CCJ Removal: How to Cancel or Set Aside a CCJ

A County Court Judgment (CCJ) stays on the public Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for six years. There is no shortcut to erase a valid CCJ early, but you can have it cancelled, marked satisfied, or set aside depending on your situation.

How Long a CCJ Stays on the Register

A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is entered on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines, held by Registry Trust on behalf of the courts, when a court in England or Wales enters judgment against you for a debt by default. A judgment given after a defended hearing is registered only once the creditor takes a step to enforce it or payment by instalments is ordered or applied for. Unless you pay in full within 1 month of the judgment and get it removed (see below), the entry stays on the register, and is visible to lenders and credit reference agencies, for 6 years from the date of the judgment. That is true whether you pay the CCJ after the first month and it is marked satisfied, or it is never paid at all: only how the entry is described changes, not how long it appears. A CCJ can significantly affect your ability to get credit, a mortgage, or even some tenancies and jobs while it remains on the register, which is why removing or improving the entry, where that is genuinely possible, matters.

Routes to Remove or Improve a CCJ

There are only a small number of legitimate ways to change how a CCJ appears on the register, and no way at all to make a valid, correctly issued CCJ disappear early just because you would prefer it gone:

• Pay in full within 1 month of the judgment date: you can get the entry removed from the register entirely by telling the court and sending proof of payment (see below).
• Pay in full after 1 month: the CCJ cannot be removed, but you can get it marked satisfied by sending the court proof of payment, and you can get a Certificate of Satisfaction.
• Apply to set the judgment aside (form N244): used where the judgment should never have been made, not simply because you have since decided to pay or dispute the amount.
• Wait for the 6-year period to end: every CCJ drops off the register automatically once 6 years have passed, whether or not it was ever paid.

Each route is explained in more detail below.

Pay Within One Month: The Judgment Is Cancelled

If you pay a CCJ in full within 1 calendar month of the date the judgment was made, you can get the entry cancelled and removed from the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines altogether. This does not happen automatically: write to the court to say you have paid and send proof of payment from the person or business you owed. You can also apply for a Certificate of Cancellation, in writing or on form N443 (fee £19), as proof for a lender or anyone else who might otherwise see the original entry. Because timing is what triggers cancellation, not payment on its own, it is worth paying as quickly as possible after judgment if avoiding any mark at all matters to you, rather than waiting to see whether a dispute can be resolved first.

Pay After One Month: Marked "Satisfied"

Paying off a CCJ after the first month no longer removes it. Instead, once you have paid in full and written to the court with proof of payment, the entry is updated to show as satisfied, and it remains on the register for the rest of the 6-year period, but as a paid debt rather than an outstanding one. Lenders and credit reference agencies generally view a satisfied CCJ more favourably than an unpaid one, even though it still appears on your record. You can apply to the court for a Certificate of Satisfaction, in writing or on form N443 (fee £19), as evidence that the debt has been paid in full; this is useful to show a lender, landlord, or employer who runs a credit check and sees the original entry.

Setting Aside a CCJ (Form N244)

Setting aside is different from cancellation: it reopens the underlying case rather than simply removing a valid entry, and it only applies where the judgment should not have been made in the first place. Common grounds include never having received the claim form, having moved without the claimant knowing your current address, having already paid the debt before judgment was entered, or having a genuine defence to the claim that you were not able to put before the court. You apply using form N244, and the court charges a fee (currently £321, though reductions such as "with claimant consent" can apply, and court fees are updated periodically, so check the current gov.uk fee page before applying). If the court agrees to set the judgment aside, the case is reopened, and it is then withdrawn, settled, or decided by a judge on its merits; the original CCJ entry is removed once the judgment itself is set aside. Acting promptly matters: the longer you wait after learning about a CCJ, the harder it typically becomes to persuade a court that setting it aside is justified.

