AnswersCourt, and what comes after
Does interest run on a county court judgment?
The short answer
Yes. A county court judgment of any size for goods or services you sold to a business2 carries 8% a year7 from the day it was given3, on whatever is still unpaid. Other county court judgments carry it only at £5,000 or more1. Starting county court enforcement can switch the interest off5, so ask for payment in writing first.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
What you can add
A £7,186.65 judgment, paid after 40 days
Say a county court gave you a default judgment for £7,186.65 on 26 August 2026. The company pays in full on 5 October 2026: 40 days later.
Until they pay, it grows by £1.58 a day: £47.25 over 30 days. A £4,900 judgment for goods or services sold to a business carries the same 8%: £1.07 for each day unpaid.
The road ahead
Four steps. A court fee only if you enforce.
Step 1: Check it counts
A judgment of any size for goods or services you sold to a business2 counts. Any other judgment needs £5,000 or more1. If the order says pay by a set date or by instalments, interest waits until that date or each instalment falls due4.
A High Court judgment carries interest under section 17 of the Judgments Act 18387 too, from the day it is given8 unless a rule or the court says otherwise.
Step 2: Work out the daily figure
One day's interest is the judgment sum × 8% ÷ 365. It is a flat 8%6, not the late-payment rate, and it runs on whatever is still unpaid3.
Interest up to judgment, if the court awarded it, is already in the sum on the order. See what you can claim in court.
Step 3: Ask for payment in writing
Email the letter below, with the interest worked to the day, before you choose an enforcement step. A letter takes nothing off the interest. Some steps do.
Step 4: Choose the enforcement step with the clock in view
A warrant of control, a third-party debt order or an order to question them at court will normally count as enforcement, and then the judgment stops carrying interest5.
If it recovers nothing, interest runs as if you had not started. A charging order on their property is left out of that rule5. An administration order or an attachment of earnings order also pauses interest while it is in force5.
The court fees are £96 for a warrant and £139 for a third-party debt order11. A warrant sends bailiffs9, but only for less than £5,00010; from £5,000 it takes a High Court writ.
A letter you can copy
Letter asking for payment of a judgment
Send it before you start any enforcement step, because some steps stop the interest.
Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.
Send it by email so it is dated, and keep a copy with the court order. If part has been paid, work the interest on the unpaid balance only. If the order is for instalments, interest runs on each one only from the day it falls due, so work it on the missed ones.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- They are paying an instalment order on time. No interest runs on an instalment until it falls due4, so while each one arrives on time there is nothing extra to ask for.
- They will pay within days. On £7,186.65 the interest is £1.58 a day. Chase the money, not the pence.
- The company is in liquidation or being run by an administrator. The judgment becomes a debt to prove to the person in charge, not a lever. Speak to an insolvency practitioner before any enforcement step.
- The court is in Scotland or Northern Ireland. This page covers England and Wales only.
The Wolf's note
Interest on a judgment is small beside the sum and easy to switch off by accident. Ask in writing first, with the daily figure on it. Then pick the enforcement step with the clock in view.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
What can I claim in court besides the invoice: interest, fees, costs?
Interest, a fixed £40, £70 or £100 and the court fee, yes; legal costs, mostly not.
6 min read · Letter included
What is a warrant of control, and how do bailiffs collect a business debt?
A court order that sends an enforcement agent to take a company's goods and sell them at auction.
6 min read · Letter included
What is a third-party debt order, and can it freeze their bank account?
Partly. A third-party debt order makes a bank hold what a company has in credit on the day it is served.
5 min read
Don't want to do this yourself?
The Wolf does every step for you. He works out the sums, writes the letters and keeps track of every date. Nothing goes without your yes.