A document in a clear plastic wallet on an office desk at 5.30pm.

wolfx. Answers Search answers about getting paid Get started

Can I make the director attend court and explain the company's finances?

The short answer

Yes, after judgment. Once you hold a judgment against a company, you can apply for an order that an officer, such as a director, attends court, brings the papers you name and answers on oath1. You choose which officer and which papers, it costs £694, and the company need not be told first1. It gets you answers, not money; the debt stays the company's.

Mara, WolfX research desk
Written with AI, checked by a person · 8 October 2026

England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.

The numbers

What the order costs and how long it takes.

£69To apply for the order. A bailiff serving it is a separate £139.4

£208The application and a county court bailiff to serve it, together.4

14 daysThe least time between serving the order and the hearing.1

7 daysHow long after service the officer has to ask for travel costs.1

What you can add

A £7,578.93 judgment, nothing paid

Say a recruitment firm invoiced another business £6,800, due on 4 May 2026. It started a court claim on 28 August 2026, 116 days late, won judgment, and the company has paid nothing. Interest runs at 11.75%: 8% above8 the 3.75% Bank Rate on 31 December 20259, the rate for debts that went late from 1 January to 30 June 2026.

The invoice£6,800.00
Interest: £6,800 × 11.75% ÷ 365 × 116 days6£253.93
Fixed sum (invoices from £1,000 to £9,999.99)7£70.00
Court fee to issue the claim (£5,000.01 to £10,000)4£455.00
Judgment, unpaid£7,578.93

Asking for the officer to attend costs £69, under 1% of the judgment, or £208 with a bailiff to serve it.

The road ahead

Six steps. £69 to apply.

Step 1: Check you hold a judgment
The order is for a judgment you already have. The rules speak only of a judgment debtor1, so before judgment there is nothing to apply for. For a company, an officer is asked to attend and give details of its accounts3.
Cost: FreeTime: 2 minutes
Step 2: Choose the officer and the papers
Look up the company at Companies House5 and note a director's full name and position. Decide which papers you want brought, such as recent bank statements and a list of who owes the company money.
You can also attach a list of extra questions2 for the court officer to ask.
Cost: FreeTime: 20 minutes
Step 3: Apply on form N316A
Give the officer's name, address and position, the judgment, the amount still owed and the papers you want, on form N316A2. The fee is £694.
Send it to the court that gave judgment, or the one the case has moved to1. For a Civil National Business Centre judgment, send it to the county court for the area where the company trades12.
A court officer can issue the order without a hearing1, and usually asks the questions. It is at the county court serving the company's address2; a judge needs compelling reasons2.
Cost: £69 court feeTime: 10 minutes
Step 4: Have the order handed to the officer
The order must be served personally1 at least 14 days before the hearing, so post and email do not count.
You, a High Court enforcement officer or a county court bailiff2 can serve it; a bailiff is £1394.
If you cannot serve it, tell the court at least 7 days before the hearing1.
Cost: Free, or £139 by bailiffTime: 14 days or more
Step 5: Pay travel costs if asked, then file your affidavit
The officer has 7 days from service1 to ask you for a sum reasonably sufficient for the trip to court and back, and you must pay it.
File an affidavit (a sworn statement) saying how the order was served, whether travel costs were asked for or paid, and how much is still owed, at least 2 days before the hearing1, or hand it up on the day. Skip this and the court cannot punish a no-show1.
Cost: Travel costs, if askedTime: Before the hearing
Step 6: Attend, then use the answers
The officer answers on oath1, the answers are written down, read back and signed2, and you can attend and ask your own questions.
If they do not come or will not answer, the court refers it to a judge1, who can punish them by a fine or prison. The punishment is suspended if they then attend.
Then pick the tool the answers point to: a third-party debt order for a bank account, a warrant of control for goods, or stop if there is nothing to take.
Cost: FreeTime: Hearing day

The letter

The application is a court form, N316A, and the court issues the order, so there is nothing to send the company first.

When not to bother

When it isn't worth it

Wound up by a court, or in administration. It needs the court's leave10 or the administrator's consent or court permission11. Claim in the insolvency instead.
You already know the bank. Go straight to a third-party debt order, £1394 for each bank.
The judgment is small. On a few hundred pounds, £69 plus £139 for a bailiff can cost more than the answers return. Weigh the fee first.
The company is dissolved, or in Scotland or Northern Ireland. A dissolved company has no one left to question, so check its status at Companies House5 before you pay any fee. This order is England and Wales only.
You want the director to pay. The officer answers for the company and the debt stays the company's. A claim against a director is a different road.

The Wolf's note

A judgment says the company owes you. It does not say where the money is. This order is how you find out: you pick the person in the chair and the papers on the table, then spend your next fee where the answers point.

Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX

What comes next