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I won in court but they still haven't paid. How do I make them pay?

The short answer

Three routes. A judgment doesn't collect itself: you ask the court to enforce it1 with bailiffs for its goods, a third-party debt order for its bank balance, or a charging order for its land. Find out first which of the three it owns. The bailiffs' fees can be charged to the company on top of the debt4, so if they pay, they pay those too.

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

The numbers that choose the route.

£600Below this, only county court bailiffs can take goods.6

£5,000At this sum or more, only the High Court can take goods.6

14 daysClear days' notice before an agent can take control of goods.5

6 yearsAt six years, a warrant or writ needs the court's permission.10

What you can add

A £5,169 judgment, sent to the High Court

Say a county court gave you judgment (a CCJ) against a limited company. With the costs the court allowed and the interest so far2, they owe £5,169 on the day you apply. That is £5,000 or more6, so only the High Court can send enforcement officers for its goods. The agent's fees below are shown without VAT4. You are VAT-registered, so no sum equal to VAT is added to them. If you are not, one can be. The total counts the debt and the agent's fees. The £82 court fee for the writ is yours to pay first and is left out: GOV.UK says to weigh whether you will get the court fee back from the company2.

£5,169.00What they owe on the day you apply

£79.00Compliance stage: from the agent's instructions to the first visit4

£498.00First enforcement stage: £200 + 7.5% of £3,969 (above £1,200), rounded up4

£5,746.00Owed if they pay after the first visit

If they pay while the 14 clear days' notice5 runs, the bill stops at £5,248: the £5,169 and the £79 compliance fee. If they still neither pay nor agree a plan, the second enforcement stage adds £5204, and a sale adds £550 plus 7.5% of the debt above £1,200. If the goods raise too little, the compliance fee and any auctioneer's fees come out first, then your debt and the agent's other fees share the rest4.

The road ahead

Find out first, then pick the order that fits.

Step 1: Check what they own
Companies House shows a company's document images, mortgage charge data, registered address and insolvency information11, free. Look through its accounts for goods, cash, money its customers owe it, and land.
A sole trader is not on Companies House. The same orders work against one. If they also have a job, an attachment of earnings order1 can take money from their wages through their employer.
Cost: FreeTime: 30 minutes
Step 2: Have a director questioned on oath
The court can order a company officer, such as a director, to attend, bring documents and answer on oath7 about what the company owns. It must be served in person at least 14 days before the hearing, and ignoring it can be punished as contempt of court.
The fee is £693, or £139 more if a court bailiff serves the order. Skip it if the accounts already show goods or cash.
Cost: £69 (£139 more if a bailiff serves it)Time: At least 14 days
Step 3: Send the warning letter
You can warn them first, but a warning gives them time to move things. Before bailiffs, the letter's 14 days come on top of the agent's 14 clear days' notice5 (Sundays and bank holidays do not count). A company that pays now saves you the court fee. If the company is likely to move its goods, skip the letter.
Skip it before a bank freeze. The court sends the debtor no copy for 7 days8 so the bank can freeze the money first.
Cost: FreeTime: Same day, then 14 days
Step 4: If they own goods, ask for bailiffs
Under £600 only the county court can send bailiffs (a warrant of control); at £5,000 or more only the High Court can (a writ of control)6. In between, either.
Court fee: £96 county court, £82 High Court3. The enforcement agent's fees go on the debt: £79 to start, then £247 (county court) or £200 (High Court) at the first visit, plus 7.5% of the debt above £1,900 or £1,2004.
The High Court needs a certificate of judgment on form N293A2. Give the address where the company trades. Its registered office may hold nothing, and leased goods cannot be taken2.
Cost: £96 or £82; agent's fees go on the debtTime: From 14 clear days
Step 5: If they hold cash, freeze it
A third-party debt order freezes what is in the bank account on the day the bank is served8, not what arrives later. It can also be made against a customer that owes the company money.
The £139 fee3 is added to the debt but is not refunded if the application fails8.
The bank must report the balance within 7 days8, and a hearing decides whether it is paid to you.
Cost: £139 for each bankTime: Bank reports in 7 days
Step 6: If they own land, charge it
A charging order secures your debt against the property, behind any mortgage, but does not normally pay you straight away9. Attach an official copy of the land register entry to the form, then register the interim order at HM Land Registry.
The £139 fee3 is added to the debt but not refunded if the application fails9. Expect 49 days or more before the final order.
Cost: £139 for each orderTime: 49 days or more

A letter you can copy

Letter warning that bailiff fees will be added

Send it when you plan to use bailiffs, unless the company is likely to move its goods. Skip it before a bank freeze, which only works if the company does not see it coming.

New email

SubjectJudgment in claim : pay by to avoid enforcement fees

Dear , On , gave judgment in claim against . is still unpaid. That figure is the judgment sum, the costs the court allowed and interest to date, less anything already paid. If it is not paid in full by , I will apply to the court for without further notice. The enforcement agent's fees are then added to the amount you owe, as the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014 allow. Please pay by to: If you cannot pay it all by then, please tell me what you can pay and when. If you believe any of this is wrong, please tell me before that date and say why. Kind regards,

Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.

Send it by email so it is dated, and by post to the company's registered office as well. Keep both copies with the judgment. Work out the amount owed from your own papers: the judgment sum, the costs the court allowed and interest to date, less anything they have paid.

When not to bother

When it isn't worth it

It is in administration or being wound up. In administration, no enforcement can go on without the administrator's consent or the court's permission12. In a winding up, the liquidator takes over. Claim as a creditor.
The company has been dissolved. Check its status first on Companies House11. A dissolved company is a different problem, with its own page.
It owns little you can reach. If the goods raise too little, your debt and the agent's fees share what is left4. The court fee may not come back2, so do steps 1 and 2 first.
The judgment is six years old or more. A warrant or writ now needs the court's permission10 and a reason for the delay, so apply for that first.
What it owns is in Scotland or Northern Ireland. These orders work only in England and Wales, so ask a solicitor in Scotland or Northern Ireland who does debt recovery.

The Wolf's note

A judgment says what they owe, not where it is. Find out what they own before you pay a court fee, then start with the order that reaches it. The fee is yours to pay first, and what comes back depends on what there is to take.

Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX

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