Yes, a County Court Judgment (CCJ) debt can be included in an IVA. Once your IVA is approved, the creditor who got the CCJ must stop all enforcement action — no more bailiffs, no attachment of earnings, and no further court action.
The CCJ itself stays on your credit file for 6 years from the date it was issued. But the debt behind it gets included in your IVA, and any remaining balance is written off when you complete the arrangement.
What Happens to a CCJ When You Enter an IVA#
When you apply for an IVA, any CCJ debts you have are listed in your proposal alongside your other unsecured debts. These might be credit cards, personal loans, overdrafts, or anything else you owe.
Once your creditors vote to accept the IVA (which needs 75% approval by debt value), all included debts are frozen. This means:
- The creditor who got the CCJ can’t take any further enforcement action
- They can’t instruct bailiffs to visit your home
- They can’t apply for an attachment of earnings order
- They can’t add more interest or charges to the debt
Your Insolvency Practitioner (IP) will notify all your creditors — including the one with the CCJ — that you’re now in an IVA. From that point, they have to deal with your IP instead of contacting you directly.
Does the CCJ Disappear from Your Credit File?#
No. The CCJ stays on your credit file for 6 years from the date it was issued, whether you enter an IVA or not.
But here’s what changes: the CCJ will be marked as “satisfied” or “partially satisfied” depending on how much you pay through the IVA. If you pay the full amount of the CCJ debt during your IVA, it’ll show as satisfied. If you pay less (because the IVA writes off part of the debt), it’ll show as partially satisfied.
Either way, it’s better than leaving the CCJ unpaid. An unpaid CCJ looks worse to lenders and stays visible for the full 6 years.
Your IVA itself will also appear on your credit file for 6 years from the start date. So if you have a CCJ from 2024 and enter an IVA in 2026, you’ll have both on your file — but they’ll drop off at different times.
If you’re worried about how an IVA affects your credit score, it’s worth knowing that most people with debt problems already have a damaged credit rating before they start an IVA.
Can You Get an IVA to Prevent a CCJ?#
Yes. If a creditor has threatened court action but hasn’t yet got a judgment against you, entering an IVA can stop them going to court.
Once you submit your IVA proposal, your IP will notify all your creditors. At that point, most creditors will pause any legal action while they wait to see if the IVA is approved.
If the IVA is approved, they can’t take you to court anymore — the IVA becomes the legal agreement for how the debt will be repaid.
But timing matters. If the court has already issued a judgment, it’s too late to prevent the CCJ. You can still enter an IVA, but the CCJ will be on your credit file regardless.
If you’re facing court action and want to avoid a CCJ, act quickly. Contact a debt advisor or use our IVA calculator to see if an IVA is suitable for you.
What If You Get a CCJ While You’re Already in an IVA?#
This shouldn’t happen. Once your IVA is approved, creditors are legally bound by it. They can’t take you to court for debts included in the IVA.
If a creditor does get a CCJ against you during your IVA, it’s a breach of the arrangement. Your IP will challenge this and usually get the judgment set aside (cancelled by the court).
There are two situations where a CCJ might appear during an IVA:
For a debt that wasn’t included in the original proposal — This could happen if you forgot to list a debt, or if a new debt arose after the IVA started. Your IP will need to amend the IVA to include it.
A creditor acted in breach of the IVA — If a creditor who voted for the IVA later goes to court anyway, your IP will apply to have the judgment set aside. This usually succeeds because the creditor is bound by the IVA terms.
If you receive a CCJ notice while in an IVA, contact your IP immediately. Don’t ignore it.
Can All CCJ Debts Be Included in an IVA?#
Most CCJ debts can be included, but there are exceptions.
CCJs that CAN be included:
- Credit cards
- Personal loans
- Overdrafts
- Store cards and catalogues
- Payday loans
- Utility bills
- Council tax arrears (arrears only, not current year)
- Debts sold to debt collectors like Lowell or Cabot
CCJs that CANNOT be included:
- Secured debts (mortgage arrears, car finance where the car is collateral)
- Court fines and criminal penalties
- Child maintenance arrears
- Student loans
- TV licence fines (in most cases)
- Debts incurred through fraud
If you have a CCJ for a secured debt, the IVA won’t stop the creditor from repossessing the asset if you don’t keep up payments. Secured debts sit outside the IVA and must be paid separately.
