Certificate of satisfaction

Paying a County Court Judgment does not update the public register on its own. A certificate of satisfaction is the court document that says the debt was cleared — and it only exists if you ask for it.

What is the difference between satisfaction and cancellation?

A certificate of cancellation removes the judgment from the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines entirely. It is available where the judgment was paid in full within one calendar month of the judgment date, or where the judgment has been set aside. A certificate of satisfaction leaves the entry on the register but marks it as satisfied. Cancellation is much better for a credit file; satisfaction is what most people end up with.

How long does a satisfied judgment stay on the register?

Six years from the date of the judgment, whether it is satisfied or not. Marking it satisfied does not shorten that period. What it changes is what a lender sees when they search: an outstanding judgment against your name, or a paid one.

Which form do I use?

Form N443, the request for a certificate of satisfaction or cancellation, filed at the county court that dealt with the claim. A court fee applies, so check the current figure on the EX50 civil and family court fees list before you send it.

What evidence do I need to send?

Proof that the judgment debt was paid in full. A letter or email from the creditor confirming the balance is cleared is the strongest evidence. Bank statements showing the payments can work, but the court will often want confirmation from the judgment creditor, so ask for that first.

What if the creditor will not confirm payment?

Send the form with the best evidence you have. The court can write to the judgment creditor giving them a period to object. If they do not respond, the certificate can still be issued. Keep every receipt and every message: an uncooperative creditor is a common reason these applications take longer than they should.

Do I have to tell the credit reference agencies myself?

No. Once the court issues the certificate it notifies Registry Trust, which maintains the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines, and the credit reference agencies take their data from that register. It is still worth checking your credit file a few weeks later to confirm the update has landed.

Why paying is not the end of it

is recorded on a public register kept by Registry Trust. Lenders, landlords, insurers and employers search that register, and the entry sits there for six years from the date of the judgment. The register is not automatically updated when the money is paid. Nobody at the court is watching the judgment debtor’s bank account, and the judgment creditor has no general obligation to tell the court the debt is clear.

The result catches people out constantly. Someone settles a £1,900 judgment, assumes the matter is closed, and discovers two years later during a mortgage application that the register still shows an unsatisfied judgment against them. The money is gone and the damage remains. The certificate is the step that closes the loop, and it has to be requested.

There is a much better outcome available for a short period. If the judgment is paid in full within one calendar month of the date of the judgment, the debtor can apply for a certificate of cancellation and the entry is removed from the register altogether — as though it had never been recorded. That one-month window is unforgiving, and it is the strongest practical reason for a defendant who intends to pay to pay quickly rather than at leisure.

• Get written confirmation from the judgment creditor
• that the balance is paid in full. An email saying the account is settled and nothing further is owed is what you want. Ask for it as soon as the final payment clears, while the creditor still has the file open.
• — the request for a certificate of satisfaction or cancellation — identifying the claim number, the court, the parties and the date the judgment was paid.
• Check the current amount on the EX50 fee list rather than relying on a figure quoted on a third-party website. If you are on a low income or certain benefits you may be able to apply for
• Send it to the county court that dealt with the claim
• , with your evidence of payment attached. The court may write to the judgment creditor to give them an opportunity to object before issuing the certificate.

Keep a copy of everything you send and note the date. If the register has not been updated a couple of months later, that file is what lets you chase the court rather than start over.

What it changes, and what it does not

A satisfied marker changes how the judgment reads, not how long it lasts. Six years from the judgment date, the entry drops off the register regardless. Within those six years, the difference between “judgment outstanding” and “judgment satisfied” is significant to most lenders, though many will still treat any judgment in the last six years as an adverse marker.

It also matters to the judgment creditor, in a way that is easy to overlook. Once a judgment is marked satisfied, the enforcement options that flowed from it — a

— are spent. A creditor who has accepted a reduced final settlement should be clear in writing that they are accepting it in full and final satisfaction, because that is what the debtor will rely on when applying.

If the judgment should never have been entered in the first place — you were not served, or you had a defence and never got the chance to file it — the route is not a certificate of satisfaction. It is an application to

the judgment, which, if granted, removes the entry from the register entirely and revives the claim.

A judgment for £1,240 plus costs is entered on 14 March. The defendant pays the full balance on 2 April, nineteen days later.

Within one calendar month?

Certificate to request

cancellation, not satisfaction

Because payment landed inside the one-month window, the correct request on form N443 is for cancellation, which removes the entry from the register rather than marking it paid. Had the same money arrived on 20 April, the only option would have been a certificate of satisfaction and a satisfied entry visible for six years. The difference is a fortnight and a form.

County Court Judgment

County court judgments for debt — paying a CCJ

Registry Trust — Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines

EX50 — civil and family court fees

Certificate of Satisfaction — Small Claims Glossary

How to have a paid County Court Judgment marked as satisfied, when a certificate of cancellation removes it instead, and what form N443 needs to succeed.