County Court Judgment

A CCJ is entered on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines and remains visible for six years, significantly damaging credit scores. If you pay the full amount within one month of the judgment date, you can apply to have the CCJ 'set aside' (cancelled) by submitting form N443 to the court with a £15 fee and proof of payment — the entry is then removed from the register. Paying after one month marks the CCJ as 'satisfied' but it remains on the register for the full six years. You can apply to set aside a default CCJ (one entered without your knowledge) on form N244 if you have a defence. If a creditor has obtained a CCJ fraudulently or against the wrong person, the court can order its removal. Enforcement of a CCJ by a bailiff or other method requires a further application to the court.

In practice, most CCJs are entered by default because the defendant never replied to the claim form. You normally have 14 days from service to file an acknowledgment of service, which buys you a further 14 days to file a defence. Missing that window is what turns a disputed debt into a judgment, so the single most useful thing you can do when a claim form arrives is respond on time, even if only to acknowledge it while you take advice.

Worked example: Owen finds out about a CCJ when a mortgage application is declined. The claim was sent to an old address. He obtains a copy of the judgment, gathers evidence of when he moved, and applies on form N244 to set the judgment aside on the basis that he was never properly served and has a real prospect of defending — the alleged debt was for a contract he cancelled within the cooling-off period. Separately, he checks the Register entry and, once the judgment is set aside, asks for the entry to be removed. Had he simply paid, the entry would have been marked satisfied but stayed visible for the full six years.

The misconceptions cost people money. A CCJ is a civil judgment, not a criminal conviction, and it does not appear on a DBS check — but lenders, some landlords and certain regulated employers do see it. Paying in full within one calendar month allows full removal, whereas paying on day 32 does not, so timing is everything. And a judgment does not stop interest or enforcement by itself: the creditor can go on to apply for an attachment of earnings, a charging order against your home, or instruct enforcement agents.

A CCJ commonly follows a claim issued through the small claims track and can lead to a visit from an enforcement agent. If a debt is old, check whether it is statute-barred before you acknowledge it. Read our guides to county court judgments and correcting your credit file, and get free debt advice before agreeing any payment.