Short answer: if a limited company ignores a county court claim, a creditor in England and Wales can usually ask for judgment in default roughly five to eight weeks after sending a proper letter before action. If the company defends, the claim is allocated to a track and it can take many months to reach a hearing. A judgment is still not payment: enforcement is a separate step.
When an invoice is well overdue and the customer has gone quiet, it is natural to want a court judgment quickly. The court process in England and Wales is orderly, but it is not instant. Each stage has a time limit set by the Civil Procedure Rules, and some stages depend on court workload. This guide sets out the realistic timeline for a county court judgment (CCJ) on an unpaid business invoice, so you can decide whether to issue a claim yourself or hand the file to a partner agency first.
Debt Collection UK is a trading name of PASECOM GROUP LTD. We are an introducer: independent partner agencies collect, we do not. We are not solicitors and we are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. We only accept debts owed by limited companies, LLPs and PLCs.
What has to happen before you can issue a claim?
Before issuing, the court expects you to have followed the Practice Direction – Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols. For a debt owed by a company, that means a clear letter before action: who you are, what is owed, how the figure is made up, and a reasonable time to reply. In a straightforward case the Practice Direction treats 14 days as a reasonable period. Our guide to writing a final demand letter covers what to include.
If the debtor is an individual, including a sole trader, the separate Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims applies instead, with a 30-day response period and a reply form. We do not accept sole-trader or consumer debtors, but the difference matters if you are checking your own options. See Debt PAP: sole traders vs limited companies.
Use this stage to check the debtor on Companies House: the exact registered name, company number and registered office. A claim against the wrong entity wastes weeks.
How long does an undefended claim take?
This is the fastest route: you issue a claim, usually through Money Claim Online for a fixed sum, and the company does nothing.
Issue and service
Once the letter before action deadline has passed, you issue the claim and pay the court fee, which is banded by the amount claimed (see the current court fees on GOV.UK). Where the court posts the claim form, it is treated as served on the second business day after posting, under CPR Part 6.
The defendant’s time to respond
The company then has 14 days from service to respond. It can pay, admit the claim, file a defence, or file an acknowledgment of service. An acknowledgment extends the time for a defence to 28 days from service. During this window you wait.
Requesting judgment in default
If nothing arrives in time, the court does not act on its own. You must request judgment in default under CPR Part 12. If you leave it too long, the claim can be stayed. Once the request is processed, judgment is entered and recorded on the public register of judgments.
Put together, an undefended claim against a company commonly runs about five to eight weeks from your letter before action to judgment: around 14 days for the letter, a few days to issue and serve, 14 days for the response, then processing time. Court workload can stretch this.
What happens if the company defends the claim?
A defence changes the timetable completely. The court sends directions questionnaires, and the claim is allocated to a track. Most invoice claims up to £10,000 go to the small claims track under CPR Part 27. Larger claims go to the fast, intermediate or multi-track, which involve more steps and higher costs risk.
Defended small claims for a fixed sum are now referred to the Small Claims Mediation Service before a hearing is listed. Many disputes settle there. If they do not, the court lists a hearing and gives directions on documents and witness statements. How long that takes depends on the court centre; months rather than weeks is a realistic planning assumption. HMCTS publishes official civil court timeliness figures if you want current averages.
A defended claim is not necessarily a bad sign for you. If the defence is weak, the court can deal with it. But it does mean the debt will not turn into a judgment quickly, and you will need to prepare evidence: the contract or order, proof of delivery, the invoice and your correspondence.
Does a CCJ mean you will be paid?
No. A judgment is the court’s decision that the money is owed. It is not a payment. Some companies pay promptly once judgment is entered, because a CCJ that is not paid within one month stays on the register for six years and can affect their credit. Others still do not pay.
If the company does not pay, you have to apply for enforcement, which adds more time and fees. Options include a warrant or writ of control over goods, a third-party debt order against a bank account, a charging order over property, or, for an undisputed debt of £750 or more, winding-up proceedings. Each has its own timetable. Our guide on how to enforce a CCJ against a limited company explains the choices, and after a CCJ: enforcement options goes into each one.
What can you add to the claim while you wait?
On a qualifying business-to-business invoice, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets you claim statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England base rate (the reference rate under the Act), plus fixed compensation of £40, £70 or £100 per invoice under section 5A, and reasonable recovery costs beyond that fixed sum. Include these in the letter before action and the claim. They do not speed the court up, but they keep the debtor’s delay from costing you twice.
Is a partner agency a quicker first step?
Often, for an undisputed invoice. A specialist agency can contact the company within days of instruction, write on its own letterhead, call the right people and negotiate a payment or a plan. There is no court timetable to wait for. It does not work every time, and nobody can promise a result, but it is a sensible step before paying court fees, especially when the company is still trading.
If the agency cannot recover the money, it can explain the court options and their costs before anything is filed, and you decide. Court fees and any solicitor costs are separate from the agency’s commission.
A realistic timeline at a glance
- Letter before action: allow 14 days for a reply in a straightforward company debt.
- Issue and service: a few days, plus deemed service two business days after posting.
- Response period: 14 days, or 28 days for a defence after an acknowledgment of service.
- Default judgment: on your request, then court processing time.
- Defended claim: allocation, mediation and a hearing — usually several months.
- Enforcement: a further application and timetable if the company still does not pay.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a CCJ in a week?
No. Even when the company ignores everything, the letter before action period, service and the 14-day response window come first.
Do I need a solicitor to get a CCJ for an unpaid invoice?
Not necessarily. Many businesses issue fixed-sum claims themselves through Money Claim Online. Take advice if the claim is large, disputed or complicated.
What if the company is dissolved before judgment?
You cannot get a judgment against a company that no longer exists. Check Companies House before issuing and watch for a proposal to strike the company off.
Can a partner agency issue the court claim for me?
Some partners work with solicitors who can, if you choose that route. They will explain the costs first. Debt Collection UK does not issue proceedings.
Ready to hand the invoice over?
If the debtor is a limited company, LLP or PLC and the invoice is undisputed, you can upload it below. We introduce the file to an independent partner agency. The fee is a fixed 15% of what is recovered, and it is only charged when you are paid. Recovery is not guaranteed.