A reader asked:
In August 2019 a CCJ was registered against me for £211. I paid off the balance, but not within the month. I have bank statements to prove its been paid.
On my credit report it shows the status as “active” even though I have paid it. I’ve contacted the debt collector multiple times but they say as it’s an old case it’s no longer on their system and they can’t help me.
I don’t know what to do. Should I just wait it out until Aug 2025 and hope it drops off? If I get it marked satisfied will it help my credit rating? The rest of my credit report is clean. Will it stay on my report for another 6 years?
How frustrating!
As you say, you could just wait until the CCJ drops off your credit record after six years. But if you are planning on making any credit applications in the next year, they may be declined because of this apparently unpaid CCJ.
How to get this corrected
The credit reference agencies such as Experian get their CCJ details from the database maintained by Registry Trust. Registry Trust gets the information about CCJs from the courts.
If the CCJ was paid in full, the creditor can inform the court the CCJ was satisfied. But they often don’t bother.
In this reader’s case the debt collector didn’t do this at the time and seems unwilling to do this now. When this happens to you, you have to tell the court yourself.
Your credit report will show the court name, date and case number. Most CCJs for consumer debts such as credit cards or loans used to be processed by the County Court Business Centre in Northampton – in Summer 2023 this changed its name to the Civil National Business Centre(CNBC), whose address is here.
You will need to send details of the CCJ and a copy of your bank statement to prove that the payment was made.
That should be enough. But if you want a Certificate of Satisfaction you can apply for one using form N443, in which case you have to enclose a cheque for £14 made out to HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
A summary of the effect on your credit record
If you paid the CCJ within a month it disappears
A CCJ that you have paid promptly within one calendar month it should be deleted from your credit record.
If it is still showing, your creditor hasn’t told the court. You can sort this out by following the above procedure: send a copy of your bank statement to the court, the court tells Trust Online who updates the Register which will be reflected in your credit reports.
All other CCJs go after 6 years automatically.
If it hasn’t been paid within the first month the CCJ will stay on your credit record and drop off after six years.
It will drop off after 6 years whatever happens – whether you pay it in full, settle it partially, you are still making monthly payments to it or haven’t paid it at all.
You don’t have to do anything – the CCJ will drop off automatically.
The only way to remove a CCJ apart from waiting for it to drop off after six years is to get it “set aside” by the court. Do not believe any websites that say they can get it removed for you if you pay them!
You can get a CCJ deleted if you win an affordability complaint about the debt, but this still has to go through the court set aside process.
If you paid the CCJ in full but after more than a month
If you paid the CCJ after the first month, getting it marked as Satisfied will NOT improve the credit scores that you can see.
This may seem surprising, but whether you have paid a CCJ or not is not taken into account in those credit score calculations. Until the CCJ drops off after 6 years, you will not see an improvement.
But paying a CCJ in full may make some creditors more prepared to lend to you. And of course it stops the creditor sending round bailiffs or trying to deduct money from your wages.
If you settled the CCJ partially
There is no way of marking a CCJ as partially satisfied. It will remain showing as outstanding until it drops off.
If a CCJ was included in bankruptcy, a DRO or an IVA
A debt ceases to exist after you are discharged from bankruptcy or after your DRO year ends or your IVA completes.
But although you no longer owe the money, the CCJ will not be marked as satisfied. The credit reporting rules say the debt should be marked as partially satisfied in some way, but there is no way to mark a CCJ as partially satisfied so it will continue to show as outstanding on your credit record for 6 years. See clear up your credit record after bankruptcy or clear up your credit record after a DRO.
Is this worth doing?
You may wonder what the point of getting your credit record corrected is if your credit score will not improve.
But lenders don’t actually use the credit scores you can see make their own decisions about who to lend to, and many of them may take account of the “satisfied” marker against a CCJ, so this is worth doing.
You are very unlikely to get credit at a reasonable rate with an unpaid CCJ showing.
But even after the CCJ has been paid and your credit record updated, you will still find it hard to get a mortgage or other low cost credit.
Updated in 2023.
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Lisa says
Hello. I had a ccj back in 2010 from creation. I was in the middle of setting up an iva but the iva company transposed the figures on the account when sending payments to creation so they didn’t get them and I ended up with a ccj which they attached to my house. I also have Lowell chasing me for the debt. Can I write to Lowell and ask for proof that they brought the debt. Or can I get the ccj put a side because it wasn’t my error that they did not get paid. Thanks Lisa
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You need to talk to your IVA firm about this and ask them to get it sorted. Tell Lowell that you are disputing the debt as it was included in your IVA.
Sr2022 says
I paid a ccj to solicitors firm in 2019 they were to update my credit file as satisfied but I have now found they have not done this , can I complain and be compensated for this? I did email them and they said it was an admin error and will look to correct it, but in the mean time I have been refused when I tried to apply for car finance where having a ccj didn’t matter as long as it was satisfied, of course I thought it was showing as satisfied until recently when I checked.
