Illinois judgment expiration is the question behind “how long is a judgment good for in Illinois”: a money judgment entered by an Illinois court is enforceable for a fixed number of years, it can be renewed if the creditor acts inside the window, and it earns interest the whole time.
This guide gives the Illinois figures in a dated table, explains what “dormant” means, how a creditor renews or revives a judgment, how the judgment becomes a lien on real property, what each side can do while it is alive, and how a paid judgment is cleared.
The Illinois judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Illinois statute as of October 2026; confirm the current text before you rely on them.
Illinois Judgment Expiration at a Glance
| Enforceable for | 7 years from entry (or the last revival) |
| Renewable | Yes |
| Renewal window | in the 7th year after entry or after the last revival, in the 20th year after entry, or at any time within 20 years after entry once dormant (2-1602(a)); CONSUMER-DEBT judgments: entered Jan 1 2020… |
| Post-judgment interest | 9 percent per year from the date of judgment until satisfied; 6 percent when the debtor is a unit of local government or school district (2-1303(a)); a tender of judgment, costs and accrued interest… |
| Statute | 735 ILCS 5/12-108 (7-year enforcement limit); 5/2-1602 (revival; consumer-debt rules in (a-5) and (a-10)); 5/2-1303 (interest) |
In This Illinois Judgment Expiration Guide:
What a Money Judgment Is Before the Illinois Judgment Expiration Clock Starts
A money judgment is a court’s final order saying one party owes another a set amount. In Illinois these are entered by the circuit courts, including their small claims divisions. The judgment alone does not attach to land. It becomes a judgment lien on real estate only after a transcript, certified copy or memorandum of the judgment is recorded in the county where the property sits (735 ILCS 5/12-101).
The Illinois Judgment Expiration Figures
| Rule | Bonus Bank Daily verified figure |
|---|---|
| Statute | 735 ILCS 5/12-108 (7-year enforcement limit); 5/2-1602 (revival; consumer-debt rules in (a-5) and (a-10)); 5/2-1303 (interest)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Enforceable for | 7 yearsstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Clock runs from | entry (or the last revival)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewable | Yesstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
| How it is renewed or kept alive | a petition to revive filed in the original case, served under Supreme Court Rule 106, and a court order of revival for the original amount (2-1602(b)-(d)); real estate levied within the 7 years may be sold up to one year after they expire (12-108(a))statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Renewal window | in the 7th year after entry or after the last revival, in the 20th year after entry, or at any time within 20 years after entry once dormant (2-1602(a)); CONSUMER-DEBT judgments: entered Jan 1 2020 through the day before the 104th General Assembly amendment took effect — revive no later than 10 years after entry (a-10)(2); entered on or after that effective date — NO revival, enforceable for 15 years from entry (a-10)(3)statute — verified Oct 2026 |
| Post-judgment interest | 9 percent per year from the date of judgment until satisfied; 6 percent when the debtor is a unit of local government or school district (2-1303(a)); a tender of judgment, costs and accrued interest stops further accrualstatute — verified Oct 2026 |
The Illinois judgment expiration figures on this page were read in the Illinois statute as of October 2026; confirm the current text before you rely on them.
Is there a judgment against you, or one you need to collect?
The renewal window and the exemption deadlines in Illinois are short and they do not wait. An Illinois debt defense or collections attorney can read the docket and tell you where you stand, usually in a free first consultation. Every state bar runs a lawyer-referral service that sets up a low-cost first consultation; legal aid represents many people in debt cases at no cost.
What Illinois Judgment Expiration Actually Means
When an Illinois judgment goes dormant, the creditor generally can no longer use court collection tools such as garnishments, levies or citations until a court revives it. A recorded lien on real estate also ends when the enforcement period does, unless the judgment is revived. In most cases the debt itself is not erased. It is just no longer enforceable through the court until it is revived.
Renewal and Revival Under the Illinois Judgment Expiration Rule
1) The creditor files a petition to revive in the circuit court that entered the original judgment. 2) The debtor is formally served with the petition and so gets notice and a chance to respond. 3) The court decides the petition at a hearing. In most cases revival is granted unless the debtor shows the judgment was paid or otherwise satisfied.
4) To keep a real estate lien, the creditor records a new memorandum of the revived judgment with the county recorder before the old lien expires. Confirm the details with the court clerk or an attorney.
The Judgment Lien in Illinois
Recording the judgment (an abstract or certificate) in the county land records turns it into a lien on the debtor’s real property there. The lien has its own life, which may differ from the judgment’s, and the statute cited above sets both.
Interest on an Illinois Judgment
Illinois post-judgment interest is simple interest on the unpaid judgment. The rate is written into the statute itself (735 ILCS 5/2-1303), not set by a yearly index, so the current text on ilga.gov is where the rate is published. When a verdict or award is turned into a judgment, interest from the verdict to the judgment date is added into the judgment amount.