If you’re not sure whether a specific CCJ debt can be included, check with an IP during your initial assessment.
What About Charging Orders?#
A charging order is a court order that secures a debt against your property. If you own a home and a creditor gets a CCJ against you, they can apply to turn that CCJ into a charging order.
Once a charging order is in place, the debt is secured against your home. This means it can’t be written off in an IVA — it becomes a secured debt.
However, if you enter an IVA before the charging order is granted, the creditor usually can’t get one. The IVA freezes all enforcement action, including applications for charging orders.
If a charging order is already in place when you enter an IVA, you’ll need to deal with it separately. The debt stays secured against your property, and you’ll need to pay it off when you sell the home or remortgage.
Under the 2025 IVA Protocol, if you have more than £10,000 equity in your home, you’ll need to try to release some of that equity in the final year of your IVA. If you can’t remortgage, the IVA extends by 12 months.
Setting Aside a CCJ#
In some cases, you can apply to have a CCJ “set aside” (cancelled). This usually happens if:
- You never received the court papers (sent to the wrong address)
- You have a valid defence against the debt
- The debt has already been paid
- The creditor made a serious error in the claim
If you successfully set aside a CCJ, it’s removed from the court register and your credit file as if it never existed.
Setting aside a CCJ is separate from entering an IVA. If you think you have grounds to challenge a CCJ, speak to a solicitor or visit your local Citizens Advice bureau.
But if the CCJ is valid and you can’t afford to pay it, an IVA is often the better option. You include the debt in the IVA, stop enforcement, and write off anything you can’t afford.
How Much of a CCJ Debt Do You Pay in an IVA?#
This depends on your income and expenses. An IVA is based on what you can afford to pay each month, not on how much you owe.
Your IP will assess your income and outgoings to work out your disposable income. This becomes your monthly IVA payment. That payment is divided among all your creditors in proportion to how much you owe each one.
For example:
- You owe £15,000 in total across five creditors
- One creditor has a CCJ for £6,000 (40% of your total debt)
- You pay £200 per month into your IVA for 5 years (£12,000 total)
- The CCJ creditor gets 40% of that £12,000 = £4,800
- The remaining £1,200 of the CCJ debt is written off
Most IVAs last 5-6 years. At the end, any remaining debt is legally written off — including any outstanding CCJ balance.
If you want to see how much you’d pay and how much could be written off, use our free IVA calculator. It takes 2 minutes and won’t affect your credit score.
Frequently Asked Questions#
Will an IVA remove a CCJ from my credit file?#
No. The CCJ stays on your credit file for 6 years from the date it was issued. But it will be marked as satisfied (or partially satisfied) once you start paying through the IVA, which looks better than leaving it unpaid.
Can I enter an IVA if I already have multiple CCJs?#
Yes. You can have as many CCJs as you like and still enter an IVA. All the CCJ debts will be included in your proposal, and enforcement action stops once the IVA is approved.
What if the CCJ was issued before I knew about the debt?#
This can happen if the court papers were sent to an old address. You can apply to set aside the CCJ if you have a valid defence or if you weren’t properly served. But if the debt is real and you can’t afford to pay it, an IVA might still be the best option.
Do I need to tell my IP about CCJs when I apply for an IVA?#
Yes. You need to list all your debts when you apply, including any that have CCJs against them. Your IP will include these in your proposal and notify the creditors that you’re entering an IVA.
Can a creditor still enforce a CCJ after my IVA is approved?#
No. Once the IVA is approved, all enforcement action must stop. If a creditor tries to enforce a CCJ (through bailiffs or attachment of earnings), contact your IP immediately — this is a breach of the IVA terms.
What happens to a CCJ if my IVA fails?#
If your IVA fails (because you miss payments or breach the terms), the CCJ debt goes back to being enforceable. The creditor can restart enforcement action, including instructing bailiffs or applying for an attachment of earnings.
If you’re struggling with debt and have CCJs, an IVA could stop enforcement and help you write off what you can’t afford to pay. Use our free IVA calculator to see if you qualify and how much debt you could write off. It takes 2 minutes and won’t affect your credit score.