How to Fill Out California Form EJ-100 (w/Examples) + FAQs

Yes, you can fill out California Form EJ-100 yourself, and doing it correctly is the only way to officially close out a paid judgment in California. Form EJ-100, the Acknowledgment of Satisfaction of Judgment, tells the court and the world that a money judgment has been paid in full or in part, and it is the document that lifts liens, restores credit, and ends collection activity under California Code of Civil Procedure § 724.060.

Failing to file this form on time exposes the judgment creditor to real money damages. Under CCP § 724.050, a creditor who ignores a proper demand within 15 days owes the debtor $100 plus all actual damages, and the penalty jumps to $250 if a lien is involved, according to the Judicial Council of California. About 4 in 10 civil money judgments in California involve some lien recording, based on data summarized by the California Courts self-help center.

Here is what you will learn in this guide:

• 📝 How to fill out every line of Form EJ-100 without errors
• ⚖️ How CCP §§ 724.010–724.090 protect both creditors and debtors
• 💡 Three real-world scenarios with named people and dollar amounts
• 🚫 The seven costliest mistakes filers make and how to dodge them
• 🏛️ How to record the form with a county recorder and clear an Abstract of Judgment

What Form EJ-100 Is and Why It Exists

Form EJ-100 is the official Judicial Council form titled Acknowledgment of Satisfaction of Judgment. The form is mandatory in every California superior court, including small claims, limited civil, unlimited civil, and family law money judgments. The current revision is dated January 1, 2024, and older versions are still accepted but discouraged by most clerks.

The form exists to enforce a clear federal and state principle: a paid debt should not haunt a debtor forever. Federal due process under the Fourteenth Amendment protects property interests, and California codifies that protection in CCP § 724.010. When a judgment is paid, the creditor must release the debtor from the public record, or the debtor can sue.

The plain-English meaning is simple. Once the debtor pays the judgment, including interest and costs, the creditor signs EJ-100 to confirm payment. The court clerk then enters satisfaction in the court’s records, and any Abstract of Judgment recorded with a county recorder is no longer enforceable.

The consequence of skipping this form is severe for creditors. A creditor who refuses to sign after a proper written demand under CCP § 724.050 owes the debtor $100, all actual damages such as lost financing or higher mortgage rates, and $250 extra when a lien is recorded. Courts have enforced these damages strictly, as shown in Jhaveri v. Teitelbaum (2009) 176 Cal.App.4th 740.

A common misconception is that paying the judgment automatically clears the public record. It does not. The lien stays on title and on credit reports until EJ-100 is filed and, if a lien was recorded, an Acknowledgment of Satisfaction is recorded at the county recorder’s office where the Abstract of Judgment lives.

Who Signs and Who Files EJ-100

The judgment creditor signs the form, not the debtor. The judgment creditor is the person or business that won the case and is owed the money, and the California Courts glossary makes this distinction important. If the creditor assigned the judgment, the assignee of record must sign instead.

The signer must acknowledge the signature before a notary public when the judgment is recorded as a lien on real property, per CCP § 724.060(b). For unrecorded money judgments, a notary is not required, but many clerks still prefer one. The debtor then files the signed original with the court that entered the judgment, often using e-filing portals like File & ServeXpress or the local court’s portal.

The consequence of the wrong person signing is that the form is void. A debtor who files a void EJ-100 still has an open lien, and the creditor still has every right to garnish wages or levy bank accounts under CCP § 699.510.

Full vs. Partial vs. Matured Installment

EJ-100 has three boxes that change the legal effect of the filing. Full satisfaction wipes the entire judgment, partial records a payment but keeps the judgment alive, and matured installment covers periodic payments that have come due, per CCP § 724.020.

Pick the wrong box and the consequences differ. A creditor who marks full when only a partial payment was made loses the right to collect the rest, because acknowledgment of full satisfaction extinguishes the judgment. A creditor who marks partial when the debt is fully paid leaves the lien open, and the debtor can sue for damages.

Real-world example: Maria Chen paid the entire $12,400 judgment to Sunset Auto Body, Inc. The creditor must check full. If the body shop checks partial by mistake, Maria can record a CCP § 724.050 demand and collect the $100 penalty plus damages.

Step-by-Step: Filling Out Every Line of EJ-100

Pull up the fillable PDF version of EJ-100 on the California Courts website. The form is one page, but every line carries weight. Work through it top to bottom, and never leave a required field blank, since blanks invite clerk rejection under local rules like Los Angeles Superior Court Rule 3.3.

