Form N441 UK: Clear or Cancel a CCJ — Court Notice Guide

At a glance

• Form N441 is a court-generated notice, not an application form. It is sent by the court to the claimant, not completed by the debtor.
• The form you complete and send to the court is Form N443 — "Application for a certificate of satisfaction/cancellation" — with your evidence of payment and the fee. See our full Form N443 guide for the step-by-step process.
• Cancellation (entry removed entirely): available only if the debt was satisfied one month or less from the date of judgment (regulation 11, Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005).
• Satisfaction (entry marked as paid): applies if the debt was satisfied more than one month after judgment; the CCJ stays on the register for the full six years, but shows as satisfied.
• Display period on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines: six years from the date of judgment (regulation 26), regardless of when it was paid, unless cancelled under the early-payment rule.
• Current court fee: £19 for the issue of a certificate of satisfaction or cancellation of a judgment debt (check GOV.UK for the current figure before applying).
• The court does not update the register automatically — even a paid-off CCJ needs a certificate applied for, or it can keep showing as unpaid.

What is a CCJ, and where does it live?

A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is a court order confirming that one person or business owes money to another. It's usually the end point of a dispute over an unpaid debt — a credit agreement, a service invoice, a parking charge, or something similar — where the person owed money took the matter to court and the court found in their favour, or the debtor didn't respond to the claim.

Once a judgment for money is made, it's recorded on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines, maintained under the Courts Act 2003, section 98 and the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005. The Register is operated on behalf of the Ministry of Justice by Registry Trust Limited. Credit reference agencies check this register, which is why a CCJ can make it harder to get a mortgage, loan, credit card, or even some rental agreements, while it remains recorded.

An entry stays on the Register — and therefore on your credit file — for six years from the date of the judgment, under regulation 26. That six-year clock does not reset or shorten just because you pay the debt, unless you paid quickly enough to have the entry cancelled outright (see below).

Form N441 and Form N443: what each one actually does

This is the point of most confusion, and it's worth being precise about it, because the two forms have different purposes and different senders.

Form N441 — the notice the court sends to your creditor

Form N441, "Notification of Request for Certificate of Satisfaction or Cancellation", is completed and issued by the court. It is addressed to the claimant — the person or business you owed money to — and it tells them that the defendant is applying to the court for a certificate of satisfaction or cancellation, and that the Register will be marked to show the debt (including any interest) satisfied, or, if payment was made in full within one month of judgment, removed.

Critically, the notice states that unless the claimant objects in writing to the court within one month of the date shown on the form, a certificate will be granted automatically and the Register will be marked accordingly. The form itself gives the claimant space to see the date of the final payment (as stated by the defendant), the date of judgment, and the judgment amount — this is the court giving the creditor an opportunity to check and object if they disagree that the debt has been paid.

If you're the person who paid off the CCJ, you don't fill in Form N441 yourself — the court sends it out after your application has been received.

Form N443 — the form you actually complete

Form N443, "Application for a certificate of satisfaction/cancellation", is the form the debtor (the person who paid the judgment) sends to the court to start the process, under regulation 17 of the 2005 Regulations. This is where you provide the claim number, confirm the judgment has been paid, attach your evidence, and pay the court fee. Once the court has processed your N443 application and is satisfied the debt has been paid, it triggers the N441 notice to the claimant, and — assuming no objection is received within a month — instructs Registry Trust to update the register.

If you searched for "Form N441" because you want to clear your own CCJ, the practical next step is almost always to complete and send Form N443 to the County Court that issued the judgment, not to try to fill in N441 yourself. Our companion guide, Form N443: apply for a certificate to show you've paid a court order, walks through that application in detail.

