AnswersCourt, and what comes after
How do I enforce a judgment against a sole trader?
The short answer
Same tools, two extras. The court tools you use on a company, apart from winding up, work on a sole trader, and two more reach only a person: wage deductions2 and bankruptcy4. Bankruptcy needs £5,0005, which can be one debt or a share of several. Wage deductions go to an employer, so they do nothing against someone paid only from their own trading.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
The numbers
The numbers that decide the road.
What you can add
A £7,250 judgment, four weeks on
Say a signmaker holds a county court judgment for £7,250 against a sole trader, dated 6 October 2026. As a judgment for a business invoice it carries interest7 from that date, whatever its size. On 3 November it is still unpaid: 28 days.
Then it grows by £1.59 a day. County court enforcement stops it8, unless that step brings in no payment, and so does an attachment of earnings order while it is in force. Bankruptcy would cost £1,8524 up front against £7,294.49 owed. It pays only if the court's questions show something to share.
The road ahead
Five steps. Find out first, then choose the tool.
Step 1: Check the name on the judgment
Enforcement follows the name on the judgment, so check it is the person and not their trading name. Suing a sole trader has its own page.
Step 2: Make them say what they earn and own
Ask the court to order them to attend and give details of their income, employer and assets. The application is £6912; a bailiff serving the order is a separate £139.
Their answers decide which tool comes next. If they ignore the order, that is a further step for the court.
Step 3: If they have an employer, ask for deductions
Send form N337 with £13912. The court sends the order to their employer2, who takes a set sum from each pay. The order also sets a protected earnings rate2 that pay is not cut below.
Only wages, salary, pension and statutory sick pay3 count. Money a sole trader draws from their own trading has nobody to serve.
Step 4: If they have goods or a bank account, use those
A county court warrant of control is £9612, but only below £5,000.
From £5,00010 the work goes to the High Court: compare the two.
A bank freeze is £139 per bank12, a charge on property the same. Bailiffs cannot take tools or a vehicle needed personally for the trade11, up to £1,350.
Step 5: If the debt reaches £5,000, weigh bankruptcy
The court must see they cannot pay: a statutory demand left unmet for 3 weeks, or enforcement that came back unsatisfied6, such as a warrant that found nothing. The petition costs £1,500 deposit and £352 court fee4.
A trustee then shares what there is among all the creditors, not only you. That makes sense when step 2 showed something worth sharing. Most people use a solicitor or other professional4 for a petition: ask one who does insolvency work for a fixed price first.
A letter you can copy
Letter asking a sole trader to pay a judgment
Send it once judgment is given and the sum is unpaid. Keep the interest paragraph if the judgment is for a business invoice, whatever its size.
Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.
Send it by email so it is dated, and keep a copy with the judgment. A judgment for a business invoice carries 8% a year whatever its size, so keep the interest paragraph. Under £5,000, delete the bankruptcy words: that route is not open to you alone.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- It is under £5,000 and they have no employer. Bankruptcy is closed to you alone and wage deductions have nobody to serve, so use their goods or bank account, or let it go.
- The court's questions show no income and nothing to sell. A petition then buys a share of nothing for £1,8524.
- They are in a Breathing Space. You cannot enforce a judgment1 or petition for bankruptcy4 while it lasts. Wait for it to end.
The Wolf's note
The £5,000 line turns up twice: the High Court and bankruptcy. Ask the court what they have before you pay for any tool. Whatever the answer shows, the next tool picks itself.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
I won in court but they still haven't paid. How do I make them pay?
Three routes to enforce a CCJ against a company: bailiffs for its goods, a third-party debt order for its bank balance, a charging order for its land.
7 min read · Letter included
Can I claim against a sole trader the same way as against a company?
Yes, mostly. Same court, interest and fee, but a sole trader gets a fuller Letter of Claim and 30 days to reply, where a company gets 14.
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
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.