CCJ in Northern Ireland: County Court Judgments, Your Credit Record, and How to Get One Removed

A County Court Judgment — almost always shortened to CCJ — is a formal court order confirming that you owe someone money. In Northern Ireland, an unpaid decree from the Small Claims Court functions as a CCJ. Judgment records are sent to Registry Trust Ltd and recorded on public credit registers. An entry can remain for six years, although you can apply to have it removed if you pay the decree in full within 30 days of the order date and obtain a certificate of satisfaction.

If you have received one, or you are worried about getting one, here is how the system actually works.

How You End Up with a CCJ in Northern Ireland

A CCJ can result from several situations:

• You were sued and did not respond in time — if the court has not received Form 126A or Form 126B within 21 days of the date it received or issued the application, the applicant may apply for a default decree (Form 127 for a liquidated claim, Form 128 for an unliquidated claim). A Form 128 application leads to an assessment hearing to set the amount.
• You went to a hearing and lost — the District Judge ruled against you and entered a decree for the amount owed.
• You admitted the claim on Form 126B — the court entered a decree for the admitted sum, whether you offered to pay in full or by instalments.

In every case, the court decree is transmitted to Registry Trust Ltd, the official register of judgments. From there, it appears on your credit file with the three main credit reference agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The Enforcement of Judgments Office (EJO) also maintains its own public register.

How a CCJ Affects Your Credit

Unless it is set aside or paid in full within 30 days and removed after a certificate of satisfaction, the judgment can remain on your credit record for six years from the date of the original order. During that period:

• Mortgage lenders will see it and many will decline applications outright, particularly for larger amounts
• Personal loan and credit card applications face higher rejection rates or significantly worse interest rates
• Some landlords and letting agents run credit checks before approving a tenancy
• Mobile phone contracts on credit may be refused
• Business credit lines and trade accounts can be affected if the CCJ is against you personally as a sole trader

The six-year clock runs from the date of the judgment, not the date you pay it off.

How to Get a CCJ Removed or Updated

There are two distinct outcomes depending on when you pay:

Pay Within 30 Days — Full Removal

If you pay the entire amount owed within 30 calendar days of the date of the court order, you can apply to the court for a certificate of satisfaction. With that certificate, the CCJ entry is cancelled and removed from the register entirely. It will not appear on future credit searches.

This is the cleanest outcome. If you have just received a decree and can afford to pay in full within the month, doing so and then applying for the certificate immediately is the fastest route to clearing your record.

Pay After 30 Days — Marked "Satisfied" but Still Visible

If you pay more than 30 days after the judgment date, the register entry is updated to show "Satisfied" rather than being removed. The judgment remains visible on your credit file for the full six years, though lenders can see that you eventually paid.

A "Satisfied" CCJ is better than an outstanding one, but it still affects credit scoring. Most lenders treat it as evidence of past credit difficulty.

Setting Aside a Default Decree

If the CCJ resulted from a default decree — you were not aware of the claim, or you had a legitimate reason for not responding — you may be able to get the decree set aside entirely. This requires filing an application with the court (the set-aside fee is £189 as of April 2026) and demonstrating both a valid reason for missing the 21-day deadline and a genuine defence to the claim itself.

If the set-aside is granted, the case goes back to a hearing as though the default never happened, and the CCJ is removed from the register.

The Enforcement of Judgments Office

In Northern Ireland, the EJO — not the court itself — handles enforcement when someone does not pay a decree. The applicant can lodge an enforcement application with the EJO, which has powers including attachment of earnings orders, orders charging land, and seizure of goods.

The EJO also maintains a public debt register, searchable by commercial credit agencies, for a six-year period. This is separate from Registry Trust but has the same practical effect on creditworthiness.

How to Avoid a CCJ in the First Place

The most common path to an avoidable CCJ is missing the 21-day response deadline. If you have been served with a small claim in Northern Ireland, responding on time — even if you admit the claim — keeps you in control of the process and opens options like negotiating instalments.

Our Responding to a Small Claim in Northern Ireland guide covers the full response process, from understanding the court papers to filing your Form 126A or 126B before the deadline expires. It includes a deadline calculator and postal tracking log so nothing slips through the gap.

See more Northern Ireland guides →