The CCJ register and certificates of satisfaction

A county court judgment (CCJ) is recorded on a public register that lenders and credit reference agencies check. For a creditor whose debtor has nothing to seize, that entry is often the most effective pressure the court process provides.

Checked against official sources on 30 September 2026. Court fees from 13 July 2026; enforcement agent fees from 1 May 2026.

Key facts

Default judgments and judgments on admission are registered at once; a judgment after a contested hearing is registered only if instalments are ordered or applied for, or the creditor takes an enforcement step (Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005, regs 8 and 9).
Paid in full within one month of the judgment, the entry is cancelled; paid later, it is marked satisfied and stays on the register for six years from the date of judgment.
The debtor applies for a certificate of satisfaction or cancellation on form N443 for £19, with proof of payment or the creditor's signed statement; if the creditor does not respond to the court within a month, the certificate issues anyway.
Anyone can search the register at Trust Online for £6 to £10 per search; banks and loan companies use it to decide whether to lend.
From 20 July 2026 the claimant's name is recorded on the register too, published after a transitional period ending 19 October 2026.

What the register is

The Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines is a public register of county court and High Court money judgments in England and Wales, kept by Registry Trust Limited under the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005. Court staff send a return of every registrable judgment; Registry Trust records it and passes the information to credit reference agencies, so the entry appears on the debtor's credit file. Gov.uk explains that banks and loan companies use this information to decide whether to give credit or loans.

For the person owed money, the register matters for two reasons. It is the automatic consequence of most judgments and needs no further fee, and for many debtors it is a stronger incentive to pay than any enforcement method, because a live entry makes loans, mortgages and other credit harder to obtain for six years.

Which judgments are registered

Regulation 8 requires the court to send a return of every judgment entered in the county court or High Court, subject to the exceptions in regulation 9. The practical result is:

Default judgments (the defendant did not respond) and judgments on admission are registered as soon as they are entered.
A judgment made after a contested hearing is not registered at first. It goes on the register only when an order for payment by instalments is made on the creditor's application, the debtor applies to pay by instalments, the creditor takes a step to enforce the judgment under CPR Part 70, applies for an order to obtain information under Part 71, or applies for a certificate of judgment (regulation 9(c)).
Judgments under appeal are not registered until the appeal is determined, and family, Administrative Court and Technology and Construction Court judgments are excluded.

So a defendant who fights a small claim, loses and pays promptly never appears on the register. A defendant who ignores the claim is registered on the day judgment is entered, which is one reason the response forms warn that judgment details will be passed to credit reference agencies.

The one-month rule and the six years

When the debt is paid in full	What happens to the entry	Certificate
One month or less from the date of judgment	The court asks Registry Trust to cancel the entry, and it is removed (regs 11(2), 16)	Certificate of cancellation
More than one month from the date of judgment	The entry is endorsed as satisfied; it stays on the register but searchers see it has been paid (reg 11(3))	Certificate of satisfaction
Not paid	Stays on the register, unsatisfied, until removed six years from the date of judgment (reg 26)	None
Judgment set aside or reversed	Entry cancelled (reg 11(2)(b))	Certificate of cancellation

Whether satisfied or not, an entry is removed six years from the date of the judgment. "Satisfied" means the debt has been paid in full. A debtor's application under CPR 13.3 to set aside a default judgment, if it succeeds, cancels the entry; that application costs £321 on form N244 and needs evidence of a real prospect of defending or some other good reason, and must be made promptly.

Certificates of satisfaction and cancellation (form N443, £19)

The register is not updated automatically when the debtor pays you. The debtor applies to the court that dealt with the case, in writing or on form N443, with a £19 fee. The application must include sufficient evidence that the debt has been satisfied, which the regulations say includes a signed statement by the creditor to that effect (reg 18). Where the debt was paid through court enforcement or into court, the court already has the evidence.

