CCJ Enforcement Time Limit: Can You Enforce a Judgment After 6 Years?

Your CCJ is five years old and the debtor still has not paid. Or perhaps you set enforcement aside years ago because the debtor had no assets, and now their circumstances have changed. The question is whether you have waited too long.

The 6-Year Rule

Under CPR Rule 83.2(3)(a), a judgment creditor needs the court's permission to issue a relevant writ or warrant if six years or more have elapsed since the date of the judgment or order.

After six years, the judgment does not expire. The permission rule here applies to issuing a writ or warrant under CPR Rule 83.2; it does not create one identical six-year rule for every enforcement method.

The rule covers warrants and writs of control. Do not assume it imposes the same permission requirement on attachment of earnings, third-party debt orders or charging orders.

How to Apply for Permission

To issue a warrant or writ of control when six years or more have elapsed since the judgment or order, apply to the court using Form N244 (Application Notice). The application must be supported by a witness statement explaining:

• The date of the original judgment and the amount outstanding
• Why enforcement was not pursued or completed within six years
• What has changed — for example, the debtor now has identifiable assets, has started employment, or has acquired property
• Whether any payments have been made and when, so the court can see the amount still outstanding

The general application fee for Form N244 is £321 for an application on notice or £126 by consent or without notice. The fee category depends on notice, not on whether a hearing is required.

The application may be made without notice unless the court directs otherwise. It must give the reasons for delay and enough information to show that you are entitled to enforce the judgment and that the debtor remains liable to execution. If the court directs notice, the debtor can respond.

Instalment Orders and the Six-Year Rule

The six-year permission period for a writ or warrant runs from the date of the judgment or order; a later part-payment does not reset it. If the court ordered instalments, default on an instalment can make the unpaid balance enforceable by warrant, but it does not restart the six-year period in CPR Rule 83.2(3)(a).

The Register of Judgments

A CCJ stays on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for six years from the date of the judgment, regardless of whether it has been paid. After six years, the entry drops off the register automatically. If the debtor pays in full within one calendar month of the judgment, you can have the entry removed entirely by applying for a Certificate of Cancellation. If paid after one month but within six years, a Certificate of Satisfaction (Form N443, £19) marks it as satisfied but does not remove it.

The register entry and the enforcement time limit are separate mechanisms. The register is a credit-reporting tool; the six-year enforcement rule is a procedural limitation on court process. Your judgment survives beyond both.

Practical Considerations for Old Judgments

Courts do grant permission to enforce old judgments, but the older the judgment, the harder the application. A 7-year-old judgment with a clear explanation (debtor was bankrupt, bankruptcy discharged, now has assets) is straightforward. A 15-year-old judgment with no explanation for the delay faces scepticism.

If you are approaching the six-year mark and enforcement has not succeeded, consider applying for a Charging Order (Form N379) before the deadline. A charging order is a form of security, not direct enforcement, and once registered at HM Land Registry it persists indefinitely. You can then apply for an order for sale at any time — the six-year rule does not apply to realising an existing charge.

Our CCJ Enforcement Guide covers the full timeline from judgment to satisfaction, including the permission procedure for older judgments and the strategies that protect your position as the deadline approaches.

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