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BriefDiener
DE

Amtsgericht (local court)

Mahnbescheid (court payment order) received: what now?

What this letter means

A Mahnbescheid (court payment order) is a court letter with which a creditor claims money from you. The court issues it on application without checking whether the claim exists. The Mahnbescheid itself says so. The creditor does not have to include any evidence.

The Mahnbescheid asks you, within two weeks of delivery, either to pay or to tell the court whether and to what extent you object (Widerspruch). It lists the main claim, interest and costs separately.

If you do not react, the creditor can apply for a Vollstreckungsbescheid (enforcement order). With it, the creditor can have your assets seized. If you object, the creditor has to go to normal court proceedings if they want to continue, and prove the claim there.

What to do now

  1. 1Write down the delivery date from the envelope and add two weeks. The deadline calculator can help.
  2. 2Check whether you know the creditor, whether you had a contract with them and whether the invoice has already been paid.
  3. 3Check interest and collection costs (Inkassokosten) separately from the main claim.
  4. 4If you want to object, fill in the enclosed form, tick whether you object to all or part of the claim, and sign it. The form is in German.
  5. 5Send the Widerspruch so that it reaches the Mahngericht before the deadline ends.

How you can reply

Widerspruch (objection) against the whole claim

Useful if you have no contract with the creditor, the invoice has been paid or the claim does not exist for other reasons. You do not have to give reasons.

Teilwiderspruch (partial objection)

If the main claim is correct but the interest or collection costs are too high, object only to that part. You should pay the part that is not disputed.

Pay

If the claim is justified, pay the amount stated in the Mahnbescheid to the creditor and keep the receipt. Objecting only to gain time usually makes things more expensive, because court proceedings create further costs.

Common questions

The court issued the Mahnbescheid. Does that mean I owe the money?

No. The Mahngericht only checks formal details, not whether the claim exists. Whether you owe the money is only decided if you object and the creditor takes you to court.

What happens after my Widerspruch?

The Mahngericht informs the creditor. If the creditor does not pursue the claim any further, nothing else happens. If they want to enforce it, the case is passed to the court responsible for the dispute (Streitgericht) and decided there in normal proceedings.

I missed the two weeks. Is it too late?

As long as no Vollstreckungsbescheid has been issued, a late Widerspruch is still taken into account. If the Vollstreckungsbescheid has already been issued, your Widerspruch counts as an Einspruch (objection) against it.

Sources (German law and official pages)

  1. § 692 Mahnbescheid (ZPO)
  2. § 694 Widerspruch gegen den Mahnbescheid (ZPO)
  3. Verbraucherzentrale: Gerichtliches Mahnverfahren, was tun bei einem Mahnbescheid?

Research as of: 10 November 2026