At any time after delivery of a writ of execution to a levying officer and before its return, a person indebted to the judgment debtor may pay to the levying officer the amount of the debt or so much thereof as is necessary to satisfy the money judgment. The levying officer shall give a receipt for the amount paid and such receipt is a discharge for the amount paid.
§ 699.020.Payment of Debt to Person Indebted to Judgment Debtor
Title 9. Enforcement of Judgments · Division 2 · Chapter 3. Execution · Article 1. General Provisions · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 699.020 lets anyone who owes money to the judgment debtor pay that debt directly to the levying officer, at any time between delivery of the writ and its return, up to the amount needed to satisfy the judgment, with the officer's receipt serving as a discharge.
Full Text of § 699.020
Plain-English Summary
Not every debt owed to a judgment debtor gets reached by a formal levy on a third person. Section 699.020 offers a shortcut: if you owe the debtor money, you can walk it over to the levying officer yourself, any time after the writ of execution has been delivered to that officer and before the officer returns it.
You do not have to pay the whole debt. The statute lets you pay the debt, or just as much of it as is needed to satisfy the money judgment — so if your debt exceeds what the creditor is still owed, you can pay only the balance due on the judgment.
The payoff for using this route is certainty. The levying officer has to give a receipt, and that receipt discharges the paid amount. Once you have it, you are no longer on the hook to the judgment debtor for that portion of the debt, regardless of any dispute that might arise later between the debtor and the creditor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can use this payment shortcut?
Anyone who owes a debt to the judgment debtor, during the window between delivery of the writ of execution to the levying officer and the officer's return of that writ.
Do I have to pay my entire debt to the judgment debtor?
No. Section 699.020 lets you pay the debt or only the portion of it necessary to satisfy the money judgment.
What proves that I made this payment and am no longer liable for it?
The levying officer's receipt. Section 699.020 states that the receipt is a discharge for the amount paid.
Is this the same thing as a formal levy on a third person?
No. A formal levy and the duties it triggers are covered by Article 5, beginning at § 701.010. This section is a voluntary payment option available even before, or instead of, that kind of levy.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 1364, Sec. 2. Operative July 1, 1983, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 1364.
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
Also known as: pay debt to levying officer californiavoluntary payment writ of execution california