Legal Recovery Rate Calculator

Winning a judgment is one thing — collecting on it is another entirely.

Judgment amount

Legal fees incurred

Expected recovery %

Collection fees %

Net recovery

-$1,157

Gross collected

$990

Effective recovery rate

-0.2%

How the math works

Gross = judgment × recovery %. Fee = gross × collection %. Net = gross − fee − legal.

$5,500 × 18% = $990 gross. −35% ($347) collection fee −$1,800 legal = −$1,157 net (loss).

How to Use

Enter judgment amount.
Enter legal fees incurred.
Enter expected recovery %.
Enter collection fees %.
Read net recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's a typical post-judgment recovery rate?

Residential eviction/arrears judgments: 10-25% collection on average. Higher (30-50%) for employed tenants with garnishment rights in permissive states (TX, FL, VA). Lower (5-15%) in restrictive states (CA, NY) or with unemployed / self-employed / cash-economy tenants. Commercial lease judgments: 40-65% (usually LLC assets or guarantor). Judgment expires 5-20 years depending on state; can renew but gets harder each year.

How do you collect on a judgment?

Wage garnishment (varies: 10-25% of disposable earnings in permissive states, banned in NC/SC/PA/TX without tax-debt basis), bank levy (freeze and seize account balance), non-homestead property lien, tax refund intercept (some states), payment plan enforced by court. Hire a collections attorney specializing in judgment recovery: $200-450/hr, often works on 30-40% contingency. Pure contingency recovery: 30-50% of net.

When is it worth pursuing?

Rule of thumb: judgment > $3,000 + employed tenant + permissive state = worth pursuing. Small judgments (<$1,500), unemployed tenants, or restrictive states rarely produce positive net recovery after legal fees. Many operators file to preserve credit-report impact (which is strong collections lever — tenant wants to clear for future housing) and then accept partial payment plan rather than chase enforcement.

How do institutional landlords operate?

Monthly report of aging judgments. Third-party collections firm on 30-40% contingency (Hunter Warfield, RentPayment Collections, RNN Group). In-house legal for high-balance / repeat-offender cases. Active use of credit bureau reporting (Experian RentBureau, Equifax) as a lever. Integration with TransUnion SmartMove / Core Logic so filing becomes visible to future landlords. Recovery rates 2-3x higher than DIY.