If the debtor cannot get proof from the creditor, they can still apply with their own evidence. The court then writes to the creditor, who has a month to respond; if the creditor stays silent, the certificate is issued on the debtor's evidence (regs 18 and 19; gov.uk describes this as 30 days). The creditor's role is therefore simple: confirm payment when asked, in writing, promptly.

If you settle for less than the full judgment, put the agreement in writing and include your signed confirmation that the judgment is to be treated as satisfied, so the debtor can obtain the certificate. Without it the debtor may struggle to clear the entry, and an unresolved dispute over whether a compromise was "in full" helps nobody.

Searching the register and the effect on credit

Anyone can search the register through Trust Online, the Registry Trust service, for a fee of between £6 and £10 per search. Entries show whether the judgment is satisfied or unsatisfied. A creditor considering a claim can search before issuing to see whether the intended defendant already has unsatisfied judgments, which is a useful pointer to whether they are worth suing (see is it worth suing).

Credit reference agencies receive the register data, and lenders treat an unsatisfied judgment as a significant negative. Gov.uk's guidance for debtors sets out the consequences and encourages payment within the month. For the creditor, this is why a firm letter after judgment, pointing out the one-month window, often produces payment where the debtor has no goods worth seizing and no wages to attach. See enforcing a judgment for the methods available if it does not.

Claimant names on the register from 20 July 2026

Until 2026 the register recorded only the debtor. Regulations made in 2026 (SI 2026/697) now require the return sent to Registry Trust to include the full name of the claimant, subject to anonymity exceptions, for judgments from 20 July 2026. During a transitional period from 20 July to 19 October 2026 the claimant's name is collected but not yet published; after 19 October 2026 searchers will be able to see who obtained the judgment. For an individual claimant this means your name will appear alongside the debtor's entry in the same way a company's already would; it does not affect your own credit file, since the entry records the debtor's liability, not yours.

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Quick answers

Does every county court judgment go on the register?

No. Default judgments and judgments on admission are registered at once. A judgment after a contested hearing is registered only if instalments are ordered or applied for, or the creditor takes an enforcement step, applies for an order to obtain information or asks for a certificate of judgment.

How long does a CCJ stay on the register?

Six years from the date of the judgment, whether or not it is paid. If it is paid in full within one month of the judgment the entry is cancelled altogether; if paid later it is marked satisfied but remains for the six years.

The debtor has paid me. Do I have to do anything?

The register does not update itself. The debtor applies on form N443 with a £19 fee, and your signed statement that the debt has been paid counts as sufficient evidence. If the court writes to you to confirm payment and you do not reply within a month, the certificate is issued anyway.

How much does it cost to search the register?

Between £6 and £10 per search through Trust Online, the service run by Registry Trust Limited. Entries show whether the judgment is satisfied or unsatisfied.

What if I accept less than the full amount in settlement?

"Satisfied" means paid in full, so record the compromise in writing and include your signed confirmation that the judgment is to be treated as satisfied. The debtor can then use that statement with form N443 to have the entry endorsed.

What happens to the entry if the judgment is set aside?

Where a judgment is set aside or reversed the court asks Registry Trust to cancel the entry (reg 11(2)(b)). A default judgment can be set aside under CPR 13.3 if the defendant shows a real prospect of defending or some other good reason and applies promptly; the application fee on form N244 is £321.

Will my own name appear on the register as the claimant?

For judgments from 20 July 2026, yes: SI 2026/697 requires the claimant's full name to be recorded, subject to anonymity exceptions, and it becomes visible to searchers after the transitional period ending 19 October 2026. It records you as the creditor, not as a debtor.

Why does the register matter if the debtor has nothing I can enforce against?

Because an unsatisfied judgment stays visible to lenders and credit reference agencies for six years and makes loans, mortgages and other credit harder to obtain. For a debtor with no seizable goods or attachable wages, the wish to clear that entry is often the main reason they eventually pay.