Money received in satisfaction of a money judgment, except a money judgment for support, is to be credited as follows:
§ 695.220.Credit of Money Received In Satisfaction of Judgment
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 1. General Provisions · Article 2. Amount to Satisfy Money Judgment · Last amended 1994 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 695.220 sets the order in which money collected on a nonsupport money judgment gets credited -- first to certain levying-officer collection amounts, then to specified court fees, then to accrued unpaid interest, and finally to unpaid principal -- applying matured installments in the order they came due if the judgment is payable in installments.
Full Text of § 695.220
(b) Any remaining money is next to be credited against any fee due the court pursuant to Section 6103.5 or 68511.3 of the Government Code, which are to be remitted to the court by the levying officer.
(c) Any remaining money is next to be credited against the accrued interest that remains unsatisfied.
(d) Any remaining money is to be credited against the principal amount of the judgment remaining unsatisfied. If the judgment is payable in installments, the remaining money is to be credited against the matured installments in the order in which they matured.
Plain-English Summary
When a judgment debtor pays down a nonsupport money judgment, the payment doesn't just get subtracted from the total -- it flows through a fixed order of priority. Section 695.220 lays out that order for any money received other than on a support judgment (support judgments get their own rule under § 695.221).
Money goes first to the amounts described in § 685.050(b) that the levying officer has collected, then to any fee owed the court under Government Code § 6103.5 or § 68511.3, which the levying officer remits to the court. Only after those two categories are covered does the remaining money reach the judgment itself -- first to accrued interest that hasn't yet been paid, and last to unpaid principal.
For a judgment payable in installments, that final principal category isn't credited all at once. The remaining money is applied against the installments in the order they matured, oldest first, mirroring how the debt itself came due.
Frequently Asked Questions
What gets paid first when money comes in on a judgment?
Under § 695.220, amounts described in § 685.050(b) collected by the levying officer are credited first, then certain court fees, then accrued interest, and last unpaid principal.
Does this section apply to support judgments?
No. Section 695.220 applies to money judgments generally except support judgments, which follow the separate crediting order in § 695.221.
How is payment applied if the judgment is payable in installments?
Remaining money is credited against the matured installments in the order they matured.
Amendment History
Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 75, Sec. 1. Effective May 20, 1994.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
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