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.
My debt has been sold to a debt collector
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Improve your credit score for a mortgage
Wendy says
Hi iv had a old debt for 20 years which will be deleted from my credit file in December as it was defaulted December 2010. Once its dropped off willnit be a good idea to negotiate a partial settlement as it won’t show on my credit file anymore, I have been paying only 6.00 a month under a payment plan. I owe 1,770 pounds. Is it worth negotiate a final payment. Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You don’t mention a CCJ , so this is probably a useful article for you to read: https://debtcamel.co.uk/paying-old-debt/.
Mark says
Hi,
I had a CCJ judgement for £13500 made against my company nearly 2 years ago.
I made arrangements with the creditor 18 months ago to abide with a repayment plan.
I stuck to this plan for approx 6 months, then negotiated with them for a FULL and FINAL SETTLEMENT figure.
They agreed to this figure which basically saved me 2k, on the bill but got them all there money a lot earlier.
They have however not updated the courts with this satisfied CCJ info, even though I payed it almost a year ago.
I have all the email trails proving this settled debt with the company, but I can’t get them to inform the courts.
I’m concerned after reading on your site, that if I contact the courts, they won’t consider my proof as FULL settlement of the CCJ, even though I clearly requested for a FULL and FINAL settlement figure from them.
I assumed this would lead to the CCJ being SATISFIED.
Can anyone please advise ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
As this article says, you can only get a CCJ marked as satisfied if you have repaid it in full. I don’t think there is anything you can do about this.
Caroline says
I have paid off my 6 month old CCJ today. My credit score is ‘very poor’, if I get the certificate of satisfaction will it improve very much? I’m up to date with my other accounts. Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Most people don’t need to get a certificate of satisfaction because their CCJ will be changed to show it has been paid. I would wait a couple of months before bothering.
As the article says, paying the CCJ does help your credit record – an unpaid CCJ naturally looks worse to any future lenders. But it’s going to be a slow process and your credit score isn’t going to get to be good until the CCJ disappears after 6 years from the date it was added.
Kevin says
I have a ccj against me it is due to stay there until 2019 the company has agreed a full and final offer from me, my question is. Once I pay the full and final offer am I able to then apply to the court to get the ccj marked as satisfied as both me and the company agree that the debt is paid off and cleared? Please advise
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Not unless the company is prepared to say that the debt has been paid in full. A F&F is normal shown as a partial settlement and there is no such thing as a partial settlement for a CCJ, as the above article explains.
Kevin says
So if I simply ask them for a letter to confirm the debt has been settled in full with no mention of a F&F that should suffice?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If this aspect is important to you, I suggest you try get it agreed as part of the full and final settlement negotiations.
MANI says
HI
I checked my credit report last week and saw CCJ was on my credit report issued on 02-jan-2017 , i rang court and they gave me third party details. i called third party and they said your solicitor paid on 10-feb-2017. my insurance was handling an insurance case from last year. and i was not informed by court (i never get CCJ letter from court to my address) or never informed by my insurance . i was surprised when i saw ccj on my file.
now i am chasing my insurance to remove the ccj from my credit file. they appointed their solicitor now and trying to get ” certificate of satisfactions ” because my insurance already paid judgement in full now.
my concern is that , even i will get ” certificate of satisfactions ” does the CCJ will stay on my credit file for 6 years? what can i do to remove it from my credit file? because it was my insurance fault , they did not inform me and even court did not inform me.
i will wait for your advice that, what i can do to remove it from my credit file?
Thanks
Mani
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you get some more information from your insurance company about what happened, why you were not told, where the court papers were sent etc. As you didn’t get any court papers, the CCJ could normally be set aside – but this may be complicated now your insurance company has paid it. I am afraid you need more information and then talk to national Debtline on 0808 808 400 about what your options are.
Jamie says
I received a CCJ from a debt that I owed to HSBC in 2013, I contacted them to say that I was unaware of the court case against me and was given a chance to make a lower payment of a lower figure to close the debt (although this was in the December of that year, 3 months after th CCJ was taken out against me). Is it possible to have the CCJ changed to a ‘Satisfied’ state rather than an ‘Unsatisfied Judgement’?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There is no way to mark a CCJ as partially Satisfied. Most creditors will refuse to mark a CCJ as satisfied unless you have paid it in full.
andy says
i had a ccj against me for unpaid solicitors fees with the ccj amount being taken from the equity of my house when it was sold in may 2017, but it is still showing on my credit report, advise on how to have this changed to satified would be appreciated
Many Thanks
Andy
Sara (Debt Camel) says
As the article above says, first ask the creditor to inform the court. If they won’t, you can do it yourself.
martin says
Hi, I had a CCJ recorded against me on 6 July 2017, I tried to appeal this but got refused permission on 27 September 2017, so I paid the claimant in full in court in front of the judge on 27 September. Can the CCJ be removed although I didn’t pay in the 28 days of the original order I did pay immediately when the process came to an end.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This may depend on when you lodged the appeal. I suggest you contact National Debtline to discuss this. Call 0808 808 4000 or their webchat is very good.
martin says
Yes I lodged the appeal within a week, will try the debtline, any other thoughts most welcome !
chris says
Hi – I have a quick question. I was bankrupt in 2013. Prior to this 3 companies took out CCJ’s – which were all secured on my property. The CCJ’s have now been paid in full out of the proceeds of the bankruptcy estate (sale of a property) and have been paid by the trustees, and not myself. As these companies have now received FULL payment covering the CCJ amount – can they now be marked as settled, as I didn’t make the payments personally?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes, but this will make absolutely no difference to your credit score if that is what you are hoping for.
chris says
I guessed that it wouldn’t make any difference – other than the fact I’d prefer them to show as settled as I no longer owe those companies any money. Thanks for your quick response!
