You Won Your Case. Now Actually Get Paid.
A court judgment means nothing if the debtor ignores it. We enforce unpaid freelancer and contractor claims across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island — with the legal authority to make it stick.
Why Freelancers Come to Us First
Mayor-Appointed, Badge Number 14
We’re not a collection agency. We’re a court-appointed NYC Marshal with the legal authority to garnish wages and seize assets.
Serving NYC Since 1988
The Guida family has enforced civil judgments in New York City for nearly four decades — two generations of experience, one office.
All Five Boroughs Covered
Whether your client is in Manhattan or Staten Island, our jurisdiction covers every borough — no referrals, no handoffs.
Regulated by NYC Department of Investigation
Unlike private agencies, we operate under direct government oversight — giving you a formal accountability structure that protects your interests.
NYC Marshal Freelancer Judgment Enforcement
The Step Most Freelancers Don’t Know Exists
You filed in small claims court. You won. And then nothing happened. The debtor didn’t pay, the court didn’t collect, and you were left holding a piece of paper wondering what went wrong. Nothing went wrong — this is just how the system works. Winning a judgment and collecting on it are two entirely separate steps, and the second one requires a court-appointed enforcement officer.
That’s where we come in. As NYC Marshal Edward Guida Jr. #14, we enforce civil court judgments on behalf of freelancers and independent contractors across all five NYC boroughs. We can garnish your debtor’s wages through income execution, or seize cash and property through property execution — both backed by court order, not just a strongly worded letter.
Collect Freelance Judgment NYC
Real Enforcement, Not Just Requests
A private collection agency can ask your debtor to pay. We can compel them to — and there’s a significant legal difference between those two things.
- Your unpaid invoice becomes an enforceable court order — not just a demand your client can keep ignoring.
- If your judgment was won under NYC’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act, we can enforce the full amount the court awarded, including any double damages.
- You don’t need an attorney to start the enforcement process — once you have a judgment, you can come directly to our office.
- Income execution lets us garnish a portion of your debtor’s wages if they’re employed, even if they claim to have no assets.
- Property execution allows us to seize cash or personal property to satisfy the judgment — a tool no private collection agency has.
- New York small claims judgments are valid for 20 years, so even older unpaid judgments may still be collectible.
Independent Contractor Small Claims NYC
A Marshal Is Not a Collection Agency
This distinction matters more than most freelancers realize. A collection agency can send letters, make calls, and report to credit bureaus. That’s it. They have no legal authority to compel payment — they can only ask. When a debtor decides to ignore them, there’s nothing more they can do.
A court-appointed NYC Marshal operates under an entirely different set of rules. We act on the authority of the court itself. Income execution and property execution are not requests — they are legally compelled mechanisms that require the debtor’s employer or bank to comply. When we serve an income execution, the employer must withhold a portion of the debtor’s wages. When we execute against property, we have the authority to seize it.
For a freelancer who has already gone through the time and stress of winning a judgment, the difference between hiring a collection agency and hiring a marshal is often the difference between collecting your money and not.
Freelance Isn’t Free Act Judgment Enforcement
NYC’s Freelancer Law Has Real Teeth — If You Use Them
New York City passed the Freelance Isn’t Free Act in 2017, and New York State expanded those protections statewide in 2024. Under this law, if a hiring party fails to pay, pays late, or underpays a freelancer on a contract worth $800 or more, the freelancer can sue — and potentially recover double the unpaid amount.
That doubled judgment is powerful. But it doesn’t collect itself. The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection can receive complaints and facilitate resolution, but it doesn’t send a marshal to your debtor’s door. That’s a step you have to take. Once a court awards you a FIFA judgment, our office can pursue income execution and property execution to make that award real. We enforce judgments from NYC Civil Court and New York State Supreme Court across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island — including for freelancers whose clients are based anywhere in the city.
If you’ve won under the Freelance Isn’t Free Act and still haven’t seen a dollar, the judgment is only as good as its enforcement.
How NYC Marshal Collects Your Judgment
From Judgment to Payment — Here’s the Process
Bring Us Your Judgment
Contact our office with your court-issued judgment and any information you have about the debtor — employer, address, bank details if known.
We Identify Enforcement Options
We determine whether income execution, property execution, or both are the right path based on what we can locate about the debtor’s assets.
We Execute and Collect
We serve the appropriate legal instruments and collect on the judgment — our fee comes from what’s recovered, not from your pocket upfront.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a lawyer to hire a NYC Marshal to collect my judgment?
No. Once a judgment has been entered by the court — whether from NYC Small Claims Court, NYC Civil Court, or New York State Supreme Court — you can hire a marshal directly without an attorney. The litigation phase is over. Enforcement is a separate process, and it doesn’t require legal representation on your end. You bring us the judgment and the debtor information you have, and we handle the enforcement from there. This is one of the most important things freelancers don’t know: you don’t need to keep paying an attorney after you’ve already won.
What’s the difference between income execution and property execution for freelancers?
Income execution is wage garnishment — we serve a legal instrument on the debtor’s employer, who is then required to withhold a portion of the debtor’s wages and direct them toward satisfying your judgment. Property execution involves seizing the debtor’s cash or personal property. Which approach we use depends on what we can identify about the debtor’s situation. If they’re employed, income execution is often the most reliable path. If they have identifiable assets — a business bank account, for example — property execution may be more direct. In some cases, we pursue both.
Can you collect a judgment from a client based in Manhattan if I live in Brooklyn?
Yes. Our office is based in Corona, Queens, but we’re authorized to enforce civil court judgments across all five NYC boroughs — the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. A Brooklyn-based graphic designer with an unpaid invoice from a Manhattan agency, a Bronx contractor who did work for a Queens client — these are exactly the kinds of cross-borough situations we handle routinely. You don’t need to find a marshal in the same borough as your debtor.
What if my debtor claims they have no money or assets to collect from?
This is one of the most common concerns, and it’s worth understanding before you give up. Income execution reaches debtors who are employed — even if they appear to have no savings or property. If the debtor has a job, their employer can be compelled to withhold wages. Beyond that, a judgment in New York is valid for 20 years. A debtor who is genuinely broke today may have a job, a bank account, or property tomorrow — and the judgment follows them. We use current technology to locate employer and asset information, which often turns up more than the debtor wants you to know.
How much does it cost to hire NYC Marshal Edward Guida to collect a judgment?
NYC Marshal fees are set by state statute, not by individual offices. We retain a percentage of what we collect — called poundage — which means our fee comes from the recovered amount rather than being charged to you upfront in most cases. Because our compensation is tied to successful collection, there’s a built-in incentive to pursue your judgment effectively. You’re not paying a flat fee to an agency that may or may not get results. If you have questions about how the fee structure applies to your specific situation, contact our office directly and we’ll walk you through it.
My client is ignoring a Freelance Isn’t Free Act judgment. What can you actually do about it?
Quite a bit. The NYC and NYS Freelance Isn’t Free Act gives qualifying freelancers the right to sue for unpaid compensation and, in some cases, recover double the amount owed. But the law doesn’t collect the money — the court doesn’t send anyone to your debtor’s door after issuing a judgment. That’s where enforcement begins. Once you have a FIFA judgment, our office can serve income execution against the debtor’s employer or pursue property execution against their assets. Both of these are legally compelled actions — the debtor’s employer or bank is required by law to comply. If your debtor is ignoring a FIFA judgment anywhere in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or Staten Island, contact us.
Call us at (718) 779-2134 or email us at gu*****@**********14.com to see how we can help you.