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Satisfaction of judgment · Checked October 23, 2026

Satisfaction of judgment: tell the court you were paid

General information, not legal advice. Ask a lawyer before you act on it.

A satisfaction of judgment is the paper the winner files once they are paid in full, so the record shows the debt is gone. In California it is form SC-290, filed within 14 days of full payment. In Florida you sign and record a satisfaction and send it to the payer within 60 days.

Who files
The winner, once paid in full
California
SC-290 within 14 days
Florida
Recorded, sent within 60 days

Work out your dates

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The steps

  1. Be sure it is paid in full.

    Include any interest and costs you were owed. In Florida the full amount includes interest from the date of the judgment. Source

  2. California: file SC-290. SC-290

    File the Acknowledgment of Satisfaction of Judgment within 14 days of full payment. Leaving it out can bring a penalty. Source

  3. Florida: sign, record, send.

    Sign a written satisfaction, have it acknowledged and recorded in the county's Official Records, and send the recorded copy to the person who paid within 60 days. Source

  4. Florida: the record is cleared.

    Recorded in the Official Records, the satisfaction is how a paid judgment is cleared from the county's record books. Source

A worked example

Paid in full on November 3, 2026 in a California case: SC-290 is due by November 17, 2026. In a Florida case paid the same day, the recorded satisfaction must reach them by January 2, 2027.

Fees and forms change, and your court's clerk has the current ones. General information, not legal advice. Ask a lawyer before you act on it.

Ask once, in writing

Before the court steps, most winners send a letter asking for payment by a date. Fill one in and print it; nothing you type leaves this page.

Make the payment letter

Questions people ask next

What if they paid the court instead of me?

In California the other side can pay the court with form SC-145, and the court mails you a notice on how to claim the money.

What if the winner can't be found?

In Florida the debtor can pay the clerk the full amount, interest and costs, and the clerk records the satisfaction.

Do I file anything for a partial payment?

Not a satisfaction: that is only for payment in full. Keep a log of each payment with its date.

Your state's full steps

California Florida

Related guides

Florida Judgment Lien After Small Claims Judgment Lien After Small Claims Writ of Execution After a Small Claims Judgment, by State

Sources

Checked on October 23, 2026 against these pages.