days of the postmark date on the envelope the bank sent you. Money you claim as exempt is released 6 business days after the bank gets your form, unless the creditor objects within that time. If it objects, you get a Notice of Objection and a Notice of Hearing.

Law: Minn. Stat. § 551.05, subds. 1a-1c, 2; Minn. Stat. §§ 551.05, subds. 1a-1c; 571.914; 571.922; 571.925

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

Your paycheck after a judgment in Minnesota

Stricter than federal, depending on weekly income: 10% of disposable earnings if weekly income is over 40 and up to 60 times the minimum wage, 15% if over 60 and up to 80 times, and 25% if over 80 times; and never more than the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times the higher of the federal or Minnesota minimum wage. If your weekly income is 40 times the minimum wage or less, nothing can be garnished. Before garnishing wages, the creditor must give you a 10-day notice.

Law: Minn. Stat. § 571.922; Minn. Stat. § 571.925

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

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)

When a creditor freezes your account in Minnesota

The creditor's lawyer serves a writ of execution on your bank with a notice, instructions and two exemption forms. The bank freezes up to the amount owed (no more than $10,000) for 14 days. No set dollar amount is protected automatically. Money from protected sources, such as public benefits and wages deposited in the last 20 days (within limits), is exempt if you return the exemption form the bank sends you.

Law: Minn. Stat. §§ 551.05, 550.37

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

The judgment's life in Minnesota

Interest after the judgment

For judgments of $50,000 or less (most debt cases): simple interest at a rate set each year by the state court administrator, based on the one-year U.S. Treasury yield rounded to the nearest 1%, but never less than 4%. For judgments over $50,000: 10% a year.

Law: Minn. Stat. § 549.09, subd. 1(c)

How long it lasts

A creditor can enforce a judgment for 10 years after it is entered. An action on the judgment must also be started within 10 years.

Law: Minn. Stat. §§ 549.09, 550.01, 541.04

Judgment interest and how long a judgment lasts, by state

What to do now in Minnesota

  1. Read every notice

    Each notice may start a short deadline, so read it right away.

  2. Find where your money comes from

    Benefit letters and bank statements show which money is exempt.

  3. File the claim on time

    Minnesota's rule: Fill out the exemption form the bank mails you, sign it, attach proof and copies of your bank statements for the 60 days before the garnishment, and mail or deliver one copy to the creditor (or its lawyer) and one copy to the bank within 14 days of the postmark date on the envelope the bank sent you.

  4. Show up at the hearing

    Bring your proof to the hearing if the creditor objects.

Free help in Minnesota

Questions about collection after a judgment in Minnesota

What is the judgment interest rate in Minnesota?

For judgments of $50,000 or less (most debt cases): simple interest at a rate set each year by the state court administrator, based on the one-year U.S. Treasury yield rounded to the nearest 1%, but never less than 4%. For judgments over $50,000: 10% a year.

Can a judgment be renewed in Minnesota?

A creditor can enforce a judgment for 10 years after it is entered. An action on the judgment must also be started within 10 years.

How much of my pay can be taken in Minnesota?

Stricter than federal, depending on weekly income: 10% of disposable earnings if weekly income is over 40 and up to 60 times the minimum wage, 15% if over 60 and up to 80 times, and 25% if over 80 times; and never more than the amount by which disposable earnings exceed 40 times the higher of the federal or Minnesota minimum wage. If your weekly income is 40 times the minimum wage or less, nothing can be garnished. Before garnishing wages, the creditor must give you a 10-day notice.

Can my bank account be frozen in Minnesota?

The creditor's lawyer serves a writ of execution on your bank with a notice, instructions and two exemption forms. The bank freezes up to the amount owed (no more than $10,000) for 14 days. No set dollar amount is protected automatically. Money from protected sources, such as public benefits and wages deposited in the last 20 days (within limits), is exempt if you return the exemption form the bank sends you.

How do I claim an exemption in Minnesota?

Fill out the exemption form the bank mails you, sign it, attach proof and copies of your bank statements for the 60 days before the garnishment, and mail or deliver one copy to the creditor (or its lawyer) and one copy to the bank within 14 days of the postmark date on the envelope the bank sent you. Money you claim as exempt is released 6 business days after the bank gets your form, unless the creditor objects within that time. If it objects, you get a Notice of Objection and a Notice of Hearing.

Related Minnesota pages

Sources

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Federal sources