Sarah Arnett says
Hi. I went to court to argue my parking fines but the judge decided that my place of work should have been responsible for paying and not myself so he extended the normal month to pay to 6 weeks. I managed to get the ccj paid in this time but the court is saying that I still needed to get it paid off within the 1 month period. Is this correct as I was under the impression he had extended the time period and the ccj wouldnt appear as i’m still trying to get credit reference agencies to see it as being satisfied.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
What exactly did the Judgment you were sent say? Did it mention this 6 weeks at all?
Sarah Arnett says
I havent got it in writing but ive spoken to the court and it does say that the time was extended to the 6 weeks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you do need to see this in writing, I suggest you ask for a copy.
Hilda says
Hi, I have a CCJ now two years old. The original creditor I defaulted in 2010 was Lioyds tsb bank which closed down. They sold the debt to another company in 2014 and my report as for Lioyds is marked Settled. The company that bought the debt placed the CCJ and the six years have gone past. Wouldn’t my CCJ be marked satisfied because creditors six years are pasted? I know the CCJ can’t be removed but when can it be marked satisfied if unpaid? Thanks Tim
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The CCJ will drop from your credit record 6 years after the date of the CCJ. The fact the debt has already gone doesn’t affect this.
Hilda says
Will my CCJ get marked as satisfied if the unpaid debt has gone off? The CCJ is two years old and I know I have to wait for six years for it to be removed but during this time can it be marked as satisfied after the leader 6 years have past? My friend said his 3 years CCJ got marked satisfied and he never paid it off. So who could have paid his CCJ to be marked satisfied if he never settled the debt? Very confusing. Is that possible?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It shouldn’t be marked as satisfied unless you have paid it. The original debt dropping off doesn’t make any difference to the CCJ. I can’t guess what happened to your friend’s CCJ.
Hida says
Thank you for reply. Its making sense now. I wonder what had happened! At least You have told me how it works. Lastly, when does the 6 years of a defaulted debt state if no payments or written arrangements have been made? Is it from the time you defaulted or the time you make a payment on that debt? I appreciate your advice
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The six years to drop off your credit file starts when the creditor has added a default date to your credit record for that debt.
Mandy says
Hi Sara,
I have a CCJ on my credit reports. The date is 10/02/2012, but the default date for the account to which it relates is 01/03/2012. Firstly, I am a bit confused as to why the judgement date is earlier than the default date. I thought it would be the other way around. Secondly, when will it drop off the reports, 6 years from the judgement date or 6 months from the default date? Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The default date should be on of before the CCJ date – you can ask the creditor to correct this but it’s only 3 weeks so you may decide you don’t care.
The CCJ drops off 6 years after the CCJ date. The default drops off 6 years after the default date.
Mandy says
Ah, I see. The entries are independent of one another even though they relate to the same account. Thanks Sara!
Paul says
Hi
I was issued a ccj in august 2012 for defaulting on a capital one credit card,i was paying £5 per month to a solicitor who collecting the debt of £3000,i received a letter from the solicitor in 2015 saying they were not dealing with or collecting this debt(maybe it wasn’t worth there time)i have not received any other information of why or if this has been passed onto another company,i don’t know where this debt has gone or if i will be in marked as defaulting on paying the ccj?
Please advise thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the CCJ will disappear from your credit record in August this year. It is still possible you will be contacted before that point, but as time goes on it is less likely.
In this sort of situation I usually suggest that a sensible approach is to save up what you can each month so that if you are contacted, you can offer a settlement amount. Then if there is no contact you have a small nest egg saved!
SAM says
Hello ,
I received a Certificate of satisfaction recently stating that all debt including any is paid , However there is an additional line at bottom of the certificate which goes like- “This certificate is only valid if sealed by the court ” What does it mean exactly ? I need to use this Certificate of Satisfaction as a evidence of payment . Could you please advise what does it mean by -“This certificate is only valid if sealed by the court ” ?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t know. You could ask Registry Trust or you could just provide the certificate and hope there won’t be any problems.
Lauren says
Hi, I had a CCJ issued in early Feb 2012 for a storecard. I settled in full in 2016. CCJ has now dropped off, but the original debt is still showing in the list of past credit. Is this correct? It shows as settled, with no past payment history.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It sounds odd, but if there are no negative markers there (defaults or late payments) then it can’t be doing tyour credit record any harm. I suggest you check the other credit reference agencies to be sure they are ok, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/best-way-to-check-credit-score/ for how to do this.
Rahman says
I have a CCJ on my credit file dated July 2013 , I paid it off in full in Feb 2014 . Last year I asked Court to update my Trust online record but there is no change still now – showing active – not satisfied . I did not send any payment to Court , only sent evidence ( Bank statement showing payment to the company’s solicitor ) .
