After a debt judgment in Nevada: 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). The sheriff mails you a Notice of Execution listing the exemptions. To claim one, fill out a claim of exemption (the court clerk provides the form and instructions, and there is no fee), file it with the clerk, and serve copies on the sheriff, the garnishee (your bank or employer) and the judgment creditor within 10 days after the notice was served on you by mail.

How long it lasts
6 years
Interest after the judgment
See the rule

Claiming what the law protects in Nevada

The sheriff mails you a Notice of Execution listing the exemptions. To claim one, fill out a claim of exemption (the court clerk provides the form and instructions, and there is no fee), file it with the clerk, and serve copies on the sheriff, the garnishee (your bank or employer) and the judgment creditor within 10 days after the notice was served on you by mail. For wages, file within 10 days after each time money is withheld from your pay. The property must be released within 9 judicial days unless the creditor files an objection and asks for a hearing within 8 judicial days; the hearing is then held within 7 judicial days. Attaching proof that the money is exempt can speed up release.

Law: NRS 21.075, 21.076, 21.112(1)-(4), (6)

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

Interest and how long the judgment lasts in Nevada

Interest after the judgment

Unless a contract or the judgment sets a different rate, the prime rate at the largest bank in Nevada (as set by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions on January 1 or July 1 before the judgment) plus 2%, adjusted every January 1 and July 1. Interest runs from the date you were served.

How long it lasts

6 years. The creditor can renew the judgment by filing an Affidavit of Renewal of Judgment within 90 days before it expires and must mail you a copy by certified mail within 3 days. It can be renewed again the same way.

Law: NRS 17.130(2); NRS 11.190(1)(a); NRS 17.214

Judgment interest and how long a judgment lasts, by state

Bank levies in Nevada

The sheriff serves a writ of execution or garnishment on your bank. If federal benefits such as Social Security were deposited electronically in the last 45 days, $2,000 (or the whole balance, if less) stays available to you automatically; otherwise $400 (or the whole balance) is protected automatically. You can claim other exemptions, including up to $10,000 of personal property such as bank money.

Law: NRS 21.105; NRS 21.090(1)(z)

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 Nevada

Stricter than federal. A creditor can take the lesser of 18% of your weekly disposable earnings if your gross weekly pay is $770 or less (25% if more), or the amount by which your weekly disposable earnings exceed 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage.

Law: NRS 31.295(2)

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

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)

Protecting your pay and bank in Nevada

  1. Open every letter

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

  2. Find where your money comes from

    Benefit letters and bank statements show which money is exempt.

  3. File the claim on time

    In Nevada: The sheriff mails you a Notice of Execution listing the exemptions.

  4. Go to the hearing

    If the creditor objects, the judge decides at a hearing. Bring your proof.

  5. Ask for free help

    Legal aid can help for free: Nevada Legal Services (free legal aid) and Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

Free legal help in Nevada

Questions about collection after a judgment in Nevada

What is the judgment interest rate in Nevada?

Unless a contract or the judgment sets a different rate, the prime rate at the largest bank in Nevada (as set by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions on January 1 or July 1 before the judgment) plus 2%, adjusted every January 1 and July 1. Interest runs from the date you were served.

When does a judgment expire in Nevada?

6 years. The creditor can renew the judgment by filing an Affidavit of Renewal of Judgment within 90 days before it expires and must mail you a copy by certified mail within 3 days. It can be renewed again the same way.

Can a creditor take my paycheck in Nevada?

Stricter than federal. A creditor can take the lesser of 18% of your weekly disposable earnings if your gross weekly pay is $770 or less (25% if more), or the amount by which your weekly disposable earnings exceed 50 times the federal minimum hourly wage.

What is a bank levy in Nevada?

The sheriff serves a writ of execution or garnishment on your bank. If federal benefits such as Social Security were deposited electronically in the last 45 days, $2,000 (or the whole balance, if less) stays available to you automatically; otherwise $400 (or the whole balance) is protected automatically. You can claim other exemptions, including up to $10,000 of personal property such as bank money.

How do I protect exempt money in Nevada?

The sheriff mails you a Notice of Execution listing the exemptions. To claim one, fill out a claim of exemption (the court clerk provides the form and instructions, and there is no fee), file it with the clerk, and serve copies on the sheriff, the garnishee (your bank or employer) and the judgment creditor within 10 days after the notice was served on you by mail. For wages, file within 10 days after each time money is withheld from your pay. The property must be released within 9 judicial days unless the creditor files an objection and asks for a hearing within 8 judicial days; the hearing is then held within 7 judicial days. Attaching proof that the money is exempt can speed up release.

More for Nevada

Sources

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Federal sources