How to clear a paid CCJ, step by step

1. Pay the debt in full. Before applying for any certificate, the judgment debt — including any interest that applies — needs to be paid off completely. Keep hold of a receipt, bank transfer confirmation, or a letter from the creditor acknowledging payment; the court will want evidence.
2. Work out whether you're within the one-month cancellation window. If the debt was satisfied one month or less from the date of judgment, you can apply for the entry to be cancelled (removed from the register). If it was satisfied more than one month after judgment, the entry can only be endorsed as satisfied — it will remain on the register for the full six years, showing as paid.
3. Complete Form N443 and send it to the correct court, together with your evidence of payment and the court fee, under regulations 17 and 18 of the 2005 Regulations. The form goes to the County Court that entered the original judgment. A signed statement from the creditor confirming the debt is cleared is treated as sufficient evidence. If the creditor won't confirm payment, you can instead tell the court what reasonable steps you've taken to get confirmation, and the court will write to the creditor giving them one month to confirm or dispute it.
4. The court issues Form N441 to the claimant, starting the one-month notice period during which the claimant can object if they dispute that the debt has been paid.
5. If no objection is received, the certificate is granted and the court instructs Registry Trust to update the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines — either removing the entry (cancellation) or marking it satisfied.
6. Check your credit file after a few weeks. Once the register is updated, credit reference agencies should pick up the change, though this can take some time to filter through. It's worth pulling your credit report afterwards to confirm the update has gone through correctly.

Worked example: satisfaction versus cancellation

Example 1 — inside the one-month window. Priya, a fictional example, is ordered to pay £1,200 following a CCJ dated 3 March. She pays the full amount, including interest, on 20 March — 17 days after judgment. Because payment fell within one month, Priya can apply using Form N443 for a certificate of cancellation. If granted, the CCJ is removed from the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines entirely, as though it had never been entered.

Example 2 — outside the one-month window. David, a fictional example, is ordered to pay £900 following a CCJ dated 3 March. He doesn't clear the balance until 10 May — more than two months after judgment. David can still apply using Form N443, but because payment fell outside the one-month window, the outcome is a certificate of satisfaction, not cancellation. The CCJ remains visible on the register, marked as paid, for the full six years from 3 March.

The difference between these two outcomes can turn on a matter of days, so if you're close to the one-month mark, it's worth checking the exact date of judgment before you pay, if you're in a position to do so.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming payment alone updates your record. It doesn't. Nobody updates the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines automatically just because the creditor has been paid — you need to apply for a certificate under regulation 17.
• Confusing N441 with N443. N441 is generated by the court and sent to the creditor; it is not something you fill in and post off yourself. Applying to clear your own CCJ means completing N443 — see our Form N443 guide.
• Missing the one-month cancellation window without realising it. If you're planning to pay off a CCJ and want the best possible outcome for your record, check the exact judgment date and try to pay within the month if you can.
• Not keeping evidence of payment. Bank transfers can be traced, but a signed statement from the creditor makes the court application much smoother. Ask for one at the time you pay, rather than trying to obtain it later.
• Expecting an instant credit file update. Even once the register is updated, it can take a few weeks for the change to be reflected with the main credit reference agencies. Check back rather than assuming something has gone wrong immediately.

Frequently confused terms

• CCJ — County Court Judgment: the court order recording that a debt is owed.
• Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines — the official record, maintained by Registry Trust under the Courts Act 2003 and the 2005 Regulations, that credit reference agencies check.
• Certificate of satisfaction — confirms the judgment debt has been paid; the entry stays on the register (marked as paid) for the remaining six-year period.
• Certificate of cancellation — confirms the judgment debt was satisfied within one month of judgment; the entry is removed from the register entirely.
• Form N441 — the court's notice to the claimant that a certificate will be granted unless they object within a month.
• Form N443 — the application the debtor sends to the court, with evidence of payment and the fee, to start the process. See our related guides on County Court Forms and the County Court glossary for the wider paperwork you may encounter.

This guide provides general information about clearing a County Court Judgment in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. If your situation is disputed — for example, the creditor won't confirm payment, or you believe the judgment was entered against you in error — speaking to a legal adviser early can help you understand your options. Always check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the most current fees, forms and procedure before applying.

Last reviewed: July 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: July 2027 or on legislative or fee change.