I wonder if I have sent the letter to the right address .. It was Northampton County Court , Could anyone please give me the right address?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There is a link in the article above.
CM says
Hi Sara,
I have been waiting for a 15 May 2012 satisfied CCJ to be lifted from my credit record after 6 years.
My credit report says it’s been ’71 months’.
Should I expect it to be lifted after exactly 6 years – i.e. 15 May 2018, or at the start of May, or later than that?
And will I need to apply to the court to get this done, or does it happen automatically?
Thanks CM!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It will go automatically.
If you check on the 16 May it will be gone, but you have to check using a report which is updated in real time or a report which you haven’t used before… most of the free reports are only snapshots, updated once every 30 days, so you may still see an “old” one. See https://debtcamel.co.uk/best-way-to-check-credit-score/
Gemma says
My partner has paid his CCJ so it is now satisfied however is not yet showing on his credit file. How long will this take?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
are you saying the CCJ doesn’t show? Or the fact that it is still showing as not satisfied?
andy says
you usually have to contact the court with proof its been paid off to have it satified, or contact the claimant direct
Antoinette says
I’ve received a CCJ on the 27/04/2018 I’ve paid the full amount within the one month period do I need to call court to get drop from my name.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It should be done automatically. After a few weeks check on Trust Online to make sure the CCJ doesn’t show. If it’s not there, your credit records should also be clean.
Azam says
Hi, I have a CCJ from 2014 for aroud £2300, due to a disputed overpayment. I was wondering i there a level of debt where it becomes unacceptable for a potential employer. I have not made any payments towards this debt, as I have not been asked to do so. I am willing to pay an amount asap, but was just wondering how much I should pay (if indeed, any) to look good to a potential employer?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Do you expect to be credit checked for a new job? If you do, it must depend on who the employer is, sorry I can’t guess.
Azam says
Hi. Yes, i’m expecting a credit check for a role with the Police. I’m just wondering if there is a limit as to what contitutes a “good” ccj vs. a “bad” ccj, as I’ve heard this mentioned before. Cheers anyway.
Scout says
They are all bad. It means someone you owed money to had to take you to court. If you had won the case then no ccj but a judge has found that you DO owe the money and ordered it paid within 28 days. If it sits unsatisfied you may not pass the credit check for the police. The armed forces are equally as strict.
William says
I have a ccj and I paid the company I used straight away as I didn’t have a credit account with them and I have an invoice which clearly states
Paid in full . We are in court this week to set aside this judgment.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Are you saying you had already paid the debt in full before the CCJ? Or that you paid the CCJ in full when you became aware of it?
William says
There was no debt I was given a total invoice to pay by the end of the month but I paid it straight away . A year later I get a ccj from the court
Stating I owe this company that I used money . My invoice I have states paid in full and I have to attend court this week to set aside judgment.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Hopefully you will find this straightforward. Can I suggest that you post on https://legalbeagles.info/forums/forum/legal-forums/court-claims-and-issues if you would like any advice on what may happen and anything you should take with you.
William Elgie says
I have already sent to the court my statement of truth and the invoice and highlighted the paid in full invoice . What I cannot understand is why has this got this far I would have thought a judge should have read it and just threw the claim out . It is wasting not only my time but the courts as well . Also you would think in this day and age the courts would send everything recorded delivery so
there is a guarantee that the claim has been delivered correctly to eliminate the grey area .
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It might also be a good idea to have a bank statement with you to show the payment out of your account. But I repeat my suggestion for you to post on Legal Beagles – they see a lot more of these cases than I do.
Mike w says
My wife has a ccj against her which we paid a few months ago, but it’s still showing as unsatisfied.
We have contacted the claimant asking them to nottthe court but they have refused-actually they have just ignored the request.
To try and get it marked as settled we emailed the court with proof of payment asking them to mark it as settled but they stated that they haven’t been notified by the claimant donate unable to do so.
How do we proceed from here?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Who is the claimant?
Mike w says
Mortimer Clarke Solicitors on behalf of some DCA, possibly Cabot.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Formal written complaint to Cabot, attach proof that you have paid and say their solicitors are ignoring you request for them to mark the CCJ as satisfied. If this was consumer credit debt (loans, cards, catalogs, HP, overdrafts etc) take the case to the Financial Ombudsman at 8 weeks and ask for compensation as well as the CCJ being marked as satisfied.
If this isn’t consumer credit, follow through the solicitors complaints procedure https://www.mortimerclarke.co.uk/complaints/
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Or of course, you can use the N443 form as the article above suggests. But that will cost £15, whereas if you complain to Cabot it won’t cost anything.
Mike w says
I’ve put a complaint in to Mortimer Clarke this morning so in the first instance I will wait and see what they come back with. After all it was them who out the claim in, and them I had to pay.
I’ve been reading in regards to the n443 form, and it seems to say that if the claimant does not respond to the courts within 28 days of them asking for information, then the court will grant the certificate of satisfaction without having to wait for a response. Is that correct?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The advantage of complaint to Cabot is that they are FCA regulated and if this is a consumer debt (is it?) your complaint can go to the Financial Ombudsman which will cost them over £500 even if you lose – so where they are clearly in the wrong there is a big incentive to resolve it.
The 28 days – where does this come from?
