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Court claim forms and processes

i This page applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland

N244 and N245 County Court forms. CCJ help

You can apply to get a County Court judgment set aside using the court form N244. If you want to change the terms of the payment arrangement, you need to use form N245.

A County Court judgment (CCJ) is a court order making you repay a debt. In some circumstances you can apply to have the judgment cancelled (or ‘set aside’) using the N244 form.

If you can’t afford the repayments, you can ask the court to ‘vary’ the judgment, this means getting a new payment arrangement. To do either of these things, you’ll need to use the right County Court form to apply, and you’ll need to respond as quickly as you can.

Read our guides to:

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Setting aside a CCJ using form N244

In some cases, if you didn’t know about the CCJ, or if the creditor who applied for it didn’t follow the right process, you may be able to get it set aside. This means, effectively, that it’s cancelled. When a CCJ is set aside, it is removed from your credit history.

signpost iconFind out more about the reasons you can give to set aside a CCJ.

Click here to see an example N244 form

How do I use form N244 to set aside a CCJ?

  1. Complete form N244, explaining why the CCJ should be set aside and return it to the court.
  2. There’s a fee of £275 to pay. However, if you’re on a low income, you may be able to apply to get help paying this fee.
  3. It’s also a good idea to let the creditor know you’re applying to set aside the CCJ.

If you didn’t respond to the original claim form:

Explain why you didn’t respond in time. It helps to provide some background information. For example, you’ve been ill or there was a delay in deciding to apply for the CCJ to be set aside.

If you’re disputing the amount claimed:

Explain why and provide some evidence to support your claim. You should include copies of any documents that support your argument, such as bank statements.

If you're worried about how to deal with a CCJ and other debts you have, get in touch with us for free and confidential debt advice.

How do I complete form N244?

Follow our guide to completing the N244 court form

The information box in the top-right hand corner:
You can find the name of the court, Claim number, Warrant number and Claimant’s name (the Claimant is the creditor) on the information the court sent you about your County Court judgment. You are the Defendant and you add today’s date.

Question 1:
State your name again here

Question 2:
Tick ‘Defendant’ and add ‘N/A’ to the box next to ‘If you are a solicitor whom do you represent?’

Question 3:
Provide information about why the CCJ was raised against you and the reason why you’re applying for it to be set aside.

Question 4:
Tick ‘Yes’ – you’ll need to send a copy of the CCJ that was sent to you with the completed N244 form

Question 5:
Tick ‘at a hearing’

Question 6:
Enter ‘15 minutes’

Question 7:
Enter ‘N/A’

Question 8:
Enter ‘District’

Question 9:
Enter the Claimant’s name here, this is the creditor who raised the CCJ. You should also include their address, which you can find on any paperwork they’ve sent you, or their website.

Question 10:
Tick ‘the evidence set out in the box below’

In box below:
Include any supporting information, which could be that you’re offering to make contractual payments at a rate you can afford, that you’ve taken debt advice from StepChange or another advice provider, and any consequences of the judgment being carried out. For example, you’d be at risk of eviction.

You should include all paperwork you can in support of your application to have the CCJ set aside. This could include paperwork or letters received from your creditor showing that their claim is invalid.

For more help with filling out the N244 form, you can use these N244 guidance notes (pdf).

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Worried about a CCJ?

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Varying a CCJ using form N245

Varying a CCJ means asking the court to change the instalments if they’re too high.

You can apply for variation at any time if your circumstances change, but there’s a court fee of £14 to do this.

If you’re on a low income, you may be able to get this done for free. You can apply for help in paying the court fee online and find out if you qualify.

How do I apply to vary a CCJ?

To apply to vary a CCJ, you need to fill in court form N245. This is similar to the N9A admission form you were sent when your creditor started court action.

You’ll need to fill in details of your income, living costs and debts, and make an offer of payment.

You can use form N245 to apply for a varying of your CCJ if:

  • you didn’t reply to the claim form
  • you replied admitting the claim, but didn’t make an offer to pay
  • you replied admitting the claim, and the creditor accepted your offer of payment, or,
  • you defended the claim but lost

How do I complete form N245?

You use the N245 form to explain what you can afford to pay, based on your household’s income and spending. The main sections of the form are the same as the N9a County Court form.

Watch our video for a step-by-step guide to completing the N9a form.

Along with the N245 form, you should complete a budget. This will prove to the court that you can only afford to repay the CCJ at the rate you’re offering.

You send the completed N245 form to the court with payment, or with proof that you don’t have to pay.

The court will send the N245 form to the creditor to check if they agree with the new instalments. If the creditor doesn’t agree, the court will decide a fair payment. Usually this will be done without a hearing.

The court will then write to you with details of the new instalment. There’s no guarantee the CCJ instalments will be set at the new amount you’ve offered.

To avoid the risk of your creditor starting further enforcement action, if you’re applying to vary the CCJ you’ll need to keep paying the instalments ordered in the original CCJ judgment letter until the court writes to you with details of the new payments. This could take a few weeks.

worried woman reading paperwork

Worried about a CCJ?

Free, online debt advice is available 24/7.

Get debt help now

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