Pay the judgment - if you do owe the money

You’ll have to pay the person or business you owe the money to, or their solicitor. The name and address will be on the judgment form. Do not pay the court. Make sure you can prove you’ve paid. Send a cheque or postal order by post, or make a bank transfer. Do not send cash through the post. Keep a record of your payments and make sure you pay in time. Pay in instalments If you’re paying in instalments, ask the person or business you owe the money to about the best way to pay. You may want to set up a standing order to pay the money directly from your bank account. If you’re late with your payments, you could be taken back to court and you may have to pay extra costs. Ask to change the payments You can ask to change the terms of the judgment - for example, how and when you pay. To do this, fill in the N245 application form . Give details of your income and spending, and say how much you can realistically afford to pay. You may have to pay a court fee . If your offer is rejected, the court will decide on the amount you have to pay. If you do not pay what the court has ordered If you do not pay as ordered, the person or business you owe money to may: threaten you with bailiffs to collect the money ask the court to take action against you to force you to pay You can get temporary protection from your creditors through the ‘Breathing Space’ scheme , while still making repayments. You’ll need to apply through a debt adviser. If you’re threatened with bailiffs The person or business you owe money to may use bailiffs to collect the money. They’ll have to apply to the court for a ‘warrant’, which will give the bailiff the right to visit your home or property. You’ll be given 7 days to pay before they visit. You may be able to stop the bailiff from visiting, by filling in the N245 application form . Say on the form how you’ll repay the money - for example weekly or monthly payments. If your offer is accepted, the warrant will be stopped as long as you keep up with the payments. Actions the court can take against you to force you to pay The court may decide to: order a deduction from your earnings freeze money in your bank or building society account deduct the money you owe when you sell your property (such as a house, land, stocks or shares) order you to come to court to answer questions about things like your earnings or employment status If you have other judgments or debts If you have another judgment against you, you can arrange to pay all your debts to the court in a single weekly or monthly payment. This will stop people taking action against you to get their money - for example by sending bailiffs to your home. You can only do this if your total debts are under £5,000. You’ll need to fill in the application for an administration order (N92) . Contact the court if you cannot keep up with the payments.

If you do not owe the money, you can ask the court to cancel the county court judgment ( CCJ ) or high court judgment. This is known as getting the judgment ‘set aside’. You can also do this if you did not receive, or did not respond to, the original claim from the court saying you owed the money. Apply to get the judgment set aside To get a judgment set aside, fill in the application notice (N244) and send it to the court. You may have to pay a court fee of £303. You’ll have to go to a private hearing at the court to explain why you do not owe the money. If you do not go to the hearing, your application will be rejected and you’ll have to pay the amount in the judgment.

CCJs and your credit rating

If you get a county court judgment ( CCJ ) or a high court judgment, it will stay on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for 6 years. Banks and loan companies use this information to decide whether to give you credit or loans. If you pay within one month If you pay the full amount within one month, you can get the judgment removed from the register. Write to the court to say you’ve paid. You’ll need to send proof of payment from the person or business you owed money to. If you pay after one month If you pay after one month, you can get the record of the judgment marked as ‘satisfied’ in the register. It will stay on the register for 6 years but people searching the register will see that you’ve paid. Write to the court to say you’ve paid. You’ll need to send proof of payment from the person or business you owed money to. Getting a certificate of cancellation or satisfaction If you want proof from the court that you’ve paid, you can apply for: a certificate of cancellation - if you paid within one month a certificate of satisfaction - if you paid after one month Apply for the certificate in writing or by sending form N443 to the court that is dealing with your case. You’ll need to include a cheque for £15 - make it payable to ‘ HMCTS ’. If you want to pay by card, contact the court that’s handling your case. If you cannot get proof of payment If you cannot get proof from the person or business you owed money to, you can still apply for a certificate of cancellation or satisfaction using form N443. You’ll need to send evidence to the court showing you made the payment, for example a bank statement. If you do not have evidence, explain this on the form. The court will write to the person or business you owed money to. If they do not respond within 30 days, the court will use your evidence to make a decision. Search the register of judgments You can search for details of any judgments against you on the register of judgments . You’ll have to pay a small fee - each search costs between £6 and £10. If the information on the register is wrong, contact the court where the judgment was made.

County court judgments for debt

Overview

You may get a county court judgment (CCJ) or high court judgment if someone takes court action against you (saying you owe them money) and you do not respond.

You must respond to the court claim by the date on the email or letter you receive.

If you get a judgment, this means that the court has formally decided that you owe the money.

The judgment will come in the post and will explain:

how much you owe
how to pay (in full or in instalments)
the deadline for paying
who to pay

Records of judgments are kept for 6 years unless you pay the full amount within a month - this can make it hard to get credit.

What you can do if you get a judgment

If you do owe the money, you’ll need to pay it back. If you cannot afford to, you can ask to:

change the terms of (‘vary’) the judgment
pay it back in instalments

Find out what options you have for paying the judgment.

You can apply for the judgment to be cancelled (or ‘set aside’) if:

you do not owe the money
you did not receive, or did not respond to, the original claim from the court saying you owed the money

Find out how to apply for the judgment to be cancelled.

If you get a judgment, do not ignore it - you could be taken back to court and forced to pay.

Court judgments for debt in Scotland

The law is different in Scotland - read guidance from the Accountant in Bankruptcy (Scotland’s insolvency service).

View a printable version of the whole guide

County court judgments for debt

Overview

What you can do if you get a judgment

Court judgments for debt in Scotland

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County court judgments for debt

Overview

What you can do if you get a judgment

Court judgments for debt in Scotland

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Help us improve GOV.UK

Help us improve GOV.UK