Mike w says
The n443 form states the following:
. If you cannot provide the
court with evidence of full
payment, the court will write
to the creditor to confirm that
the debt has been paid. If the
court does not hear from the
creditor within one month, it
will issue a certificate.
That is where I got the 28 days from
SP says
Hi, I had a CCJ against me 2014 for rent arrears. In April 2015, I paid the amount in full. And notified the letting agent that I had paid. However, I recently had a credit report and realised that it was not marked as satisfied since. It is now 2019, the CCJ is due to come off later this year, but as a result, I have not been able to do a lot of things as a result of bad credit. I.e. find a property to rent, finance a vehicle etc. It has been very inconvenient. I tried to contact the estate agents that I owed the money to but they have shut down. I contacted the court and they are charging me £15 for a form. This is ridiculous! I’m wondering if I have a legal leg to stand on? This whole time it has been effecting my credit. And now I’m being asked for more money? I might as well have not paid at all. The CCJ is due off in August/September.
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
As you paid the CCJ after 30 days, what should have happened is that the CCJ would have been marked as satisfied, but it would not have been deleted.
Having a CCJ marked as satisfied does not improve your headline credit score but may make some lenders more prepared to give you credit. Howver many lenders will not give credit to people with a CCJ on their record even if it is satisfied.
“I’m wondering if I have a legal leg to stand on? This whole time it has been effecting my credit.” if you are wondering if you could get any compensation for this, the answer is No. It is a shame you did not check your credit record years ago and get this corrected.
“I might as well have not paid at all.” by paying you avoided the CCJ being enforced eg through bailiffs or an attachement of earnings.
As it will now go in a few months you may decide it isn’t worth £15 and the hassle of doing this.
SP says
Thanks for the response. Will leave the CCJ and payment of £15 alone…
mark Treadwell says
good evening,
who is responsible for informing the courts that the CCJ is know satisfied as I have tried to transfer my mortgage and been rejected due to it stating still unpaid, and the response below proves otherwise
Please find attached your statement with the initial debt highlighted and the debt at the point the judgement was made (5 March 2015)
Your payment was received after this date (highlighted) and therefore the judgement was correctly registered – I have asked a member of my team to ensure that the judgement is updated as satisfied as I can see you made payment after the judgement date
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The article above sets put what you need to do.
gemma says
Hi, I have paid to settle the CCJ a whole ago but never filled in this form. What exactly is the postal address is it of the court that applied the CCJ, also I do not have a cheque book so how is payment made?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Is the CCJ showing as Satisfied on your credit record? Did you pay it within 30 days or after?
Danielle Bird says
Hi All, I have a CCJ on file but the date of discharge is incorrect. I paid in full 2015 and the discharge date is registered as 2018. Can you advise who I contact to get this changed?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
What was the date of the CCJ? Are you saying it should have been marked as satisfied in 2015?
Barbara Walton says
Hi
I paid in full a CCJ to Cabot earlier this month. I received a letter confirming that the account was clear but saying that they wouldn’t be updating the court records and advising that I apply for a certificate of satisfaction. Is this something they are able to do? Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did it say why they wouldn’t do this?
Barbara Walton says
It just said “To update your County Court Judgement on your Credit File you’ll need to contact the original County Court it was granted from , we unfortunately cannot do this for you. You’ll need your claim number, which is ….”
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well it’s up to you. Cabot can inform the court. So you could send them a complaint asking why they haven’t done this. Or you can just get the certificate from the court.
Jenny says
Hi Sara
Just received this today from cabot in an email today.
Unfortunately we are unable to offer you a discounted settlement figure for your account. This is due to a County Court Judgement (CCJ) being obtained against you, which is still reporting on your credit file. In order for the CCJ to be updated as satisfied, the full balance would need to be paid.
I have never received any letters regarding ccj it really worries me that they have placed a ccj on my file that I don’t know about . I don’t like speaking on the phone and have tried email chat but nothing has yet come back .
I was looking at starting a small business in the summer and this would ruin all my chances . Any help would be appreciated .
Thanks
Jenny
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you looked at your credit record?
Mah says
Hi,
I have a CCJ. I have made arrangements to pay a specific amount every month. I was offered to pay a lesser amount to clear the debt but was told that I won’t be able to get the satisfaction certificate. I wanted to find out that if I did find the money and pay the debit in full, is it possible to get the certificate by applying to the court myself with evidence of payment?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, it’s not possible to get a CCJ marked as satisfied if it had been settled partially. The creditor isn’t being difficult, those are the silly rules.
BUT does a satisfaction certificate matter for you? Bizarrely it will not improve your credit score, that will stay badly hit for 6 years. If you have been offered a decent amount off, it may well be sensible to accept this provided you can afford it without more borrowing or getting behind with other debts and bills.
Ben says
Hi Sara,
I was declared bankrupt in December 2018. I notice from my credit file that I had a CCJ issued on January 11th 2019, for a debt that was included in this bankruptcy.
I know it will make little difference to my credit rating, but is there a way to get this removed, as it was issued for a debt included in a bankruptcy?
Thanks!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can apply to have it “set aside”. Talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 if you want to do this. There is a fee but it may be waived if you are on a low income.
BUT is this really worth bothering with? It will disappear from your credit record a month after your bankruptcy goes.
