In proceedings to confirm a judgment by confession or to collect a judgment for money, in which the judgment is for $10,000 or less, exclusive of interest and costs, process may be served in the manner provided in Rule 284.
Rule 289.Service of Process in Proceedings to Confirm a Judgment by Confession or to Collect a Judgment for $10,000 or Less
Article II. Rules on Civil Proceedings in the Trial Court · Part J. Small Claims · Last amended 2007 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceRule 289 extends the small-claims mail-service method to proceedings that confirm a confessed judgment or collect on a judgment of $10,000 or less.
Full Text of Ill. S. Ct. R. 289
Plain-English Summary
Confirming a judgment by confession, or collecting on an existing money judgment — through wage deduction or garnishment, for example — doesn’t always call for personal service. When the judgment involved is $10,000 or less, exclusive of interest and costs, this rule lets process be served the same way Rule 284 allows for small claims: by certified or registered mail.
The dollar figure tracks the small-claims jurisdictional limit in Rule 281, and it has risen alongside that limit over the years, from $2,500 originally to today’s $10,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of proceedings does Rule 289 cover?
Confirming a judgment by confession, or collecting on an existing money judgment, when the judgment is $10,000 or less.
How is process served under this rule?
The same certified-or-registered-mail method that Rule 284 sets out for small claims.
Does this apply to wage deduction or garnishment proceedings?
Yes, as long as the underlying judgment is $10,000 or less.
Why does the dollar figure match the small-claims limit?
Both track the same jurisdictional threshold and have been raised together over time.
Is personal service still allowed instead of mail?
Yes — mail service under this rule is an available option, not the only one.
Committee Comments
(Revised March 8, 2007)
Rule 289 was added in 1981 to permit service by mail in proceedings to confirm a judgment by confession and in proceedings to collect a judgment, e.g., wage deductions and garnishment, when the amount of the judgment is $2,500 or less, the figure used to define a small claim in Rule 281. In 2007 the rule was amended to reflect the increased jurisdictional limit from $5,000 to $10,000 for small-claims actions under Rule 281.
Amendment History
Adopted January 5, 1981, effective February 1, 1981; amended December 3, 1996, effective January 1, 1997; amended March 8, 2007, effective April 1, 2007.
Source & verification. Rule text, official Committee Comments, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Supreme Court Rules,
promulgated by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: confession of judgment service Illinoisgarnishment service by mailwage deduction service rulecollecting a judgment of $10,000 or lessservice of process confession of judgment