Caption Box: Attorney or Party Information

The top-left caption asks for the name, state bar number, and address of the attorney or party without attorney. If you are filing without a lawyer, write In Pro Per in the bar number field. Include your phone, fax if used, and email, as the Judicial Council’s e-filing rules require working contact info.

The consequence of leaving this blank is automatic rejection by the clerk. Filers who use a P.O. Box without a street address often get rejected too, because process servers cannot serve a P.O. Box for related motions, per CCP § 415.20.

A common misconception is that creditors can list their lawyer’s old address. Update it. If the address is stale, the debtor’s notice of any later motion may not reach the creditor, and a default could be entered against the creditor under CRC Rule 3.110.

Court Information and Case Name

Enter the full court name exactly as it appears on the original judgment, including branch. For instance, write Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Hayward Hall of Justice, not just Alameda County Court. Use the case name in the format Plaintiff v. Defendant, and the case number must match the original filing.

A wrong case number means the clerk cannot match the EJ-100 to the case file. The debtor’s lien stays open in the system, and credit reports may not update for 90 days or more, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Item 1: Type of Satisfaction

Item 1 has three checkboxes: full, partial, or matured installment. Only one can be selected. The text on the form references CCP § 724.020, which defines each option.

For partial, you must also enter the dollar amount received in item 1b. For matured installment, you list the installments that have come due and been paid, which matters in family-law spousal support enforcement under Family Code § 4502.

Item 2: Judgment Information

Item 2 lists the judgment creditor’s full legal name, the judgment debtor’s full legal name, the date the judgment was entered, and the date and instrument number of any recorded Abstract of Judgment or Notice of Judgment Lien. The recording details come from the county recorder’s index.

Skipping the recording details is the single biggest cause of stuck liens. Without the recorder’s instrument number, the recorder will not index the satisfaction against the abstract, and the title insurance underwriter will still flag the lien on the next refinance.

Item 3: Renewal of Judgment

Item 3 covers any renewal under CCP § 683.120. If the judgment was renewed, list the renewal date and any recorded notice. A renewal extends collection rights for ten more years, and missing it on EJ-100 leaves the renewal lien alive.

Item 4: Personal Property Lien

Item 4 asks if a Notice of Judgment Lien was filed with the California Secretary of State on the debtor’s business personal property under CCP § 697.510. If yes, list the file number and date.

The consequence of skipping item 4 is that the UCC lien stays on the debtor’s business records for five years and blocks SBA loans, equipment financing, and even business credit cards.

Item 5: Full Name and Address of Judgment Creditor and Debtor

Item 5 demands the full name and last known address of both parties. Use the legal name, not a nickname. Robert J. Smith dba Smith Plumbing is correct; Bob Smith is not.

Wrong names cause indexing failures at the recorder’s office. The debtor may pay to record the satisfaction, and the recorder may still index the lien under the old name, leaving the cloud on title.

Signature, Date, and Notary Acknowledgment

The judgment creditor signs and dates the form at the bottom. If the judgment is recorded as a real property lien, a certificate of acknowledgment by a California notary public must be attached, per Civil Code § 1189.

The consequence of an unnotarized signature on a recorded-lien case is that the county recorder will reject the satisfaction. The lien then survives, and the debtor can sue under CCP § 724.050 for the $250 lien penalty.

Three Common Scenarios with Examples

Scenarios bring the form to life. Each table below uses the Step and Outcome columns to show what happens when filers act or fail to act. The dollar amounts and penalties come straight from CCP §§ 724.010–724.090.

Scenario 1: Full Payment with a Recorded Lien

Anita Rivera won a $25,000 unlimited civil judgment against Coastal HVAC, LLC and recorded an Abstract of Judgment in San Diego County. Coastal HVAC paid in full by wire transfer.

Step	Outcome
Anita signs EJ-100 marking full and notarizes it	The court will accept the form and close the case file
Anita files the original with the San Diego Superior Court	The clerk enters satisfaction on the docket
Anita records a certified copy at the San Diego County Recorder	The lien is released from Coastal HVAC’s real property
Anita ignores the recorder step	The lien stays on title and Coastal HVAC sues for $250 plus damages

Scenario 2: Partial Payment on a Small Claims Judgment

Devon Park won a $7,500 small claims judgment against Liu’s Catering, Inc. Liu’s Catering paid $4,000. Devon must file EJ-100 marking partial and listing the $4,000 received.