Thank u
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you have it in writing that you could have got the car finance if the CCJ had been marked as satisfied?
Lee says
I recently had a debt collection agency contact me about a debt dating back to 2007, last contact i had about this was 2016. I messaged them telling them I have no idea what it refers to and that the debt is statue barred. (I do not know what the debt is for and have requested what it is)
they have replied the following:
Please be reminded that this account is subject to a County Court Judgment (CCJ) obtained by Default on the 22nd November 2007 with a claim number of XXXXX.
I have never had a CCJ on my credit record for this.. so somewhat confused. is the debt still enforceable? what do I need to do?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
In 2016 you told them you had no idea what the debt was?
Lee says
I cant remember in 2016 if i am honest, I told them last week that I have no idea what the debt is and that its statue barred anyway
its not on my credit record and never has been from a CCJ point of view
Sara (Debt Camel) says
if there is a CCJ, then they are right that it will never become statute barred.
But after 6 years it becomes harder for a creditor to enforce a CCJ as they have to go back to court for permission. National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 can explain this to you. But it’s too early for this.
I suggest the first thing is for them to explain what the debt was originally – who the lender/creditor was, what sort of debt.
Then they need to produce some evidence showing there was a CCJ.
You don’t know enough to decide what to do know without this information.
Who is the current creditor?
Lee says
I have asked them to provide original documentation of the debt so will await for them to come back its Hoist finance, previously Robinson way, I found a communication i sent them in June 2017 stating the debt was statute barred i haven’t heard from them until now
Sara (Debt Camel) says
you mean the CCA agreement? If there is a CCJ they do not have to provide the CCA agreement. Don’t get side tracked with arguing about the CCA – you want to know the name of the creditor, some evidence that you owed the debt and some evidence that there was a CCJ.
Lee says
response back form the debt collection agency
We write to you in relation to your account referenced as above.
Please note that unfortunately we are unable to provide a copy of the Credit Agreement and a copy of the Terms and Conditions requested for this account.
We can confirm that this account relates to an ex GE Capital account. Hoist Finance received this account on 12th November 2013, and are the legal owners of the debt after purchasing it from GE Capital.
Furthermore we can also confirm that the opening date for this account is the 7th June 2000 and the default date is 27th September 2007.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did you ever have an account with GE Capital?
Lee says
I must’ve done at some point but cant fully remember , we are talking 22 years ago when it was opened and a default from 15 years ago so my memory is somewhat hazy.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you reply that you have no recollection of ever owing GE Capital any money. Ask them to produce evidence of the CCJ as you have never had a CCJ for this on your credit records.
Atiq says
Hi, I recently found about a CCJ against me. In 2015, I had a loan from a bank for £3000 for my studies, but then I got the news that my mother had cancer and I had to fly away from UK and the her health care treatment done which took like 6 years. I came back in 2021 and just now I found out that I had a CCJ issued of Jan 2022 through my statuary report. I never received a CCJ, as it went to my old address of 2015. My previous landlord of 2022 found a letter in his home and send it to me, so when i checked it was stating about debt collector.
So then yesterday I ring them after confirming through my statuary report that there is a debt of 3486 on public records. When I ring them to enquire, they gave me details about that debt that it is of XXXX bank and said that since they don’t had my contact details so they closed my file and send back my file to XXXX debt collector and told me to contact them now. So should I contact bank directly or contact the first debt collector?
How do I get a copy of that CCJ? so I can contact court for a letter of satisfaction later.
thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
See https://debtcamel.co.uk/unknown-ccj-credit-record/
ERIC says
My mortgage with CHL went past its end of term, and despite three abortive attempts to refinance, CHL appointed receivers of rent (on 16 April 2024). I arranged a bridging loan, which completed on 3 May 2024, so the receivers had it for only 17 days, and the CHL mortgage has been satisfied. Another offer came through, but could not complete due to the default which CHL placed on my credit file (for the full amount of the mortgage). As I was never in arrears with any mortgage payments to CHL, is there anything I can do about this default notice?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
when did the term end? this was an interest only, buy to let mortgage?
Valeriu Marincea says
Hello !
I just had an ccj on my name due to some friends which they didn’t pay the bills which obviously was on my name . I use to live with them in my first visit in the uk ,after that I moved and electricity and water bills still on my name . I didn’t knew at that time that i need to change them and i trust them. This it was in 2016 . In 2022 a ccj has been filled on my name but I find out 6 months later about it when i had to look for another house . The ccj has been paid ,of course after 6 months later from the date when he’s been issued. Is there any chance to remove it from my credit score with that set aside form ? I also have proof that i didn’t live at the address where they have sent me the ccj and that’s why I didn’t paid on time . I will be really grateful if you can help me on this one please . Thank you in advance 🙏
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 about this and see what they say