A motion for entry of judgment in Texas asks the trial judge to sign a written document that turns a verdict, ruling, or settlement into an enforceable court order. Until that signature happens, the case stays open, no one can collect, and no appeal clock is running. Filing the motion, with a proposed judgment attached, is the step that closes the trial court’s work and starts every deadline that follows.
When You File One
You need this motion any time the case has been resolved but the judge hasn’t yet signed a formal written judgment. The usual triggers are a jury verdict, a bench ruling in a non-jury trial, or a default judgment. You also use it to memorialize a Rule 11 settlement agreement, which isn’t enforceable in Texas unless it’s in writing, signed by the parties or their attorneys, and filed with the court papers.
Under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 305, any party can prepare and submit a proposed judgment for the judge’s signature.1Texas Courts. Texas Rules of Civil Procedure – Rule 305 In practice the prevailing party almost always drafts it. Whoever submits the proposed judgment must serve it on every other party that has appeared. Failing to serve won’t change the appeal deadline, but it invites objections and makes judges less willing to sign.
What the Proposed Judgment Must Contain
The proposed judgment you attach to your motion carries all the substantive weight. Getting any of these pieces wrong can create real enforcement problems later.
Case Caption and the Relief Awarded
Start with the full case style (parties’ names exactly as they appear in the lawsuit), the cause number, and the court. Then state the relief the court is awarding. For a money judgment, spell out the exact dollar amount. For non-monetary relief like an injunction or specific performance, describe precisely what the other party must do or stop doing. Vague language gives the losing side room to argue later about what the judgment actually requires.
The judgment also has to allocate court costs. Texas law generally assesses costs against the losing party, and the judgment should say so explicitly.
Finality Language
A judgment isn’t appealable unless it disposes of every party and every claim. The safest approach is express language stating that all relief not specifically granted is denied and that the judgment finally disposes of all parties and all claims. Lawyers sometimes call this a “Mother Hubbard” clause, but the label is misleading. The Texas Supreme Court has held that a generic Mother Hubbard clause is not enough to make a judgment final when the case wasn’t resolved through a conventional trial on the merits. If your case ended on summary judgment or partial disposition, draft language that specifically addresses each remaining party and claim instead of relying on a catch-all denial.
Exempt Property Notice
Any judgment awarding monetary damages must include a bilingual notice telling the judgment debtor that certain money and property may be protected from seizure. Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 306a(3) requires this exact language: “If you are an individual (not a company), your money or property may be protected from being taken to pay this judgment. Find out more by visiting www.texaslawhelp.org/exempt-property.”2South Texas College of Law. Texas Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 306a – Periods to Run from Signing of Judgment It must appear in both English and Spanish. Leaving it out won’t invalidate the judgment or shift post-trial deadlines, but it can complicate enforcement.
Interest and Signature Block
The judgment must state the applicable post-judgment interest rate, which begins accruing from the date of signing. Include a blank signature line with the judge’s printed name below it and a space for the signing date.
Interest the Judgment Should State
Interest on a Texas judgment has two components, and the proposed judgment should address both where they apply.
Post-judgment interest accrues automatically on every money judgment from the signing date. The rate equals the prime rate published by the Federal Reserve on the date the consumer credit commissioner calculates it, with a floor of 5% and a ceiling of 15%.3State of Texas. Texas Finance Code 304.003 – Judgment Interest Rate As of early 2026 that rate is 6.75%.4Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner. Interest Rates The commissioner recalculates on the 15th of each month for judgments signed the following month, so verify the current rate before you submit.
Pre-judgment interest applies in wrongful death, personal injury, and property damage cases. It accrues from the earlier of two dates: 180 days after the defendant received written notice of the claim, or the date the lawsuit was filed. It stops the day before the judgment is rendered and is calculated as simple interest with no compounding.5State of Texas. Texas Finance Code 304.104 – Accrual of Prejudgment Interest If pre-judgment interest applies, the proposed judgment should state both the amount and the calculation period.
How to File and Serve It
Texas courts require attorneys to file documents electronically through an approved e-filing service provider such as eFileTexas.gov.6Texas Courts. Texas Rules of Civil Procedure – Rule 21 Self-represented litigants may e-file but aren’t required to. Upload the motion and the proposed judgment as separate documents inside the same electronic envelope. Use the “proposed order” filing code for the unsigned judgment so the clerk routes it to the judge correctly.
Serve every other party or their attorney with both the motion and the proposed judgment at the time of filing. Electronic service through the e-filing system satisfies this, and the filing must include a certificate of service. The point of serving the proposed judgment is to give the other side a chance to review it and object if the language doesn’t match what the court actually decided. If you receive a proposed judgment that misstates something, raise the problem immediately. Waiting too long can waive your right to complain about the wording.
What Happens After the Judge Signs
The date the judge signs is the single most important date in Texas post-trial procedure. Under Rule 306a, that date triggers the window for post-judgment motions, the time to file an appeal, and the court’s own authority to change its ruling.2South Texas College of Law. Texas Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 306a – Periods to Run from Signing of Judgment
Plenary Power
After signing, the trial court retains “plenary power” to vacate, modify, or correct the judgment. If no one files any post-judgment motions, that power expires 30 days after signing. Once it expires, the judgment is final and the trial court generally can’t touch it.
A timely motion for new trial or motion to modify the judgment extends plenary power. The court then has until 30 days after all such motions are either ruled on or overruled by operation of law. A motion for new trial that sits without a ruling for 75 days is automatically overruled at the end of that 75-day period. Add the additional 30 days of plenary power, and the outer limit is 105 days from the signing date.7Texas Courts. Texas Rules of Civil Procedure – Rule 329b
Appeal Deadline
A notice of appeal in a civil case must be filed within 30 days after the judgment is signed. If any party timely files a motion for new trial, a motion to modify the judgment, a motion to reinstate a dismissed case, or a request for findings of fact and conclusions of law, the appeal deadline extends to 90 days after signing.8Texas Courts. Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure – Rule 26.1 Missing the appeal deadline is one of the most unforgiving mistakes in Texas litigation. Courts rarely grant extensions, and the right to appeal can be lost permanently.
If You Weren’t Notified of Signing
There is one important exception. If you didn’t receive the clerk’s notice and had no actual knowledge that the judgment was signed within 20 days of signing, all post-judgment deadlines restart from the date you or your attorney first learned of it. The protection has an absolute outer limit: deadlines can never restart more than 90 days after the original signing date.2South Texas College of Law. Texas Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 306a – Periods to Run from Signing of Judgment You have to prove the lack of notice in the trial court through a sworn motion served on the other parties.
Fixing Errors in the Signed Judgment
If the signed judgment contains a clerical error, such as a misspelled name, a dollar amount that doesn’t match the verdict, or an incorrect date, the court can fix it through a nunc pro tunc order. Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 316 allows the judge to correct clerical mistakes “according to the truth or justice of the case” after giving notice to all parties.9Texas Courts. Texas Rules of Civil Procedure – Rule 316
The key distinction is between clerical errors and judicial errors. A clerical error is one where the written judgment doesn’t reflect what the court actually decided. A judicial error is one where the court made a substantive mistake in its decision. Nunc pro tunc corrections only fix the first kind. If the court intended to award $50,000 and the judgment says $5,000, that is a clerical error the court can correct at any time. If the court intended $50,000 but should have awarded $100,000 based on the evidence, that is a judicial error that must be raised through a motion for new trial or an appeal within the regular deadlines.