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Enter a company name or number. CCJ flags, payment risk, director history, and gazette notices included in every search.
What CCJs mean for you as a creditor
A CCJ is issued when a county court finds that the company owes money and orders payment. The judgment is registered on the public record maintained by Registry Trust Ltd. It does not prove insolvency, but it proves that at least one creditor had to take court action to get paid. That is information you need before you extend terms.
High risk signals
- 3+ unsatisfied CCJs in 12 months
- CCJ amounts greater than annual profit
- CCJs combined with a winding-up petition
- CCJs across multiple companies of the same director
Lower risk context
- Single satisfied CCJ, paid in full
- CCJ older than 3 years, no repeat
- Small value relative to turnover
- Genuine dispute (evidenced in filings)
Where to check CCJs on a UK company
Registry Trust (TrustOnline) — £6 per search
The official register of CCJs, High Court judgments, and tribunal awards. Shows judgment date, amount, court, and satisfaction status. The cheapest way to check CCJs on a single company.
Search TrustOnline (£6)Credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, Creditsafe)
Include CCJ data within their reports. Annual subscriptions typically £3,000 to £15,000+. Suited to companies running hundreds of checks per month.
RecoupIQ (from £29)
Does not currently include CCJ data directly. Our reports cover the signals that often accompany CCJs: gazette insolvency notices, HMRC defaults, director network risk, accounts forensics, and 72 ML risk models. Use TrustOnline for the CCJ check (£6), then run a RecoupIQ report to see everything else.
CCJs vs Companies House: what each one tells you
Companies House does not publish CCJ data. If you only check Companies House, you will miss court judgments entirely. Conversely, Registry Trust only shows judgments, not the company's accounts, filing history, or director track record. You need both to form a complete view.
Best practice: check TrustOnline (£6) for the CCJ record, then run a RecoupIQ report (from £29) for Companies House data (status, accounts, directors, charges, PSCs), gazette notices, HMRC defaulter list, director disqualifications, and network risk analysis. Together they give you the complete picture for £35.
What to do if you find CCJs
- Check satisfaction status. A satisfied CCJ is far less concerning than an outstanding one. Ask the company directly if they dispute it, satisfaction can take weeks to register.
- Look at timing and pattern. A single CCJ from 4 years ago, satisfied, is very different from 3 unsatisfied CCJs in the last 6 months. The latter is a company in acute cash distress.
- Cross-reference with other signals. CCJs combined with late-filed accounts, gazette notices, or director resignations paint a much clearer picture than CCJs alone.
- Adjust your terms. If the company has recent unsatisfied CCJs: shorten payment terms, require upfront payment, or ask for a personal guarantee from the director.
- Set up monitoring. Companies deteriorate over weeks, not overnight. A quarterly check is good. Continuous monitoring (alerts within 24 hours of a new CCJ, gazette notice, or director change) is better.
CCJs are one piece. Get the rest of the picture.
A CCJ tells you someone had to go to court to get paid. RecoupIQ tells you everything else: director network risk, phoenix patterns, gazette notices, HMRC defaults, accounts forensics, and 72 ML risk signals. Check TrustOnline for CCJs (£6), then check RecoupIQ for the full company risk profile (from £29). Together: £35 for the complete picture.
Check a company nowRelated guides
- Check if a company has a winding-up petition
- Check if a UK director is disqualified
- Company credit check UK: how to check any UK company
- A company owes me money, UK action guide
Last reviewed: July 2026. General information for UK creditors. Not legal advice. RecoupIQ Ltd, Company No. 16947526, ICO ZC077511.