If you have paid off a County Court Judgment (CCJ) and expected it to disappear from your credit file, the picture is a little more complicated than that.
Right now, there is no legal requirement for a satisfied CCJ to be reported to credit reference agencies. That means a lender who checks your file may still see the original judgment without any note that it has been cleared.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been consulting on a proposal that would change this.
What a CCJ is and how it currently works
A CCJ is a court order issued in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland when a creditor takes action because a debt has not been repaid. It is recorded on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines, and typically shows on your credit file for six years from the date it was issued.
If you pay in full within one calendar month of the judgment date, the entry can be removed entirely from the register. If you pay after that one-month window, the judgment stays on the register for the full six years but can be marked as "satisfied."
The important bit is: getting that "satisfied" marker added to your credit file is not automatic. It relies on lenders reporting the update to the credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). Some do; some do not.
What the FCA has proposed
The FCA's consultation paper CP26/7 includes a proposed remedy known as Remedy 2D. In plain English, it would require lenders to report a satisfied CCJ to credit reference agencies once the debt is paid off. This would close the gap where a paid judgment can go unrecorded on a credit file.
The consultation closed on 1 May 2026. The FCA has not yet published a final policy statement, so this change is not currently in force. It is a proposal, not a rule.
Why this gap matters for borrowers
When you apply for credit, a lender looks at your credit file to understand your borrowing history. A CCJ that appears outstanding can weigh more heavily on an affordability check than one marked as satisfied.
If the proposed change becomes a rule, a settled CCJ would be more reliably visible for what it is: a debt you cleared. That is a different picture than one that appears unresolved.
This can matter because lenders make their own decisions about how to treat a satisfied CCJ, and policies vary. There is no promise that a satisfied marker will lead to approval for any particular product.
Who may be affected
- Anyone who has paid off a CCJ but is unsure whether the satisfaction has been recorded on their credit file.
- People in the process of rebuilding their credit history after a period of financial difficulty.
- Borrowers who are planning to apply for credit and want to understand what a lender will see.
What to check now
A useful first step is to obtain a copy of your credit file from one or more of the three UK credit reference agencies. You are entitled to a statutory credit report free of charge. If your CCJ shows as unsatisfied but you have proof of payment, you can raise a dispute directly with the credit reference agency to have it investigated and corrected.
Checking your file before applying for credit gives you the chance to spot and question any inaccuracies.
What to read next
- Understanding your credit report and credit score, a full guide to what appears on your credit file, how long entries last, and how to dispute errors.
Sources
- FCA, FCA consultation paper CP26/7, Consumer Credit: Review of retained provisions of the Consumer Credit Act. Consultation closed 1 May 2026.