SC-223

Declaration of Default 
in Payment of Judgment

Important: Read the other side before you fill out this form or if it was mailed 
to you. If you are the judgment debtor named in  and you disagree with this 
Declaration of Default in Payment of Judgment, you may file Response to 
Declaration of Default in Payment of Judgment (Form SC-224) within 10 days 
after the declaration was mailed to you.


I am asking the court to order that the remaining balance of a small claims 
judgment is now due and collectible because payments were not made as 
the court ordered.
My name is:
Mailing address: 



E-mail (optional):

Phone: 
The judgment debtor who has not made payments as the court ordered is 
(complete a separate form for each judgment debtor who has not paid as 
ordered): 
Name: 
Mailing address: 

Clerk stamps here when form is filed.

Fill in the court name and street address:

Superior Court of California, County of

Fill in your case number and case name:
Case Number:

Case Name:

Phone: 

E-mail (optional):

On (date):                    the court ordered that the judgment debtor named in 
 must pay me, or someone who assigned the judgment to me, principal, 
prejudgment interest, and costs in the total amount of $                               . 
On (date):                          the court ordered that the judgment debtor named in  may pay the judgment described 
in  as follows: 
a.

Payments of $                         on the                       day of each (month, week, other): 
starting (date):                     , until (date of final payment):                  ; amount of final payment: $

b.

Other payment schedule (specify): 

The payments listed below, and no others, have been made on the judgment described in .

Check here if there is not enough space below. List the date and amount of each payment on a separate page and write 
“SC-223, Item 5” at the top.

Date

Amount

Date

Amount

Date

Amount

Date

Amount

The total amount of the payments that have been made on the judgment described in  is $                        , 
and the balance due, without adding any interest after the judgment, is $                        .
I request interest on the judgment, in the amount of $                        , calculated as follows:

Check here if there is not enough space below. Explain how you calculated interest on a separate page and write 
“SC-223, Item 7” at the top.

I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the information above is true and correct. 
Date:   

Type or print your name                                                                                   Sign here

Judicial Council of California, www.courts.ca.gov
New July 1, 2013, Optional Form
Code of Civil Procedure, § 116.620; 
Cal. Rules of Court, rule 3.2107

Declaration of Default
in Payment of Judgment  
(Small Claims)

SC-223, Page 1 of 2









Default in Payments on Small Claims Judgment 
General Information

If the court ordered that you may make payments on a 
judgment, and another plaintiff, defendant, or person 
to whom the judgment has been assigned (judgment 
creditor) has filed Form SC-223, Declaration of Default 
in Payment of Judgment, asking the court to order that 
the full balance is now due and collectible because you 
did not make the payments:

Read this form and the Declaration.  
If you agree with the court ordering that the amounts 
claimed in the Declaration are now due in full, you do 
not need to do anything. 
If you do not agree with the Declaration or with the 
court ordering that the amounts it claims are now 
due in full, file a Response within 10 calendar days 
after the court clerk mailed the Declaration to you. 
(This date is on the Clerk’s Certificate of Mailing.)

To file your Response: 

Fill out Form SC-224, Response to Declaration of 
Default in Payment of Judgment. 
Have your Response served on the judgment creditor 
and all other plaintiffs and defendants in your case. 
(See Form SC-112A, Proof of Service by Mail.) 

File your Response and Proof of Service with the small 
claims court clerk. 

• •

•

• •

•

If the court ordered that another plaintiff or 
defendant (judgment debtor) may pay a small 
claims judgment in payments, and that judgment 
debtor has not made the payments as ordered, you 
can ask the court to order that the full balance of 
the judgment is due and collectible. Here’s how:

Read this form. 
Fill out page 1 of Form SC-223, Declaration of 
Default in Payment of Judgment. Fill out a separate 
form for each judgment debtor who did not make 
payments as ordered. 

File your completed form(s) with the small claims 
court clerk. 

• •

•

The court will mail all other plaintiffs and defendants 
in the case copies of the Declaration and a blank Form 
SC-224, Response to Declaration of Default in 
Payment of Judgment.

The judgment debtor will have 10 days to file a 
Response. Then the court will mail all plaintiffs and 
defendants in the case:
•

A decision, or  

•

A notice to go to a hearing. 

Answers to Common Questions

When is the judgment due? 
Unless the court orders otherwise, small claims judgments 
are due immediately. If the judgment is not paid in full 
within 30 days, the judgment creditor (person to whom the 
money is owed) can take legal steps to collect any unpaid 
amount. (Collection may be postponed if an appeal or a 
request to vacate (cancel) or correct the judgment is filed.)

When can the judgment debtor make payments?
A plaintiff or defendant who was ordered to pay a small 
claims judgment (judgment debtor) can ask the court for 
permission to make payments. If the court agrees, the 
plaintiff or defendant who is owed money (the judgment 
creditor) cannot take any other steps to collect the money 
as long as the payments are made on time. If payments 
are not made on time, the judgment creditor can ask the 
court to order that the remaining balance of the judgment 
is due and collectible. 
Is interest added after the judgment? 
Interest (10 percent per year) is usually added to the 
unpaid amount of the judgment from the date the judgment 
is entered until it is paid in full. Interest can only be 
charged on the unpaid amount of the judgment (the  

principal); interest cannot be charged on any unpaid 
interest. If a partial payment is received, the money is 
applied first to unpaid interest and then to unpaid principal. 

When the court allows payments, the court often does not 
order any interest, as long as all payments are made in full 
and on time. Unless the  judgment creditor asks for interest 
to be included in the order allowing payments, the 
judgment creditor may lose any claims for interest. But if 
the judgment debtor does not make full payments on time, 
interest on the missed payment or the entire unpaid 
balance might become due and collectible. 

How do I calculate interest?
If you are asking for interest or disagreeing with a request 
for interest, you need to explain your interest calculation. 
Interest, at the rate of 10 percent per year (.0274 percent 
per day), may be added to the full unpaid balance of the 
judgment or only to payments that were not made on time. 
To calculate interest, show the unpaid principal balance, 
the dates and number of days you want the court to allow 
interest on that amount, and the total interest for that 
period. If payments were made, you will need to make 
separate calculations for the reduced principal balance 
after each payment. 

Need help?
For free help, contact your county’s small claims advisor:
[local info here]

Or go to www.courts.ca.gov/smallclaims/advisor

New July 1, 2013

Declaration of Default in Payment of Judgment 
(Small Claims)

SC-223, Page 2 of 2