What a Creditor Can Do While the Illinois Judgment Is Alive
Citation to discover assets: the debtor, or a third party such as a bank, can be ordered to appear and answer questions about assets, and the court can order non-exempt assets turned over (735 ILCS 5/2-1402). Wage deduction: a wage deduction order directs the employer to withhold part of the debtor’s pay.
Non-wage garnishment: a garnishment summons reaches money a third party holds for the debtor, such as a bank account. Execution: the sheriff can levy on and sell non-exempt property, including real estate covered by a recorded lien.
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What a Debtor Can Do Before the Illinois Judgment Expiration
You may claim exemptions at the citation hearing or earlier by writing to the clerk. Illinois limits wage deductions to the lower of 15% of gross pay or the amount by which weekly take-home pay exceeds 45 times the minimum wage, and it protects items such as Social Security, a $4,000 personal property “wildcard” and $15,000 of home equity (735 ILCS 5/12-1001, 5/12-901).
You may negotiate a payment or settlement and get a written release of judgment once paid (735 ILCS 5/12-183). A default judgment may be challenged by a motion to vacate within 30 days (735 ILCS 5/2-1301(e)) or by a petition filed within two years (735 ILCS 5/2-1401). Confirm the details with the clerk or an attorney.
Out-of-State Judgments in Illinois
Judgments from other states and federal courts are enforced under the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (735 ILCS 5/12-650 to 12-657). Under that Act, a certified copy is filed with the circuit clerk of any Illinois county, and it then has the same effect as an Illinois judgment.
Illinois courts have held that Illinois’ own enforcement period applies, and that the Illinois clock starts when the judgment is registered here.
Clearing a Paid Illinois Judgment
When a judgment is paid, the creditor files a satisfaction of judgment with the court so the record shows it is closed; a debtor who paid can ask the court to compel that filing if the creditor does not make it.
Child-support judgments become liens on the obligor’s real estate. They are enforced in a county only after a transcript, certified copy or memorandum is recorded there (735 ILCS 5/12-101). Illinois law generally treats child-support judgments and judgments in favor of the State as enforceable at any time, outside the usual enforcement period and revival rules (735 ILCS 5/12-108(a)). Confirm the current text with the statute or the court clerk.
Next rung: what a creditor can take from a bank account, and what is protected, is the next question — the Illinois bank-levy page joins this guide when that cluster is live; until then, the CFPB debt-collection page in the sources below is the place to read.
Illinois — the bottom line
- Illinois judgment expiration runs on a fixed clock from the date in the table above; when it passes, the creditor’s court tools stop unless the judgment was renewed in time.
- Renewal under the Illinois judgment expiration rule is the creditor’s job, on the window in the table; a judgment nobody renewed is the one a debtor can finally stop paying on.
- Interest keeps running until the judgment is paid or the Illinois judgment expiration date arrives — the rate and who publishes it are in the table.
Illinois Judgment Expiration FAQ
How long is a judgment good for in Illinois?
An Illinois money judgment is enforceable for 7 years from entry (or the last revival), and it can be renewed. When an Illinois judgment goes dormant, the creditor generally can no longer use court collection tools such as garnishments, levies or citations until a court revives it.
Can a judgment be renewed in Illinois?
a petition to revive filed in the original case, served under Supreme Court Rule 106, and a court order of revival for the original amount (2-1602(b)-(d)); real estate levied within the 7 years may be sold up to one year after they expire (12-108(a))
Does an Illinois judgment expiration mean the debt is gone?
When an Illinois judgment goes dormant, the creditor generally can no longer use court collection tools such as garnishments, levies or citations until a court revives it. A recorded lien on real estate also ends when the enforcement period does, unless the judgment is revived.
What interest does an Illinois judgment earn?
9 percent per year from the date of judgment until satisfied; 6 percent when the debtor is a unit of local government or school district (2-1303(a)); a tender of judgment, costs and accrued interest stops further accrual
Official Illinois Sources & Resources
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/073500050K12-108.htm
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/073500050K2-1602.htm
- Statute — judgment dormancy, renewal and interest (opened and read): https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/073500050K2-1303.htm
- Illinois statute / opinion: https://ilga.gov/documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/073500050K12-108.htm
- Illinois Legal Aid Online – Collecting Wages and Bank Accounts: https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/collecting-wages-and-bank-accounts
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: consumerfinance.gov
- CFPB — Debt collection: know your rights: consumerfinance.gov
This Illinois judgment expiration guide was last verified against official Illinois sources in October 2026. Rules change — confirm the current rule with the statute or a licensed attorney.
More Illinois Money Rights Guides
- Illinois Bank Levy Exemptions
- Illinois Debt Collection Lawsuit
- Illinois Small Claims Limit
- Money Rights Guides for All 50 States
Disclaimer: This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Bonus Bank Daily is an independent educational resource — not a law firm, not a bank, not a debt collector and not a government agency. Judgment, levy, interest-rate and debt rules change — every figure here carries the date we verified it.
Confirm the current rule with the statute, the court clerk or a licensed attorney in your state before you act.