How to Serve a Wage Execution, Bank Execution, or Garnishment in Connecticut

Prejudgment Garnishment (Foreign Attachment) vs. Post-Judgment Executions in Connecticut

Connecticut uses distinct terminology and statutory procedures for attaching a debtor's bank accounts or wages depending on whether you are at the beginning of a lawsuit or enforcing a final money judgment:

• Prejudgment Remedy (PJR) Garnishment / Foreign Attachment (C.G.S. § 52-278a & § 52-329): Allows a plaintiff (after court hearing or commercial waiver) to garnish a third-party 'garnishee' (such as a bank or debtor of the defendant) at the outset of litigation to secure a future judgment.

• Post-Judgment Wage Execution (C.G.S. § 52-361a, Form JD-CV-3 / JD-CV-3a): Enforces an unsatisfied money judgment after the debtor defaults on a court-ordered weekly installment payment order.

• Post-Judgment Financial Institution (Bank) Execution (C.G.S. § 52-367b, Form JD-CV-24 / JD-CV-24N): Levies non-exempt funds held in a bank or credit union account in Connecticut.

Discovery of Assets: Serving Post-Judgment Interrogatories (C.G.S. § 52-351b)

Before a creditor can levy a bank account or serve a wage execution, they must identify where the judgment debtor works or banks. Under C.G.S. § 52-351b, a judgment creditor may serve Post-Judgment Interrogatories (Form JD-CV-23) on the judgment debtor or on any third person the creditor reasonably believes has knowledge of the debtor's non-exempt assets or employment.

Initial post-judgment interrogatories may be served by certified mail, return receipt requested; if the recipient fails to return answers within 30 days, a supplemental interrogatory packet and Petition for Examination of Judgment Debtor (EJD under C.G.S. § 52-397) are served.

Executing Wage & Bank Levies vs. Out-of-State / Federal Garnishments

Under C.G.S. § 52-361a and § 52-367b, a post-judgment Wage Execution or Financial Institution Execution issued by a Connecticut Superior Court clerk is directed to a levying officer (a Connecticut State Marshal) within the officer's precinct, who levies the bank or employer and collects the statutory officer's percentage fee (typically 15% added to the execution balance under C.G.S. § 52-261).

However, when a creditor or law firm is serving out-of-state information subpoenas, out-of-state employer income executions on a national payroll registered agent in Hartford/East Hartford/Glastonbury (such as CT Corp or CSC), or third-party asset discovery subpoenas under C.G.S. § 52-148e or § 52-658, our Indifferent Person process servers deliver those packets daily for a flat $79 fee.