County Court Judgment (CCJ) FAQs

A CCJ is a court order confirming your company’s liability for an amount of debt and is viewable to the public.

Creditors can issue a CCJ to recover what your company owes them. Prior to issuing the CCJ, they may have attempted to recover these funds through less formal methods. They could have informed you of the court order by issuing a default notice or ‘letter before action’.

You can find out if a CCJ has been issued against your company by:
• Receiving confirmation from the courts
You should receive the CCJ paperwork from the court directly to your company’s registered address.
• Searching the Register
You can also check for CCJs by viewing your company’s credit rating, or view your record on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines, a public register of CCJs in England and Wales that can be viewed online for a small fee.

Your creditors can take further enforcement action against your company immediately after the judgment’s date of issue. If you don’t resolve a company CCJ within one calendar month of its date of issue, it will remain on your company’s credit file for six years.

This enforcement action could include, but is not limited to:
• Additional costs and interest
Depending on the creditor and the terms of your initial agreement, they may add interest to the owed amount, further increasing what you have to pay. Enforcement costs may also be added.
• Visits from debt collectors and bailiffs
The creditor issuing the judgment can apply for further enforcement action immediately following the date of the judgment. This may result in debt collectors, County Court Bailiffs or High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs) visiting your company’s premises to recover funds or assets equivalent to the debt’s value.
• Increased risk of statutory demands, a winding-up petition and compulsory liquidation
A creditor may serve a statutory demand and, if unpaid, present a winding-up petition for an undisputed debt over £750. further escalate their debt recovery efforts.

If left unsatisfied, a CCJ will remain on your company’s credit file for six years. This can negatively impact your company’s credit score, making it harder to obtain credit from lenders or having to pay a higher interest rate on credit that it does obtain.

Your company can still trade if it has a CCJ, but it will appear on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines, potentially worsening your company’s reputation.

If left unresolved after one calendar month, a CCJ will remain on your company’s credit file for six years. If paid after this date, it will stay on the credit file but be marked as satisfied. If successfully challenged, it will be ‘set aside’ and removed.

There are two ways to remove a CCJ from your company’s credit file, which should be pursued within one calendar month of the date of issue:
• Repay the full amount
If you repay the CCJ’s full amount within one calendar month, the judgment will be satisfied and removed from the company’s credit file.
• Apply to have the judgment set aside
If you have a legitimate reason not to pay the CCJ, you can apply to challenge the judgment and have it removed from your company’s credit file by completing an N244 form, a defence form included in the CCJ paperwork.

If you’re successful, it will be removed from your company’s credit file. Once paid, apply to the court through an N443 form (certificate of cancellation/satisfaction) with proof of payment.

More on how to remove or challenge a CCJ

A creditor can apply for enforcement action immediately after a CCJ is granted by applying for a Warrant or Writ of control, depending on the amount specified in the CCJ. A Warrant or Writ of Control allows enforcement officers to act on a CCJ. A creditor can apply for either immediately after a CCJ is granted.
• Warrant of Control
Granted by the County Court for debts generally up to £5,000, and enables County Court bailiffs to visit company premises.
• Writ of Control
Granted by the High Court when a CCJ is transferred up. It can only be used for debts exceeding £500, and enables High Court Enforcement Officers to visit your company premises.
More about Warrants and Writs of Control

There are several different forms associated with defending your company against a CCJ and obtaining proof of payment. These forms include:
• N245 form
A defence form used to suspend a Warrant of Control or vary the CCJ’s payment instalment amounts if they were decided by the court.
• N244 form
A defence form used to suspend a Writ of Control or other post-judgment action. Can be used to apply to have a judgment set aside if the service was defective, or you were denied the opportunity to provide a realistic defence.
• N443 form
Used to obtain a certificate of cancellation if you fully repay the CCJ within one calendar month of the judgment’s date of issue, or a certificate of satisfaction if you fully repay after one calendar month of the judgment’s date of issue.

As a company director, you’ll have limited liability protection, separating your company’s finances from your personal ones. If the CCJ is against your company, it won’t affect your personal finances if you’ve acted in the company’s best interests.

However, there can be certain circumstances wherein you could be held personally liable for your company’s debts, including CCJs. These circumstances include, but are not limited to:

If you can repay the amount specified in the judgment, you can do so by:
• Paying the amount in full
Pay the amount stated in the judgment in full, plus any interest and enforcement costs incurred in the intervening time.
• Applying for a certificate of satisfaction/cancellation
Once the CCJ is paid in full, you can fill in an N443 form. If you repay the amount within one calendar month of the date of issue, you will receive a certificate of cancellation. If you repay after one calendar month of the date of issue, you will receive a certificate of satisfaction. In the latter case, the judgment will be marked as satisfied but remain on your company’s credit file for six years.

How to deal with a CCJ