How do I collect money after winning a judgment in Small Claims Court in Ontario?

Winning a Small Claims Court judgment gives you the legal right to be paid, but actually collecting the money is a separate process called enforcement. Ontario provides several enforcement tools for judgment creditors.

The most common is garnishment, where the court orders a third party — typically the debtor's employer or bank — to redirect money they owe the debtor to you instead. To garnish wages or a bank account, you file a Notice of Garnishment (Form 20E) with the court and serve it on the garnishee (the bank or employer) and the debtor. A portion of wages is protected from garnishment under provincial law.

You can also register the judgment as a writ of seizure and sale against the debtor's real property through the sheriff's office or land registry, which puts a lien on their Ontario real estate and may trigger payment when they sell or refinance. If you do not know what assets the debtor has, you can bring them in for an Examination of Debtor hearing, where they must answer questions about their income, assets, and liabilities under oath.

Enforcement takes persistence, especially if the debtor is hiding assets or has no income.