When a county court judgment is entered against you, you are undoubtedly going to be concerned at how it will affect your credit rating. The truth is, there are only limited circumstances in which you can have a county court judgment removed. Paying the debt is unlikely to be sufficient, and you are likely to have to initiate the removal yourself.
A County Court Judgment is entered against you in the ‘Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines.’ This happens if proceedings have been issued at the county court, and:
you then admit the claim, or
the claimant successfully applies for summary judgment or judgment in default, or
judgment is entered against you after a final hearing
At this point, the CCJ will be entered against you and will remain on the register for six years.
Paying Within 30 Days
If you pay the full amount of the judgment within 30 days of its issue, the judgment will be marked as ‘satisfied.’ If you do this, do not assume that the CCJ will automatically be removed from the register. The creditor may do you the courtesy of informing the court that you have paid the judgment, but then again - they may not. In this situation, the best thing to do is to tell the court yourself. There are three steps to take:
search the register to see if your judgment is recorded (you can do this by entering into a search engine ‘search the county court register’). There is a small fee involved.
If the CCJ is on the register, make sure you have proof that you have paid the debt (you could get this from the creditor)
contact the court and ask them for the form to remove it, fill it in and send it back with the fee (this is £10.)
Having the Judgment Set Aside
If you have not paid the judgment within the 30 day period, in limited circumstances you may be able to have the judgment set aside. This is the appropriate course of action if the CCJ was entered into the register wrongly, for example, the amount of money that the creditor says you owe is wrong or if you did not owe the creditor money at all (and you can prove it.) It is also important to note that setting the county court judgment aside does not end the matter. Although this CCJ may be set aside, it does not prevent the creditor from issuing another set of proceedings against you. Again, if judgment is entered against you and you don’t pay the amount within 30 days the new judgment will be on your credit report for 6 years. A judgment can also be appealed. If you appeal successfully, the court will automatically remove the entry in the register for you.
Getting the CCJ Marked as Satisfied
If you pay off the CCJ outside the 30 day period you can have the judgment marked as ‘satisfied.’ This will not remove the CCJ, but means that if prospective creditors do a search on your credit record they will be able to see that you have paid the CCJ in full.
Getting a Judgment Removed on Grounds of Unfairness
If you have a copy of your credit report and there are unfair or incorrect CCJs recorded against you, you can apply to have them taken off the register. To do this, you need to complete a form N244 (available from the HMCS website). Enter the information relating to the county court judgment onto the form and give the reason why the CCJ should be set aside. This could be, for example, because you were the victim of identity theft, or you did not receive the summons because it was sent to the wrong address. In other situations, you could also have been unable to attend court to defend the claim (forgetting or ignoring the summons is not sufficient), or perhaps you agreed to pay the debt but the creditor got a judgment against you anyway.
Your Credit Rating
To get the CCJ removed from your credit report, you will need to write to the finance company involved and ask them to confirm in writing that the debt is settled or repaid. Then, armed with this information, you should contact the credit reference agency asking for the CCJ to be removed from your file. It will take about one month for your file to be updated and the CCJ removed.
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Hi I have a CCJ on my credit file but it's not even in my name.
hawkins - 14-Nov-19 @ 12:29 AM
Hi I had 2 ccj ago againstmy name but was a mistake my old landlord didn't tell the councilthat I moved out so they thought I still there so put them on my filehow I get them removed cheers
Chubb - 14-Jun-19 @ 9:52 PM
I have had a ccj from Jc international on the 28th Feb but due to illness and being in and out off hospital I haven't been able to pay or make an agreement with the court.I have recently spoke to step change for dept advice they have told me I can make an agreement to pay it off in instalments can I still do this as dont know what else to do
Lou - 17-Mar-19 @ 4:28 PM
I have a ccj on my record from 5 years ago I paid it 6 weeks ago as I am applying for a mortgage the defaults have gone down as satisfied on my record however the ccj is still showing as active.Do I have to inform the court to prove it is paid or should it automatically go down as satisfied?
Ash - 8-Dec-18 @ 2:22 PM
Hi I have got a ccj in April 2014 I pay monthly payments if the bill is not payed by the 6 years will the Ccj just drop of if the bill isn't payed by then but I'm keeping up with my small payments
Jay - 28-Oct-18 @ 7:35 PM
Hi,
I just discovered that I have a CCJ on my credit report dated February 2013, I did not know anything about this and it is the only file that does not show my date of birth, it also shows disputed and says to check notices. When I check notices it says I do not have any.
what should i do (the file will no longer be active in Feb 2019) what do I do
Real34 - 4-Sep-18 @ 12:40 PM
I received a CCJ on my file 4 years ago. However I had already entered into an arranged payment agreement with the company before it went to court and had already made payments via my bank. When i received the court papers I mentioned this. So I was surprised that I received the CCJ. I was wondering if I can do anything about this as it will be there for another 2 years.