Of course if you are being chased to repay it, that is different,
Cleo says
Hi, my mom took out a credit card in my name with my permission for my university expenses in 2017. As far as I was aware she had paid the balance in the same month. In 2019 I checked my credit score online after being rejected for a phone contract and it states I have defaulted card and a CCJ. I did not recieve the CCJ as I did not live with my parents, and they said they did not recieve this either, online it states it was sent December 2018. Therefore I am not eligible to get this removed as I had no idea that the card had been defaulted. I have never been contacted regarding this, I only became aware of it when I checked online 2 years later. Since then, I have paid the balance at once in full of £381. Is there anyway I can get this removed rather that satisfied as I will be applying for a mortgage with my partner soon.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
As far as I was aware she had paid the balance in the same month.
Have you asked her if she did?
I have never been contacted regarding this, I only became aware of it when I checked online 2 years later.
Did the credit card company have your email? your address?
Cleo says
Yes, she said she had but has no proof of it.
The credit card company did not have my email and they had an old address.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you are going to have a problem challenging this then,.
Your mum must be able to get her old bank statements – if she won’t, it is probably because she diodn’t pay them I am afraid. It is hardly the lender’s fault they didn’t contact you when you let your mum do this and the lender did not have your contact details.
DUNCAN says
WHAT DO YOU DO IF CCJ HAS BEEN FILED AFTER DATE OF BANKRUPTCY BY APPROX 4 WEEKS? COURT HAS BEEN NOTIFIED HOWEVER THEY SAY THE CLAIMANT MUST AGREE TO HAVE THE CCJ CLEARED. THEY ARE NOT CO-OPERATING. WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what sort of debt was this?
DUNCAN HOTSTON says
it was for legal fees associated with family issues
Weatherman says
Hi Duncan
There are some types of debt that aren’t included in bankruptcy. One of these types is court-ordered payments for family issues (like divorce cases). So it could be that this debt cannot be included in bankruptcy. If that’s the case, then the debt, and the CCJ, are valid, and you’ll need to arrange to repay it if the other party won’t agree to set it aside.
DUNCAN HOTSTON says
Hi, they are not saying that I owe them any money, and the work was just solicitor advice (a few letters etc which were never sent). The debt was included in my bankruptcy.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Weatherman is right, but it isn’t clear if this debt for legal fees is included in your bankruptcy. The legal term is “provable” if a debt is included.
I suggest you ask your Official Receiver. If that doesn’t clear things up for you, I suggest you phone National Debtline on 0808 808 4000. and ask for their help.
Tracy Mulholland says
Hi Sara,
I have a CCJ that was filed in may 2016 for just over £600. I have paid this off and can prove the payments through the bank. But when I tried to get it marked as ‘settled, the company seems to of gone into administration. I spoke to Nottingham court but they say that the company has to send the information regarding the debt. Is there anything I can do about this?
Thanks
Tracy
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can apply for a certificate of satisfaction as the article above explains. It’s up to you if you think this is worth the cost.
Samuel says
Hi there, I had a ccj on my credit file and was paying it off by installments now that finally finished paying it . Would it come off my file or isit going stay for 6 years as paid it off after the month period.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It’s going to stay there for the rest of the six years. But it should be marked as satisfied with zero owing.
Lee says
Hi – I have access to my Experian report and have an excellent score. After having issues with debts all these were paid off and disappeared off my credit file. So I recently applied for a mortgage with the hope of getting one with an excellent credit file. However the lender rejected our application because of a CCJ. I later found out that this was my Equifax file. I found a CCJ for £2398 which was awarded against me in 2017. I was not aware of this and after 3.5 years I was none the wiser until yesterday. Looking at the file it appears to have been linked to a previous address which I left in September 2016. Therefore the info would have gone to the previous address 8 months after I left which would explain why I was never aware of it. It says it was awarded at Northampton and also says “discharged”. Not sure what that means and no idea who and where the debt has come from. I’m even thinking someone has taken a loan out in my name without my knowledge. Anything I can do?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You need to contact the court to find out who the creditor is. Until you knit that, it’s hard to guess what it is.
Serap says
In 2011, I was refused a visa appl and received letter to leave the country in 10 days from Home Office. Having to leave the country unexpectedly quick, i missed to my phone bill. There had been many letters and warnings to the address i wasn’t living and I came back to the country back in 2015 still not aware of this debt. In 2018 company found my recent address and after that i was aware of the debt however was already put in CCJ. Last payment was made in February 2020 and two weeks ago i checked my credit file, it came as UNSATISFIED with the outstanding payment £706 although i have the proof of payments. I wrote to the solicitors but no response. Can i still apply for ‘put a side’ claim rather than satisfied status? I lost a good job offer recently and in the middle of citizenship application so this will affect me very badly. Citizenship appl get refused by this and also hard to pass the back screening at job applications. Since i was not in the country and was not aware of this claims, and also paid off all the debt in full can i apply for ‘put a side’ claim? Can you also tell me do we need to fill and send a form called N443 for this? Does this form help with the changing the status to SATISFIED or help with the ‘put a side ‘ claim please? If i have no chance to apply for ‘put a side’ claim, to apply to change the status to SATISFIED, do i also need to write to court for this since i do not trust the claimant will do that or any kind of form again?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you talk to National Debtline about whether you can have this CCJ set aside. Phone 0808 808 4000.
