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Bank · Germany

Pfändungs- und Überweisungsbeschluss — when the account is suddenly blocked

A Pfändungs- und Überweisungsbeschluss is a court order that seizes your bank balance or wages for a creditor who already holds an enforceable title. A P-Konto protects a fixed monthly allowance.

How serious: enforcement closeAlso called: PfÜB, Kontopfändung, Pfändungsverfügung (when issued by a tax or public authority)

This court order seizes a claim you have against a third party — most often your bank account balance or your wages. Your bank (the Drittschuldner) is forbidden to pay you, and you are forbidden to dispose of the seized claim (ZPO §829).

The 'Überweisung' part transfers the seized claim to the creditor for collection (ZPO §835). Receiving this order means a creditor already holds an enforceable title against you — the stage of arguing about whether the debt exists is over.

Most people notice it not through the letter but through the account: the bank freezes it at the same time, and card payments start to fail. Protection for a basic monthly amount exists — but only on a Pfändungsschutzkonto (P-Konto).

Who sends it

The Vollstreckungsgericht — the enforcement court at the Amtsgericht — on a creditor's application (ZPO §829). Tax and similar authorities can issue the equivalent 'Pfändungsverfügung' themselves, without any court (AO §309). Your bank receives the order too.

Court heading 'Amtsgericht … — Vollstreckungsgericht' and the title 'Pfändungs- und Überweisungsbeschluss'. It names the creditor (Gläubiger), you (Schuldner), and your bank or employer (Drittschuldner), and lists the titled claim with costs. In practice, the account is frozen at the same time and card payments fail.

The deadline

There is no response deadline in the usual sense: the attachment is effective the moment the order is served on your bank or employer (ZPO §829). One period matters afterwards — for a seized account balance, the bank may pay the creditor after the one-month waiting period of ZPO §835.

If you do nothing

For a seized account balance, the bank may pay the creditor after the one-month waiting period of ZPO §835 — the money is then gone. An automatic monthly protected allowance exists only on a P-Konto: there, each month the §850c basic allowance, rounded up to the next €10 (ZPO §899), stays available — from 1 July 2026 that basic amount is €1,587.40 per month. Without converting to a P-Konto, no basic amount is automatically released.

How it escalates

  1. 01The bank must not pay you (ZPO §829); standing orders and card payments from the seized balance stop.
  2. 02After the one-month period of ZPO §835, the seized balance is paid out to the creditor.
  3. 03A wage attachment continues month after month: the employer pays the attachable part of the salary directly to the creditor until the debt is cleared.
  4. 04The seizure stays in place until the titled debt, including costs, is fully paid.

Your options, procedurally

  • Any natural person can demand that their bank convert the account into a P-Konto, at any time. With an existing seizure, the bank must comply by the start of the fourth business day after the demand (ZPO §850k).
  • On the P-Konto, the protected monthly allowance can be used: the §850c basic amount — €1,587.40 from 1 July 2026 — rounded up to the next full €10 (ZPO §899). Higher allowances apply with maintenance obligations: plus €597.42 for the first entitled person and plus €332.83 for each further one.
  • The titled debt can be paid, or payment agreed with the creditor, who can then withdraw the enforcement.
  • Only one P-Konto per person is allowed (ZPO §850k) — holding several can cost the protection.

Common questions

Why is my account frozen without warning?

The attachment is effective the moment the order is served on your bank (ZPO §829). The bank receives the order at the same time as you — often the frozen account is how people find out.

Is any money protected?

Only on a P-Konto. There, a monthly basic allowance — €1,587.40 from 1 July 2026, rounded up to the next €10 (ZPO §899) — stays available, with higher amounts for people with maintenance obligations. Without a P-Konto, no basic amount is automatically released.

How fast does a P-Konto conversion work?

Any natural person can demand the conversion at any time; with an existing seizure, the bank must comply by the start of the fourth business day after the demand (ZPO §850k).

When does the seized money actually leave the account?

The bank may pay the seized balance to the creditor after the one-month waiting period of ZPO §835.

Sources

Facts verified against the sources below on 28 August 2026.