Action	Result
Devon checks partial and writes $4,000 in item 1b	The remaining $3,500 plus interest is still collectible
Devon checks full by mistake	Devon loses the right to collect the unpaid $3,500
Liu’s Catering pays the rest later and Devon files a second EJ-100 marked full	The judgment is fully satisfied and the case closes
Devon never files anything	Liu’s Catering can sue under CCP § 724.050

Scenario 3: Matured Installments in a Family Law Case

Priya Kapoor owes spousal support installments to Marcus Kapoor under a Family Code § 4330 order. Priya pays the past-due installments totaling $8,200. Marcus files EJ-100 marking matured installment.

Filing Choice	Legal Effect
Marcus marks matured installment and lists each payment	Past-due arrears are cleared and future support stays in force
Marcus marks full	Future support obligations could be argued waived
Marcus marks partial without listing matured dates	The clerk may reject the filing for ambiguity
Marcus refuses to file after demand	Priya recovers $100 plus damages under CCP § 724.050

Three Named Examples to Anchor the Rules

Examples turn law into practice. Each story below shows a named person, a goal, and a clear outcome.

James O’Connor is a small landlord who won a $9,800 judgment against an ex-tenant in Sacramento Superior Court. The tenant paid in cash, and James marked the full box, signed before a notary at his local UPS Store, and mailed the original to the clerk. The lien on the tenant’s car loan refinance cleared within two weeks because James also recorded a copy with the Sacramento County Recorder.

Linda Tran is a freelance designer who won a $3,200 small claims judgment against a former client. The client paid in two installments. Linda filed two EJ-100 forms, the first marked partial and the second marked full, and she avoided the $100 penalty under CCP § 724.050 because she filed each within 15 days of payment.

Mr. Hassan Patel runs a wholesale bakery and was the judgment debtor on a $42,000 judgment. After he paid, the creditor delayed for three months. Hassan sent a written demand under CCP § 724.050 by certified mail, and when the creditor still did not file, Hassan sued in Alameda Superior Court and recovered $250, his actual damages of $3,750 in higher loan interest, and his attorney fees.

Mistakes to Avoid

Filers lose money and time on the same errors year after year. Each mistake below has a direct consequence rooted in the Code of Civil Procedure.

• Listing the wrong case number: The clerk cannot match the form, and the lien stays open under CCP § 724.030.
• Skipping the notary when a lien is recorded: The recorder rejects the filing, and the $250 penalty in CCP § 724.050 accrues.
• Checking full when only partial was paid: The creditor loses the right to collect the unpaid balance forever.
• Ignoring a written demand for 15 days: The creditor owes $100 plus actual damages under CCP § 724.050.
• Failing to record a copy with the county recorder: The real property lien survives, and title insurers like First American Title will still flag it.
• Using a stale address for the debtor: Notice failures void later motions and trigger sanctions under CRC Rule 2.30.
• Forgetting the Secretary of State UCC lien: Business credit stays blocked for five years until a UCC-3 termination is filed.
• Letting an assignee sign without proof of assignment: The form is void, and the case stays open.
• Filing a photocopy instead of the original: Many clerks reject copies under local filing rules.

Do’s and Don’ts of Filing EJ-100

Do’s:

• Use the latest revision of Form EJ-100 because outdated versions are rejected by some clerks.
• Notarize the signature whenever a real-property lien exists, since Civil Code § 1189 requires acknowledgment.
• Record a certified copy at the county recorder when an Abstract of Judgment was recorded.
• Send the debtor a stamped copy because that proof of service blocks future demands under CCP § 724.050.
• Calendar the 15-day deadline after any written demand to avoid statutory penalties.

Don’ts:

• Don’t sign for a creditor you do not represent, because forging a signature is a felony under Penal Code § 470.
• Don’t leave items 2 through 5 blank, because blank fields trigger clerk rejection under local rules.
• Don’t assume e-filing replaces recording, because the recorder is a separate office under Government Code § 27201.
• Don’t ignore a partial payment, because failing to credit it in item 1b can be deemed bad faith.
• Don’t file without a notary on lien cases, because the recorder will reject the filing and damages accrue.

Pros and Cons of Filing EJ-100 Yourself

Pros:

• Saves attorney fees of $300–$600 per hour, according to the State Bar of California.
• Speeds up lien release, since self-filers often beat a lawyer’s calendar.
• Builds knowledge about the California court system for future disputes.
• Avoids miscommunication between you and a third-party signer.
• Direct control over the language, dates, and recording.