Tim says
Hi,
I had a CCJ filed in Aug 2017 which I was not aware about. The address they had for me was a relatives address which I did not reside at. My relatives very kindly paid the CCJ sum when visited (which I have paid back to them). It has a satisfied date of Jan 2019.
Am I able to get this set aside still?
I had informed the third party, multiple times, that the balance the original creditor had provided them was incorrect as they had placed too many fees on the account that breached FCA guidebook code of conduct – they did not follow this up adequately with the original lender. I informed them of a C/O address to contact me at. The address submitted on the application was not this address but my relatives address where I did not reside. Court papers sent to this address would have been returned to sender – will the court have a record of receiving these back?
Thank you!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Who was debt collector that went to court?
Your relatives paid bailiffs?
Had you complained to the original lender, who was that?
Tim says
Lowell for a Shop Direct account.
Yes a relative paid the bailiff on my behalf.
I complained to Shop Direct yes but didn’t get a response.
Also from digging I have found that the address they used for me on the CCJ filing was actually the original address where I opened the Shop Direct account. I had moved from this address to my relatives house for a period of time (the address where the bailiffs attended). So not only did they not send correspondence to the C/O address I provided them with, they didn’t send the papers to my relatives address which was the most recent address they had been sending correspondence to.
TLDR – Didn’t send papers to last C/O address I provided, didn’t send papers to last address they were sending correspondence to, sent the papers to the original address on the original account.
Thank you very much for your help Sara
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how long ago did you complain to Shop Direct? Are you saying they never replied or they rejected your complaint? What matters here is if they told you you had the right to take the complaint to the Ombudsman.
Where were you actually living when you sent Lowell a c/o address?
Tim says
Complained to Shop Direct circa mid 2015? Never received a response.
I had moved out from my relatives and was living between different friends, which is why I then provided them with a C/O address. To my understanding surely this address should been used? Dismissing that, then the address used on the filing should have been my relatives address which was the most recent address they sent me correspondence to, not the original account address that I had moved out years prior (which they were aware of)?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
well I suggest you send SD another complaint asking why they haven’t replied to your previous one and why they never told you you had the right to take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. It is a pity you let this drop at that time, this sort of problem doesn’t tend to go away and it can become harder to resolve.
I suggest you talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 and the practicalities of getting a CCJ removed and how like you are to succeed. Also tell ND you will be restarting your complaint to SD.
Calayevany says
Hi,
I have checked my experian report yesterday and happened to see the default marked in my credit report from water company. We lived in our property till May 2018 and we left the country but the water company has raised the charges and marked it as default for a year after we left the property. The water company filed a case in HM courts and Tribunal services against us and there was a judgement against us as default but later the claimant themself requested to set aside the default and dimiss the claims against us releasing we are out of country and there is no forwarding address for us . After we came back to UK in Nov 2020, We recieved the court order with these details but the credit report is still showing the default and there is small warning sign Gone Away and the given the above reason. Will this affect my credit score if I apply for job or mortgage? It is looking like concern to me.
Weatherman says
Hi Calayevany
If you agree you owed the money, then the water company and Experian have both done the right thing. If you pay the bill, or agree a settlement, then that would improve your credit rating, but the default will still show for 6 years after it was entered. It’s well worth getting in touch with the water company, or seeking independent free debt advice from somewhere like National Debtline.
If the water company wrongly thought you owed the money then you should ask them to remove it from the report. Ask them to do this for your Transunion and Equifax credit reports as well.
A default on your credit rating will affect your credit score – but any mortgage lender has their own criteria for whether they’ll lend to you. The credit score just gives *you* an idea of how you’re doing. Lots of mortgage lenders get quite jumpy if they see a default, so you might well find it more difficult to get a mortgage until the default disappears (after 6 years – unless you’ve successfully disputed the debt, in which case it vanishes).
The same goes for employers. Lots of employers don’t bother looking at your credit report, but some are required to, and others might want to (with your permission) – for example if the job involves managing money. But it’s unlikely that a single default from a couple of years ago will be a huge problem for most employers.
Johnsmith says
Hi
I have a ccj which I’ve been paying of in monthly installments from 2012. I understand that a ccj doesn’t show on your credit report after 6 years but if I paid the outstanding balance now in full 8 years later will it show up again on my credit file? Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No it won’t.
JR says
My Partner got taken to court for a parking fine without us realising and got a CCJ however we paid it in full within 30 days once we recicved the court order and a year later it’s still on his credit report. We have contacted the Claimant’s solicitor who have said they have only now updated the courts via the online court portal (MCOL). We are in the process of getting a mortgage when this flagged up. Will the court remove it as it was paid within the 30 days of issue but the claimants solicitors have only jus sent this through they said it will still be set a side.
Weatherman says
Hi JR
You’ll need to contact the court yourself to get it removed – but they should do so. You’ll need to apply for a ‘certificate of cancellation’ from the County Court hearing centre which issued the judgment, and give them proof of payment by sending them this form: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/form-n443-application-for-a-certificate-of-satisfaction-or-cancellation
Hopefully that gets you sorted and you can go ahead with the mortgage!
JR says
Sorry thank you Weatherman! Will do this tomorrow
Katie says
I received a CCJ back in March 2020 and I agreed to pay it off in monthly payments with the first payment starting in April 2020 however I paid it all off by the end of June and on my credit file it says discharged. Would it make a difference if I sent off a N443: Apply for a certificate to show you’ve paid a court order or not
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, your credit record is correct, isn’t it?
