SC-224

Response to Declaration of Default 
in Payment of Judgment

Important: If you disagree with a judgment creditor’s Declaration of Default in 
Payment of Judgment (Form SC-223), you may file a  Response to Declaration 
of Default in Payment of Judgment (Form SC-224) within 10 days after Form 
SC-223 was mailed to you. Read the other side before you fill out this form. 


I am responding to a Declaration of Default in Payment of Judgment 
(Form SC-223).
My name is:
Mailing address: 

Phone: 

E-mail (optional):

The plaintiff or defendant (judgment creditor) who filed the Declaration 
of Default is:
Name: 
Mailing address: 

Clerk stamps here when form is filed.

Fill in the court name and street address:

Superior Court of California, County of

Phone: 

E-mail (optional):

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

I agree with the information in the Declaration of Default.

Case Name:

I do not agree that the court ordered the payment schedule stated in 
item  of the Declaration of Default. (Describe your disagreement.) 

I do not agree with the dates or amounts of the payments listed in item  of the Declaration of Default. The 
payments listed below have been made on the judgment.

Check here if there is not enough space below. List the date and amount of each payment on a separate page and write 
“SC-224, 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 is $                        , and the balance due, 
without adding any interest after the judgment, is $                        .

I agree that interest in the amount of $                         may be added to the balance of the judgment. This 
interest is calculated as follows:

Check here if there is not enough space below. Explain how you calculated interest on a separate page and write 
“SC-224, 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

Response to Declaration of Default 
in Payment of Judgment  
(Small Claims)

SC-224, Page 1 of 2

Default in Payments on Small Claims Judgment 

General Information

Fill out Form SC-224, Response to Declaration of 
Default in Payment of Judgment. 
Have your Response served on 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. 

• •

•

To file your Response: 

The  court  will  mail  all  plaintiffs  and  defendants  in 
the case  

A decision, or 
A notice to go to a hearing.

• •

If the court ordered that you may make payments on a 
judgment, and another plaintiff, defendant, or person 
to whom the judgment was 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.) If you 
do not do so, the court may order that the balance of 
the judgment is now due and collectible in full and may 
also order interest on the unpaid amount of the 
judgment. 

• •

•

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 (the judgment debtor) can ask the court 
for permission to make payments. If the court agrees, the 
party 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

Response to Declaration of Default in Payment of Judgment 
(Small Claims)

SC-224, Page 2 of 2