County Court Judgments (CCJs) and your credit file: removal, 'satisfied' status and setting aside

A CCJ is a court's formal decision that you owe money. You usually get one after someone makes a money claim against you and you don't respond by the deadline, or after you lose at a hearing. The judgment tells you how much you owe, whether to pay in full or in instalments, the deadline, and who to pay. You pay the creditor, not the court. High Court judgments work the same way on the register.

When a claim arrives, you can pay, offer a different amount, or defend it. If you aren't paying in full, you can ask for another 14 days to respond. If you don't pay a judgment as ordered, the creditor can ask the court to enforce it. Enforcement can mean bailiffs, deductions from your wages, freezing money in your bank account, or a charge on your property.

A CCJ stays on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for six years from the date of judgment. Credit reference agencies are told about register entries, so the CCJ also shows on your credit report for the same six years. Lenders use it when deciding whether to lend to you, and Citizens Advice says landlords and letting agents may check it too.

Citizens Advice says an entry older than six years no longer appears on the register, even if you haven't paid. That doesn't cancel the judgment itself, so get advice if an old judgment is being chased. Unpaid magistrates' court fines recorded on the register stay for five years from the date of conviction.

If you pay the full amount within one month of the judgment date, you can have the entry removed from the register completely. Write to the court dealing with your case with proof of payment from the creditor. To get formal proof, apply for a certificate of cancellation on form N443 and include the £19 fee. Make cheques payable to 'HMCTS', or phone the court to pay by card.

If the creditor won't confirm that you've paid, you can still apply using your own evidence, such as a bank statement. The court writes to the creditor, and if the creditor doesn't reply within 30 days, the court decides using your evidence. Once the entry is removed, the credit reference agencies are told. If you can't afford to pay in full, pay in instalments rather than ignore the judgment. You can ask the court to change the instalments on form N245, which costs £16.

A CCJ is 'satisfied' when you pay it in full more than a month after the judgment. The entry stays on the register and your credit file for the full six years, but anyone checking can see you've paid. Citizens Advice says this may make it easier to get credit. To get it marked, write to the court with proof of payment or apply for a certificate of satisfaction on form N443 (£19).

Citizens Advice says the certificate fee can be reduced or waived if you're on a low income. Apply for help with fees. Don't pay a 'credit repair' company to clear a CCJ. Citizens Advice warns that they charge high fees and sometimes encourage people to give false information. An accurate entry stays for six years unless you paid within a month or the judgment is set aside.

You can ask the court to cancel (set aside) the judgment if you don't owe the money, or if you didn't receive the claim or didn't respond to it. Under Civil Procedure Rules Part 13, the court must set aside a default judgment that was wrongly entered, for example if you'd paid the whole claim before judgment. It may set one aside if you have a real prospect of defending the claim or there's another good reason. It will look at how promptly you applied, so act quickly once you know about the judgment.

Apply on form N244 with evidence supporting your case. The fee is £321 unless you get help with fees. There's a private hearing where you explain why the judgment should go. If you don't attend, the application is rejected and the judgment stands. If the court sets it aside, the entry comes off the register, and Citizens Advice says removal can take up to 4 weeks.

Registry Trust runs TrustOnline, the official register for England and Wales, which also covers Scotland and Northern Ireland. A search costs £6 for one register, £8 for two registers or all sections of the England and Wales register, and £10 for all registers. Search the exact name and address the claimant used at the time. If the information is wrong, contact the court that made the judgment. You can also check your statutory credit reports for free with Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. See how credit reference agencies work.

Scotland has a different court system, and its money judgments are called decrees. GOV.UK points to the Accountant in Bankruptcy for guidance. In Northern Ireland, nidirect says a small claims decree counts as a CCJ and may affect your credit status. The Enforcement of Judgments Office enforces unpaid judgments there.

If a CCJ is one of several debts, get free, regulated debt advice before you commit to payments. Try StepChange, National Debtline, Citizens Advice or MoneyHelper. An adviser can apply for Breathing Space, which pauses enforcement, interest and charges for up to 60 days.

If you have at least one judgment and your total debts are under £5,000, you can apply for an administration order on form N92. You then make one payment to the court, which shares it between your creditors.