Katie says
My credit record is correct what I’m asking is would it change to saying any thing else other than discharged if I sent off a N443 form
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No.
Sam Rodger says
You have to pay to clear it off your credit history if you havent paid in the timeframe set by the court. No point contacting the debt collectors they cant do it for you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I am not sure what you are trying to say?
Sam Rodger says
You have to apply to the court to have the CCJ removed from your record. You have to provide proof its paid and pay the court fee. This is to encourage people to pay in the time set by the court. If you were late paying its not auto removed you have to apply and pay the fee. FYI its not cheap. Otherwise it will sit on your credit history for a number of years.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you pay it more than a month after the judgment date, the creditor should report it to court as satisfied. If they don’t , you can do it as the above article explains.
But the CCJ will not be removed from your credit record if you pay it after a month, whether you get it marked as satisfied or not. It will drop off your credit record 6 years from the judgment date.
Ram says
how quickly ccj is reported to credit agencies by court , I worry that if I get any ccj from my old business which I may not aware because some old creditors did not know my current address,I heard if I pay within 30 days , ccj will be removed,
is it enough that I keep monitoring 3 credit agencies, then If any ccj appears , I can contact and pay within 30 days
Weatherman says
Hi Ram
You’re correct that if you pay within 30 days the CCJ will not be included on your credit report. It should usually be visible on your credit report within 30 days of it being made, but there is a little bit of risk.
You could also regularly search the Register of Judgements, Orders, and Fines to see if your name appears, although you’ll need to pay a small amount each time: https://www.trustonline.org.uk/
If you’d be able to pay the CCJ, you could pay the creditors now, and get this out of the way. Or you could make sure the creditors have your current address so you can be sure to get the claim form, and know a CCJ has been applied for.
Ram says
First of all, Thank you very much for your all your good work,it is very useful people
I also asked same question trust online, their reply is below
Once a court registers a judgment, we receive the notification electronically overnight. It normally takes around 24 hours for us to update the Register and notify the credit reference agencies.
The credit reference agencies take around a week to update their files.
I trust the above is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
Rob Hoyle says
Hi There,
I found I had a CCJ against my name for a parking ticket, for the grand sum of £221 when I started applying for mortgage in 2019. When I found out about it I paid it so it is marked satisfied, eventually got a mortgage (though not through normal lending routes because of the CCJ), and when I approached my bank in Dec/Jan 20/21 i was notified i could ask to have the CCJ removed by consent (I had no idea i could do this). the reason i didnt know about the court proceedings was I moved house, Proceedings according to [X] Solicitors (those wonderful lot), were on the 22 sept. Now to find a bill which shows i was resident in the flat on the 22nd is proving difficult. I coud only get a council tax bill dated 26 Sept, which they have rejected as it does not cover the date the proceedings were issued (missed by 4 days)…..the frustrating part is it is for only £221!!! the client District EnforcementLimited has given X consent to have the CCJ removed, but X wont apply until i provide evidence i was resident on or before 22/09/2017. I have an email from the Housing Association and this council tax bill. Is there any other way around this? Do i have any other options?
Thanks
Rob
Sara (Debt Camel) says
what does the email from the HA say?
Did you hire a van for moving? Did you inform the gas/electric the day you moved in?
Michelle says
Hi
I received a CCJ in April 2017 for £260 which I found out about in November 2019 and paid in full once I found out. I have checked on Trustonline today and it shows the status remains as unsatisfied. Do I need to complete an N433 to change this to satisfied and what are my chances of being approved for a mortgage before 2023?
Thanks in advance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
An N443 is the correct form as the article above says. Not N433.
But many mortgage lenders will still be reluctant to give you a mortgage. Make sure you talk to a mortgage broker, don’t apply direct to a lender.
Henna says
Hi Everyone,
I have paid my CCJ off and am applying for my satisfaction of payment form (N443) I am just confused who am I meant to post the form too? Which court?
Hollie says
Hello,
I currently have a CCJ marked to my name for an unpaid parking ticket. I wasn’t made aware of the ticket untill I received the CCJ warning letter in the post, I contacted the court for confirmation of bank details to pay the fine, they responded on the last day of my 30 day period to pay the fine. This has therefore been listed as a CCJ to which I settled within 31 days. Does the amount a satisfied CCJ affects your score decrease as the years go?
Weatherman says
Hi Hollie
Yes, the amount a satisfied CCJ affects your score decreases over time. Lenders don’t really look at your score, they look at the information underneath it – but they will also pay less attention to an older CCJ (as a rule of them, its impact falls after about three years & after six years it is no longer on your credit report at all).
If you paid the CCJ within “one calendar month” of the date, you can have it removed from the registry altogether (and so from your credit report). The creditor should tell the court themselves really, but if they haven’t then you can do that yourself by filling out & sending form N443 along with a cheque for £14 (if you don’t have a chequebook, ask the court how you should make the payment): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/form-n443-application-for-a-certificate-of-satisfaction-or-cancellation
If you just missed this time period because of how late you got the confirmation of how to pay the judgement, it might be worth contacting the court to explain and see if there’s anything they can do – there’s nothing immediately I can see in the legislation about that scenario, but worth a try!