Cons:

• Risk of clerk rejection if a single line is wrong.
• Notary cost of $15 per signature, capped by Government Code § 8211.
• County recorder fees of $15–$25 per page in counties like Los Angeles.
• Time investment to read CCP §§ 724.010–724.090.
• No legal advice safety net if facts are unusual, such as a deceased creditor or a corporate dissolution.

Recording with the County Recorder

When the original judgment was recorded as a lien on real property, EJ-100 alone does not clear title. The debtor must take a certified copy of the filed EJ-100 and record it at the county recorder where the Abstract of Judgment was recorded, per Government Code § 27361.

The plain-English explanation is that the recorder is a separate office from the court. The recorder indexes documents by name and instrument number, and unless the satisfaction is recorded, title companies still see the lien. The consequence of skipping the recorder is a delayed home sale, a denied refinance, or a higher mortgage rate, as confirmed by Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide.

A real-world example: Tony Alvarez paid his judgment, filed EJ-100, and tried to refinance. His mortgage broker pulled title and saw the unrecorded lien. Tony lost his rate lock and paid an extra $4,200 in interest before recording the satisfaction.

A common misconception is that the court tells the recorder. It does not. The court has no automatic data link to the 58 county recorders in California, and the California State Association of Counties has confirmed that recorder filings remain a separate manual step.

Recap of Key Court Rulings

California courts take satisfaction of judgment seriously, and the case law shows it. In Jhaveri v. Teitelbaum (2009) 176 Cal.App.4th 740, the court enforced the $100 penalty against a creditor who delayed filing EJ-100 after a written demand. The opinion confirms that the 15-day clock is strict, not flexible.

In Lucky United Properties Investment, Inc. v. Lee (2010) 185 Cal.App.4th 125, the court held that attorney fees under CCP § 724.080 are mandatory for the prevailing party. A debtor who wins a satisfaction lawsuit recovers fees, and a creditor who wins also recovers fees, which raises the stakes for both sides.

In Pellegrino v. Robert Half International, Inc. (2010) 182 Cal.App.4th 278, the court reinforced that courts read the Code of Civil Procedure to favor closing satisfied judgments quickly. The takeaway is clear: file EJ-100 fast, file it correctly, and record it where required.

FAQs

Do I need an attorney to file EJ-100?

No. Self-represented parties file EJ-100 every day, and the California Courts self-help center provides free guidance, sample forms, and clerk contact info to walk you through the process.

Is a notary required for every EJ-100?

No. A notary is required only when the judgment was recorded as a real-property lien under CCP § 724.060, but many filers notarize anyway to be safe.

Can the judgment debtor sign EJ-100?

No. Only the judgment creditor or an assignee of record can sign, and a debtor’s signature on the form is void under CCP § 724.030.

Will filing EJ-100 update my credit report?

Yes. Once recorded, credit bureaus typically update within 30–60 days, and you can speed it up by disputing the lien through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with proof.

Does EJ-100 release a wage garnishment?

Yes. The court issues a Memorandum of Costs After Judgment and the sheriff stops collecting once the satisfaction is filed, per CCP § 706.026.

Can I file EJ-100 electronically?

Yes. Most California superior courts allow e-filing through portals like One Legal and File & ServeXpress, but recording with the county recorder is a separate step.

What happens if the creditor refuses to sign?

Yes, you have a remedy. Send a written demand under CCP § 724.050 by certified mail, and after 15 days you can sue for $100, $250 if a lien exists, plus actual damages and attorney fees.

Is there a filing fee for EJ-100?

No. Filing the Acknowledgment of Satisfaction with the court is free under Government Code § 70626, but recording with the county recorder costs roughly $15–$25 per page.

Does EJ-100 work for federal judgments?

No. Federal judgments use Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 69 and a federal Satisfaction of Judgment form filed with the U.S. District Court, not Form EJ-100.

Can I file a corrected EJ-100 if I made a mistake?

Yes. File an amended EJ-100 marked clearly as Amended and explain the correction in an attached declaration under CRC Rule 2.100, and serve a copy on the other party.

Does EJ-100 stop interest from accruing?

Yes. Interest at 10% per year under CCP § 685.010 stops on the date the judgment is paid in full, and the satisfaction documents that date.

Can a corporation sign EJ-100?

Yes. An authorized officer or agent signs on behalf of the corporation, and the California Corporations Code § 313 presumes officer authority for routine documents like EJ-100.