Skip to content
Check my options
All debt solutionsIVADebt Management PlanDebt Relief OrderBankruptcyBreathing SpaceFull and final settlementProtected Trust DeedDebt Arrangement Scheme
All types of debtDebt collectors A–ZBailiff companies A–ZLenders A–ZDebt questions answeredCredit card debtCouncil tax arrearsPersonal loansEnergy arrearsOverdraftsRent arrearsHMRC debtBuy Now Pay Later
All compareIVA vs DMPIVA vs DROIVA vs bankruptcyDMP vs DRODMP vs bankruptcyDRO vs bankruptcy
All toolsSolution comparisonMy Debt MapBudget calculatorCouncil finderLetter BuilderDebt Action PlanOffer PackLetter checkerBailiff fee checkerStatute-barred checkerBill PrioritiserContact logIf I stop payingPayoff calculatorDeadline plannerFind My DebtsMy Debt FileDRO testsSolution explorerCan bailiffs take this?Can bailiffs come in?ChecklistsDebt glossaryUK insolvency tracker
All urgent helpBailiff at the doorCouncil tax summonsCourt letter or claim formEviction threatEnergy disconnectionWages being deductedCan't afford foodCreditor threats
All local helpEnglandScotlandWalesNorthern IrelandWest MidlandsBirminghamWolverhamptonAll locations
Debt glossary How we make money
Check my options

What is a CCJ?

A County Court Judgment is a court order saying you owe money and how to pay it. It is serious, but it is also a fixed set of rules — and most of them give you options.

Applies to: England & Wales

Written by The My Debt Cleared editorial teamLast reviewed 18 October 2026Next review 18 April 2027Jurisdiction England & WalesEditorial policy
A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is an order from the County Court that you must pay a debt, either in one go or by instalments. It is recorded on the public Register of Judgments for six years — unless you pay the full amount within one month, in which case it is removed. If you keep to the order, the creditor cannot use bailiffs, wage deductions or bank orders. If the payments are unaffordable you can ask the court to change them, and if you never knew about the claim or do not owe the money you can ask for it to be set aside.

What to do now

  1. Read the judgment: how much, how often, and from when.
  2. If you can pay in full within one month of the judgment date, do it and ask for a certificate of cancellation.
  3. If the instalments are too high, apply to change them now — do not just stop paying.
  4. If you did not know about the claim or do not owe the money, look at setting it aside straight away.

How a CCJ happens

  1. Letter before claimThe creditor must write first, with a reply form and financial statement.30 days to reply
  2. Court claimA claim form is issued by the County Court.14 days to respond (28 if you acknowledge)
  3. Your responseAdmit and offer instalments, admit part, or defend.by the deadline
  4. Judgment (CCJ)The court orders you to pay, often by instalments you can afford.pay in full within a month and it can be removed
  5. Keep to the order — or enforcementIf payments are kept up, there are no bailiffs, wage deductions or bank orders (a charging order is still possible). If not: any of these.

Most CCJs for consumer debt are judgments by default: the claim form was not answered within 14 days of service, so the creditor asked for judgment without a hearing. Others follow an admission with an instalment offer, or a hearing.

The register and your credit file

A CCJ stays on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for six years from the judgment date. Pay it in full within one month and you can have it removed entirely. Pay it later and it stays for the six years but is marked as satisfied, which lenders see as better than unpaid; ask the court for a certificate of satisfaction once it is paid. Credit reference agencies use the register, so the same timescales apply to your credit file.

If you keep to the order

As long as you pay what the court ordered, when it ordered, the creditor cannot send bailiffs, take money from your wages or freeze your bank account. A creditor can still apply for a charging order, although the court must take into account that you are paying. Keep proof of every payment.

If you do not keep to it

The creditor can go back to court to enforce. The options are: an order to obtain information (you are questioned at court about your finances); a warrant of control (bailiffs — County Court bailiffs only for regulated consumer credit debts such as most cards, loans and catalogues; for other debts the High Court is possible from £600 and required from £5,000); an attachment of earnings order (deductions from your wages); a third party debt order (freezing money in your bank); and a charging order on property you own. More in what happens if you ignore a CCJ.

No enforcement can be taken while you are in Breathing Space.

Your options

Scotland and Northern Ireland

CCJs are an England and Wales procedure. In Scotland a creditor obtains a decree; in Northern Ireland judgments are enforced by the Enforcement of Judgments Office. The rules on registers and enforcement differ, so get local advice.

You can get free, impartial debt advice

You never have to pay for debt advice. MoneyHelper (government-backed), StepChange, National Debtline and Citizens Advice all give free, confidential advice with no obligation.

Common questions

How long does a CCJ stay on my credit file?

Six years from the date of the judgment, whether or not you pay it, unless you pay the full amount within one month of the judgment, in which case it is removed from the register.

Can I get a CCJ removed?

Yes, in two situations: if you pay the full amount within one month of the judgment, or if the court sets the judgment aside, for example because you never received the claim. Paying later marks it as satisfied but does not remove it.

Can bailiffs come if I am paying my CCJ?

No. If you are keeping to the payments the court ordered, the creditor cannot enforce the judgment with bailiffs or other methods.

If you ignore a CCJChange CCJ paymentsSet aside a CCJCharging ordersCourt claim formWhat creditors can do
What do I do now? Check my letter