On this page
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Think carefully before securing other debts against your home. Borrowing over a longer term can mean paying back more in total.
A default and a CCJ are both signs of serious missed payments, but they’re recorded in different ways and by different people. A default is added directly by a creditor after you’ve fallen behind for several months. A CCJ is a court order, made after a creditor takes legal action, and it often follows a default on the very same debt rather than replacing it.
What is a default?
A default is a marker a creditor adds to your credit file, normally after around 3 to 6 months of missed payments, following industry guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office. It shows that the account has broken down, and it stays on your credit file for 6 years from the default date, whether or not it’s later paid. Our page on remortgaging with defaults explains more about how this affects a mortgage.
What is a CCJ?
A CCJ is different: it’s a court order, made when a creditor takes court action over an unpaid debt and you don’t pay or respond to the claim in time. It also stays on your credit file for 6 years, but from the judgment date rather than a default date. Our guide on what is a CCJ? covers the full picture, including how you get one and what the register involves.
Does a CCJ replace the default?
No. A default and a CCJ on the same debt are usually two separate entries on your credit file, from two different dates. A creditor typically defaults an account first, then, if it still isn’t paid, may take court action that leads to a CCJ later. Seeing both on your file for the same debt is common, and our page on remortgaging with a CCJ and defaults looks at this combination specifically.
Key differences at a glance
| Default | CCJ | |
|---|---|---|
| Who records it | The creditor, directly | The court, after legal action |
| When it’s added | Usually after about 3 to 6 months of missed payments | After a creditor takes court action and you don’t pay or respond |
| What it needs | Missed payments on the account | A court claim and judgment |
| Public record? | Not on a public register | Yes, on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines |
| Time on your credit file | 6 years from the default date | 6 years from the judgment date |
| Can it be removed early? | No standard early-removal route | Yes, if paid in full within one calendar month of the judgment |
| Marked as paid | Shown as satisfied or settled | Shown as satisfied |
Do they both last exactly 6 years?
Both typically last 6 years, but the date they count from is different. A default counts from when it was recorded, not from when you first missed a payment. A CCJ counts from the judgment date, which can be well after the missed payments that led to it. It’s possible for a default and a related CCJ on the same debt to drop off your file at different times as a result.
As an illustration only, someone might miss payments starting in one year, have the account defaulted a few months later, and only face court action, and a CCJ, a year or two after that. Three dates, one underlying debt, and each one starts its own 6-year clock.
What about a default notice or a letter before claim?
Before a creditor can take some kinds of court action, it typically has to send a default notice, and often a letter before claim, setting out what’s owed and giving you a chance to sort things out first. Getting one of these letters doesn’t automatically mean you’ll end up with a CCJ. If you respond, agree a payment plan, or genuinely dispute the debt, court action isn’t certain to follow. Our guides on what a default notice is and what to do if you get a letter before claim explain what these letters mean and how to respond.
Which one matters more to a lender?
Neither is automatically worse. Both are treated as adverse credit, and lenders generally look at the whole picture: how old each entry is, how much it was for, whether it’s satisfied, and what else is on your file. Some lenders may view a CCJ as more serious because it involves court action, while others focus mainly on the age and amount rather than which type of entry it is. Our guide on what adverse credit is explains how lenders weigh this up more generally, alongside everything else on your file.
What this means for a remortgage
If you have both a default and a CCJ on the same debt, expect an adviser to ask about both, including whether either is satisfied and when. Paying off the debt, ideally getting both marked satisfied, generally strengthens your position, though it won’t shorten either 6-year period. If you’re using a remortgage to clear the debt, remember it becomes secured against your home once it’s part of the mortgage, so keeping up the new payments matters. Our main pages on remortgaging with a CCJ and remortgaging with defaults cover what to expect, and free advice from StepChange or National Debtline can help if you’re dealing with several debts at once.
Frequently asked questions
Can you have a default and a CCJ for the same debt?
Yes, this is common. A creditor often defaults an account first, after several months of missed payments, and may then take court action later if it’s still unpaid, leading to a CCJ on top of the existing default. Both can appear on your file at the same time, from different dates.
Does a CCJ always mean there was a default first?
Usually, but not always. Most CCJs follow a period of missed payments that would typically have led to a default, but a CCJ can also arise from other kinds of debt, such as a business dispute or a court claim unrelated to regular credit repayments, where a default was never recorded.
Which stays on my file longer, a default or a CCJ?
Both usually last 6 years, but from different starting points: a default from the date it was recorded, and a CCJ from the judgment date. Depending on the timing, one can drop off before the other, even if they relate to the same original debt.
Is it worse to have a CCJ than a default?
Not necessarily. Lenders tend to look at the full picture, including age, amount and whether it’s satisfied, rather than treating one type of entry as automatically worse. Having both together, though, on the same debt, is often looked at more closely than either alone.