A CCJ, or County Court Judgment, is a court order in England and Wales requiring someone to repay a debt they have not paid. It is recorded on the Register of Judgments and on the credit file for six years from the judgment date.
In one line: A CCJ is a court order to repay a debt, recorded publicly and on your credit file for six years.
How a CCJ works
A creditor who cannot recover a debt can ask the County Court to issue a judgment. If the court agrees, it orders repayment and the CCJ is entered on the public Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines.
On a 600 GBP unpaid debt, a CCJ orders the amount to be repaid by a set date or in instalments. Paying in full within one month means the judgment can be removed from the register entirely.
If paid after one month, the CCJ is marked satisfied rather than removed, and it stays on the register and credit file for six years from the date it was issued.
CCJ vs default
A default is registered by a lender when an account falls badly behind. A CCJ is issued by a court and can follow if the creditor takes legal action to recover the debt.
Unlike a default, a CCJ can be avoided or removed by paying within one month of judgment, which is why responding to a court claim promptly changes the outcome.
Primary source: GOV.UK: County Court judgments for debt