What a CCJ actually is
A CCJ is a formal county court decision (in England & Wales) that you owe someone money. It usually happens when a person or company takes court action over a debt and you don’t respond to the claim in time — so the court enters “judgment in default”.
It tells you how much to pay, by when, and to whom, and it’s recorded on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines, which lenders check.
Scotland is different
This guide is for England & Wales. In Scotland the equivalent is a court “decree” and the process differs — get advice from Citizens Advice Scotland or the Scottish courts.
Had a court claim but not yet a CCJ?
This is the best moment to act — before it becomes a judgment. With the claim you’ll get a response pack including form N9, and you normally have 14 days from when the papers were served to reply. You can:
- Admit it and offer to pay — in full, or by affordable instalments using the admission form;
- Dispute all or part of it, if you don’t agree you owe it;
- Ask for more time to respond.
Never ignore the papers
If you do nothing, the creditor can ask the court to enter a CCJ against you “in default” — automatically. Always reply, even just to ask for time or set up instalments you can afford. Ignoring it is what turns a claim into a judgment on your credit file.
Already have a CCJ? How to get it off your file
| What you do | What happens |
|---|
| Pay in full within 30 days | The CCJ is removed from the Register completely — the best outcome by far. |
| Pay after 30 days | Marked “satisfied” — it stays for 6 years, but searchers can see you’ve paid (much better than unpaid). |
| Do nothing | Stays on the register for 6 years, then drops off — but unpaid debts can still be enforced. |
Once you’ve paid, tell the court and ask for a certificate of satisfaction (or cancellation if paid within 30 days). Can’t pay it all at once? You can apply to the court to vary the payments to an affordable amount.
Shouldn’t have got it? Set it aside
If the CCJ is wrong, you can ask the court to cancel it — this is called “setting aside”. You can apply if you have a genuine legal reason, for example:
- You didn’t owe the money;
- You never received the claim papers, so couldn’t defend yourself;
- There was a serious mistake in the claim.
You apply using form N244 (usually with a court fee), and you should act quickly. If the court agrees, the CCJ is cancelled and the case can be reopened.
Do this now
If it’s a live claim, complete form N9 within 14 days. If you have a CCJ you owe, pay within 30 days to remove it, or set up affordable instalments. If it’s wrong, get advice about setting it aside with N244.
Free, expert help: National Debtline 0808 808 4000, StepChange 0800 138 1111 or Citizens Advice. See also free debt help and which debt to pay first.