How long does a CCJ affect my credit rating?

A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is recorded on the Register of Judgments, Orders, and Fines and on your credit file maintained by the UK's three main credit reference agencies — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — for six years from the date the judgment was entered. During this period, the CCJ will appear on your credit report and will significantly affect your ability to obtain credit such as mortgages, personal loans, car finance, and credit cards, as well as affecting applications for rental accommodation and some jobs. There are two ways to deal with a CCJ and its effect on your credit record. If you pay the full amount of the judgment within 30 days of the date of the judgment, you can apply to the court using Form N443 (Certificate of Cancellation or Satisfaction) to have the CCJ removed from the register entirely — as though it never existed. This is different from "setting aside" a CCJ (which uses Form N244 and applies in different circumstances, such as where a default judgment was entered incorrectly). If you pay in full after the 30-day period, the CCJ is marked as "satisfied" on the register, but it remains visible on your credit file for the full six years (just showing as paid). Partial payments reduce the outstanding debt but do not affect how the CCJ appears on your credit record. It is important to act promptly after receiving a CCJ to minimise its credit impact.