Nelly - 20-Jul-18 @ 2:19 PM
what if a credit report is showing a judgment but there has been nothing registered with the 'Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines'?
according to the credit report this was 6 months ago
LK - 20-Apr-18 @ 2:28 PM
I moved out of the marital home but my name was still on the water account. My now ex husband didn't pay the bill and got a ccj. I knew nothing about it until I had a check check done and it came up. Apparently he has paid it back in 2015. How can I get my name took off of this as I wasn't residing at that address at the time
Dondonh44 - 10-Mar-18 @ 12:25 PM
I went to check my credit record today and it came up as poor and i've never missed any payments in my life. I believe that my dad got two different CCJ's on a car that iown because of an unpaid parking ticket in 2015. I was unaware of this as my dad opens all my letters without me having the chance to even know that i've received it. Obviously having checked the credit record I was completely unaware of the CCJ. What can i do to remove the CCJ and tell them that my dad was the one opening my letters and getting parking tickets?
nikki - 18-Jan-18 @ 7:27 PM
@KP - you need to go after the person who committed the fraud first to try to reclaim your money. It's not the solicitor's problem you're out of pocket and the solicitor will have a set fee. I hope you rang the police etc on your lodger. You can also take your lodger to a small claims court to reclaim your money and have the CCJ set aside -whichever way - it's going to cost you first :(
SaraG - 8-Jan-18 @ 9:43 AM
I have a CCJ due a lodger who altered an invoice from a builder for £1656.00 He accessed my office and replaced the bank details to his own the funds were then diverted into his account. Knew nothing about this for many months as he was sterling my mail. When I eventually discovered what he had done paid the builder yet again so I am £1656.00 out of pocket. I contacted the solicitor who filed the CCJ against my name asking that he should get this CCJ set aside but he wants £300.0 to action this he is fully aware now of the fraud that’s been done against me. How can I get this CCJ removed without more expensePrior to fraud I have an excellent credit rating
KP - 7-Jan-18 @ 4:41 PM
I had a ccj against me , I agreed with it & started paying the instalments, , now I can't remember when it started & have lost all the paperwork for it but after a number of years the payments I was making just suddenly stopped , I checked my bank standing orders & it wasn't there ( not removed by me ) I remember at some point I got a letter outlining all payments for that year & that's all ,
I haven't heard anything from the bank I owed money too to .
say that I still owe them nor have I heard anything from the courts saying likewise .
It is still on my credit report but like I say I don't know if it's all payed or how long I've had the ccj ( sorry memory not so good !)
Why would my payments just stop , unless I've paid in full & why haven't I heard anything from both parties?
Obviously it's crippling my credit score but who do I ask if I've lost all my correspondence with all the ref numbers on ?
Lufc1 - 4-Jan-18 @ 12:19 AM
I have a false CCJ on my name for over 6 months. I have finally proven it wasn't me and they said they will removed the CCJ now. Can I get any compensation for this and it has stopped me getting any credit for past 6 months. It's been horrible.
Runi - 11-Dec-17 @ 2:53 PM
hi, my sister took catalogues out in my name and didn't tell me, hid my letters and now I have the cci, what can I do? can I ring up with proof it isn't me and have it transferred to her name? or is this a fraud problem and to contact the police.
this has affected my life massively, any help will be really appreciated.
many thanks
matthew robinson - 30-Sep-17 @ 7:19 PM
Dutch - Your Question:
Hi I had a ccj about five years ago and paid it in full within the 30 days but it still shows up on my credit report. How can I get it removed as it's stopping me from getting a mortgage
Our Response:
If the information on the register is wrong, contact Trust Online, who will check the details with the court, please see link here.
AboutSmallClaims - 22-Sep-17 @ 10:46 AM
Hi I had a ccj about five years ago and paid it in full within the 30 days but it still shows up on my credit report. How can I get it removed as it's stopping me from getting a mortgage
Dutch - 21-Sep-17 @ 8:28 AM
I had a ccj years ago,it was repaid and well over 6 years have passed, when I moved 9 years ago it was repaid and no longer showing on my credit file so I disposed of all old paperwork.The trouble is I am completing a form registering to adopt and one of the questions is "Have you ever had a ccj or been made bankrupt, if so provide details?" I don't want to lie but feel such an idiot as I don't have the details and to be honest I can't even remember which year it was, it isn't showing on my credit file, any ideas how I can find the details for the form?