Charlotte says
I have recently just paid off a CCJ. I got a notification from clear score to say my credit report would be updated next month with this information.
The info says ‘date set aside’. Does this mean the CCJ is being set aside and will be removed or I’ll it still sit on my credit report as satisfied?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
A set aside is when you go back to court and argue the CCJ should not have been made, in which case it would drop off your record. But you have just paid it so it should be marked as satisfied but will stay for the rest of the 6 years,
hannahm says
HI, I have a ccj which I make monthly payments on (I’m 4 years in) but at the end of the 6 years I won’t have paid it in full. What happens then? Will it still show on my credit file in some way? If I keep on making the payments after the six years will that still show? I’m worried I’ll never get my credit rating back…
Sara (Debt Camel) says
no, it will drop off your credit record. But you do still need to pay it.
hannah says
Thank you, will the payments I continue to make show on my credit file and will that reflect badly on my credit score?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, the CCJ drops off, there is nowhere for the payments to be seen on your credit record.
If you ever apply for credit where the lender looks at your bank statements eg mortgage then the payments will be visible there. Is there a lot still to be paid?
Hannah says
Hi. I found out I had a CCJ put on my credit file in June 2019. After some investigation I found out it was for a car parking charge, I found the company and rang right away to pay the £185 in full. I understand it will stay on my file for 6 years from June 2019 but I would like it to be changed to “satisfied” on my credit file as I have now paid in full. The car parking company said they have “updated it on the court portal” and I have also emailed the CCBC today to let them know I’ve paid in full and attached proof of payment. How long does it normally take from making the payment for it to be updated on the court side of things to “satisfied” and how long for it to show up on my credit file as “satisfied”? Kind regards, Hannah
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Probably a few weeks. You do know this won’t change your credit score?
Hannah says
Yes I know it won’t change my score but it will show on my report as satisfied so when applying for car finance they will take this into consideration, am I right?
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes it will show the CCJ as satisfied. It’s up to each lender if they take that into account.
John says
Good afternoon, I had a CCJ from 2018 that I believe was paid off in monthly amounts, it was handled by a 3rd party on behalf of the landlord. Recently I discovered that they can be marked as settled, so iv been trying to get this set up.
However the 3rd has no information on the amount I paid, and also has the wrong information on the amount that was ordered to pay by the courts. I have since changed banks so do not have the statements with my payments available and they refuse to help me at all.
Iv been trying to find some information on where I stand now with this but everything comes to a dead end, can you advise anything at all?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You should still be able to get 2018 bank statements from closed bank accounts. Contact them and if necessary make. subject Access Request asking for a copy of all your personal information between the relevant dates.
tanya says
My husband has a CCJ from approx 20 years ago. It has been paid by DD every month. It came off his credit rating many years ago. How do we find out when it ends? We’ve never had any statements or opportunity to pay it off;we just pay £40 every month by Direct Debit. Any advice would be appreciated.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
have you asked the creditor you are paying for a statement of your account?
rick says
Hi,
I paid two CJJs in 2020 ( combined £600 ) which is about 3-4 years old today from its registered date. These were issued in a period i was out of the country- paid them after coming back and checking my credit report.
But judging by the comments made, i will not be able to get mortgage or get a good credit score for another 3-4 years!
Is there a viable ground/case for trying to get these already paid CJJ set aside? The impact they have in our financial life seems to big and harsh from my view. I am not able to apply to certain jobs which reject CJJs
i would like to get on a property ladder in a years time
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The CCJs will drop off your credit record 6 years after the date of the CCJ, so if they were 3/4 years ago that will be in 2/3 years time.
You have left it a long while to try to get these “set aside” in court – you can talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 about this and see if they think you have a chance.
Wayne says
Welcome finance issued me 2 ccj 8 years ago but after that i successfully claimed ppi against them and they took what i owed them off the refund i had but i cant contact them to get the mark moved off my credit report any ideas what I can do thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
is it the debt or the CCJ that is still showing on your credit record?
Wayne says
Yes but its been cleared
Sara (Debt Camel) says
the ccj shows in a separate section of your report to your debts.
Can you see the CCJ? If you can, what date does it show for the CCJ?
can you see the debt? If you can, what default sate shows?
Wayne says
Says active feb 2016 but it was cleared 2017
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Then it should disappear in February this year, when it gets to be 6 years old.
But you said the CCJ was 8 years ago – that suggests it was 6.
Wayne says
Sorry my mistake feb 2016 it was issued but cleared a year later thanks to ppi
Peter Thompson says
Hi Cabot have wrote to me admitting the ccj applied to my credit file in 2017 was a mistake by them as the debt from 2003 was statute barred. Also the ccj went to the wrong address so I did not know it was there and I never got the chance to contest it. I only noticed it when I was declined for loans credit cards ect. That forced me into high interest loans some payday loans and credit cards. Cabot are investigating to see if compensation is due to me. But I have no idea what amount would be fair to accept. Any ideas?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Has Cabot agreed to remove the CCJ? the legal procedure is called “set aside”.
What other problems were showing on your credit record in 2017 – did you have other defaults? had you already taken any high cost loans – say over 20% – before the CCJ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Also did you challenge them on this or was this decision by Cabot out of the blue?