AnswersCourt, and what comes after
What is a third-party debt order, and can it freeze their bank account?
The short answer
Partly. A third-party debt order tells a bank to hold a company's money, then pay it to you, but it freezes only what is in credit on the day the bank receives it1, not anything paid in afterwards. The company is not warned first: the court sends it a copy at least 7 days after the bank's2, so the money is held before it knows.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
The numbers
What it costs and how fast it moves.
What you can add
A £6,200 judgment: the most the order can hold
Say a company owes you £6,200 under a judgment of 14 September 2026, payable by 28 September, and has not paid. You apply against one bank on 12 October and claim the judgment's interest on the form11, up to that day. Up front you pay £139. If you do not know the bank, add £69 for the order that makes an officer answer questions: £208 in all.
It holds what the account holds on the day the bank is served: nothing from an empty account, at most £6,317.52 from a full one. The court adds the fees to the debt if the order works, and does not return them if it does not.
The road ahead
Five steps. £139 a bank, plus £69 if you must find it.
Step 1: Check you can apply
You can apply once you have a judgment and the company has missed the date or an instalment1. The court will not enforce a judgment unless you ask.
Step 2: Find the bank and prove it
The court refuses guesses3: you must name the bank and show why you think the company banks there. A past payment from the company usually shows its sort code and account number on your own statement.
With nothing to go on, ask the court5 to make an officer of the company attend and answer questions on oath. That costs £69, plus £139 if a bailiff serves it7.
Step 3: Apply on form N349
Fill in form N3491 for each bank. Tell no one: it may be made without notice2.
Send it with the fee to the court that has the case2. If that is the Civil National Business Centre, it goes to the county court for where the company does business11 instead.
Applying also stops judgment interest building10 on a county court judgment of £5,000 or more9, unless the order recovers nothing.
Step 4: Read what the bank finds
If the judge is satisfied, the interim order goes to you and the bank, which has 7 days1 to tell you and the court what the account holds.
An overdrawn account4 gives you nothing, and a bank need not hold joint accounts3.
The bank can also claim a right to set off2 what the company owes it. A company cannot ask for hardship payments2.
Step 5: Go to the hearing
It is at least 28 days after the interim order2. Miss it and the judge may dismiss the application1.
The company can object in writing at least 3 days before2. If the judge makes the order final, it tells the bank to pay you, no more than was frozen1.
If that falls short, the costs are paid first and the rest stays due1.
The letter
A letter would warn the company before the bank is served, and the surprise is what makes the freeze work.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- Even questioning does not find the bank. The court refuses speculative applications3. Try a warrant of control instead.
- The company empties its account each day. The order holds only what is there when the bank receives it1, so £139 can freeze nothing. Try another day or another route.
- The company is heading for liquidation. If it is wound up before the bank pays you, the liquidator wins8, as the order is complete only when the money is received. Check Companies House and The Gazette first.
- The judgment is small beside the fees. £208 for one bank, if you must find it, is not refunded1 if the order fails. On a £600 judgment that is more than a third.
- The company is in Scotland or Northern Ireland. This order is the route for England and Wales; the courts there have their own.
The Wolf's note
The order is a snapshot of one day's balance. Pick the bank you can prove and a day the account is likely to be full, and tell no one first. The bank's answer, due within 7 days, shows what was caught and whether the hearing is worth the trip.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
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
Should I use High Court enforcement officers instead of county court bailiffs?
Usually not. From £600 to under £5,000 you may pick either court, and the High Court costs more.
5 min read
Is it worth suing a company that has no money?
Only if it owns something you can take.
7 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.