JW - 9-Sep-17 @ 5:34 PM
Hi, a CCJ was issued against me for a debt I believe to be statute barred. It was an old catalogue debt that got rewritten into a personal loan against my wishes but was basically forced into, would I be able to get the CCJ quashed.
Stevo66 - 19-Aug-17 @ 11:22 PM
I won a case against a business 3 years ago. but the courts filed it against me and my credit has been ruined. They seem to be taking their time clearing the situation also! I'm really frustrated by this and I wondering if I have an recourse?
Vince - 17-Aug-17 @ 11:10 AM
Hi,
Ive has a ccj show up on my file for a parking ticket that has gone to my old address, so 6 months on (still not seen the ticket) ive appealed and heard nothing within the 14days they are supposed to respond!! so i paid it off so it would be wiped off - within 1 month, however the firm havent 'accepted' the payment yet, and now its over 1 month!! so when they eventually accept it, will it wipe it off my record as if i paid within the month? because i actually did
SJ - 14-Aug-17 @ 3:06 PM
Is it 30days or 1 month? The reason i ask is a acquired a CCJ as the information was sent to my tenants and not me, the CCJ was issued on 3rd feb, i paid on 4th March, court said it was outside of 1month therefore could only be marked as satisfied and not be eligable to have it removed.
S - 28-Jun-17 @ 7:17 PM
@cmc11 - After six years, the CCJ will be removed automatically from your credit record, even if you haven't paid. Tom.
THT - 26-May-17 @ 10:09 AM
Ive just checked my credit file and i have a ccj on there which i didnt know i had which from the date it was but on my file is nearly 6 years ago 6 years ago next month in fact.From what ive been reading the ccj only stays on your file for 6 years but can you tell me how long it takes to come off your credit file after the 6 years limit is up? is it straight away ? am looking to get a mortgage in the next few months and i know this will seriously effect it
cmc11 - 25-May-17 @ 10:15 AM
I have a hearing date next Thursday for the CCJ which I have already paid,it was issued on 2012 by Arrow Global whom they bought the debt from Halifax.
I made the payment three months ago and since that I haven't heard anything from Arrow Global but I am going to court in order to remove the satisfied judgment from my credit file as I have documented proof I was not living on the address where Arrow Global was sending me the court proceedings in year 2012.what chances I have in order to remove the paid judgement from my credit file?
Skiip - 18-May-17 @ 12:06 PM
I've lost a ccj case because the court lost a piece of evidence and ruled against me based on my allegedly not sending the evidence in. The claimant broke CPR rules but this was overlooked as my evidence was discounted by the judge because of the missing document. Similarly I did not receive the judgment until 28 days after the hearing so am left in a dire situation. I had advised the court I was not attending the hearing (I am disabled and in ill health) and this was noted. What can I do now?
Smurf1510 - 5-May-17 @ 12:19 PM
Chealey - Your Question:
I got 2 parking tickets a couple of years ago and have since moved address. At my old address I received a few letters asking me for the sum of around £600 for the two tickets but I ignored the lot. I haven't heard anything since and am always wondering if I will just be hit with a ccj out of nowhere and if there is anything to do or should I just keep ignoring it?
Our Response:
Much depends upon whether it is a public or private land parking ticket you have received. Likewise, some tickets are enforceable by law, others not. You could check whether you have a CCJ attributed to you if you check your credit files with Experian or Equifax (CRAs hold details of CCJs for six years).
AboutSmallClaims - 23-Mar-17 @ 1:45 PM
I got 2 parking tickets a couple of years ago and have since moved address. At my old address I received a few letters asking me for the sum of around £600 for the two tickets but I ignored the lot. I haven't heard anything since and am always wondering if I will just be hit with a ccj out of nowhere and if there is anything to do or should I just keep ignoring it?
Chealey - 22-Mar-17 @ 10:36 PM
Received a ccj because of parking ticket in an old address where it was allocated parking I didn't receive the court paperwork as it went to old address so I couldn't defend my self it went ton in January had I have know I could have aid it
Before it
Ruined my life
Saps - 18-Mar-17 @ 1:29 PM
Hi I was in small claims court against my old employer and I had to pay £1003 in total. I was in court on 13th Jan and I asked the judge wat to do about payment and he said wait until you receive your letter. I received the letter dated 13th Jan on the 10th ov Feb saying I should make my first payment on the 31st of Jan or pay in full with in a month to avoid a ccj on my file. It gave me literally 2 days to try and come up with the money to pay it all off. Is this fair I feel like I didn't get the time to try pay it in full. Also the ammount on the letter isn't the same ammount as what the judge said in court. Is there any way I could get this off my file. Also I spoke to the court and she said the letter was sent out on the 31st Jan. What good is it sending a letter 2nd class on the 31st of Jan saying I have to make my first payment on the 31st of Jan?