After Six Years: Automatic Removal

If a CCJ is never paid, never set aside, and never cancelled, it still comes off the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines automatically once 6 years have passed from the date of judgment. This happens without anyone applying for it. It is worth being clear about what this does and does not mean: the entry disappearing from the register is not the same as the debt disappearing. The judgment debt itself does not expire when the entry comes off the register. After 6 years the creditor needs the court's permission to enforce it by a warrant or writ (Civil Procedure Rules rule 83.2), cannot bring a fresh claim on the judgment (Limitation Act 1980, section 24(1)), and cannot recover interest on it that fell due more than 6 years earlier (section 24(2)). The ordinary statute-barred rules, which run from when you last paid or acknowledged a debt, apply before a claim reaches judgment, not to the judgment itself.

Be Wary of "Guaranteed CCJ Removal" Companies

Some companies advertise that they can get a CCJ "removed" from your record for an upfront fee, regardless of your circumstances. There is no lawful way to remove a valid, correctly issued CCJ before the 6-year period is up simply because you want it gone or because you have paid a third party to ask on your behalf. Every genuine route to changing a CCJ entry, paying within a month, getting it marked satisfied, or successfully applying to set it aside, is available directly through the court and the free debt advice sector, without paying a specialist "removal" firm. If a company implies it can bypass these rules or guarantees an outcome no court can guarantee, treat that as a red flag.

Free Help With a Set-Aside Application

If you think a CCJ was wrongly entered against you, for example you never received the claim form or the debt was already paid, Citizens Advice and National Debtline can help you work out whether you have grounds to apply to set it aside and how to complete form N244, free of charge. You do not need to pay a company for this help. If the court fee itself is a concern, ask the court about fee remission (help with fees) rather than turning to a paid intermediary.

Related Guides

For what a CCJ is and how it is entered in the first place, see What Is a CCJ? and County Court Judgment: Effect on Your Credit. If the underlying debt is old, see Statute-Barred Debt. For the full England and Wales debt and money-claims picture, see the UK Debt and Money hub and the United Kingdom country hub.

This article is general information about removing or improving a County Court Judgment (CCJ) in England and Wales, not legal advice. Court fees, forms, and set-aside criteria change and are decided case by case; check the current gov.uk guidance and court fee pages, and contact Citizens Advice, National Debtline, or a solicitor about your specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a CCJ be removed before the 6 years are up?

Only in limited circumstances: paying in full within 1 month of the judgment date and sending the court proof of payment gets it cancelled and removed, and successfully applying to set aside a wrongly made judgment reopens the case. Otherwise a valid CCJ stays on the register, either as satisfied or unpaid, until the 6 years run out.

How long does a CCJ stay on my credit file?

6 years from the date of the judgment, unless you pay it in full within one month and have it removed. If you pay later it stays for 6 years but is marked satisfied, and if you never pay it stays for 6 years as unpaid.

What happens if I pay a CCJ within one month of the judgment?

You can get the entry cancelled and removed from the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines entirely by writing to the court with proof of payment. You can also apply for a Certificate of Cancellation on form N443 (fee £19) as proof.

What happens if I pay a CCJ after one month?

It cannot be removed, but if you write to the court with proof of payment it is updated to show as satisfied and stays that way for the rest of the 6-year period. You can apply for a Certificate of Satisfaction on form N443 (fee £19) as proof it has been paid.

How do I apply to have a CCJ set aside?

You apply on form N244, generally where the judgment should never have been made, for example you never received the claim form or you have a genuine defence. There is a court fee (currently £321, with some reductions available), and the case is reopened rather than simply deleted.

Can a company remove a CCJ from my record for a fee?

No lawful company can remove a valid, correctly issued CCJ before the 6-year period is up. Every genuine route, paying within a month, getting it marked satisfied, or a successful set-aside application, is available directly through the court and free advice charities, so be wary of anyone guaranteeing removal for an upfront fee.

Does a satisfied CCJ mean the debt is gone?

Yes, a satisfied CCJ means the debt has been paid in full; it is the CCJ entry itself, not the debt, that remains visible on the register for the rest of the 6 years.

Where can I get free help applying to set aside a CCJ?

Citizens Advice and National Debtline can help you work out whether you have grounds to apply and how to complete form N244, free of charge, without needing to pay a claims or removal company.