In short
Most negative entries stay on your credit file for six years and are then deleted automatically. The clock starts on the date of the missed payment, the default, the judgment or the start of the arrangement, not the date you finish paying. The only common entry that can come off early is a CCJ paid in full within one calendar month.
The six-year rule at a glance
| Entry | How long it stays | When the clock starts | Can it come off sooner? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late or missed payment | 6 years | The month the payment was missed | No, unless it was recorded wrongly |
| Default | 6 years | The date of the default | No. Paying it marks it as satisfied, but the date does not change |
| County Court Judgment (CCJ) | 6 years | The date of the judgment | Yes, if you pay it in full within one calendar month of the judgment |
| Debt management plan (DMP) | Not recorded as a plan | Each account keeps its own markers and defaults, each on its own six-year clock | No |
| Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) | 6 years | The date the IVA started | No, even if it finishes early |
| Debt relief order (DRO) | 6 years | The date the DRO was made | No |
| Bankruptcy | 6 years | The date of the bankruptcy order | No |
| Hard credit search | About 12 months, the period lenders can see it | The date of the search | No |
| Closed or settled account | 6 years | The date it was closed or settled | No |
IVAs, DROs and bankruptcies also appear on the public Insolvency Register. That entry is separate from your credit file and is usually removed three months after the arrangement ends or you are discharged, unless a restrictions order or undertaking applies.
Defaults: paying does not reset or remove them
A default is recorded when a lender formally ends an agreement because of missed payments, usually after three to six months of arrears. It stays for six years from the default date whether you pay it off the next month or never pay it at all.
Paying still matters. A default marked as satisfied reads far better to a lender than one with a balance still owing, and it stops the debt growing or going to court.
Worked example: a default dated 10 May 2021 is deleted around 10 May 2027, whether it was settled in 2022 or not at all.
CCJs: the one-month window
In England and Wales, a County Court Judgment is added to the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines and to your credit file. What happens next depends on when you pay:
- Paid in full within one calendar month of the judgment: you can apply to the court for a certificate of cancellation. The CCJ is removed from the register and disappears from your credit file.
- Paid in full after that: you can apply for a certificate of satisfaction. The CCJ stays for six years from the judgment date but shows as satisfied, which lenders view more favourably.
- Not paid: it stays for six years from the judgment date and shows as unsatisfied.
If a CCJ was issued to an old address and you never knew about the claim, you may be able to ask the court to set it aside. Free debt advice services can help with that.
IVAs, DROs and bankruptcy
All three stay on your credit file for six years from the date they started. For an IVA that means six years from the start date even if you finish it early, and it drops off at six years even if it is still running. The individual accounts included in it usually show as defaulted and follow their own six-year clocks, which normally end at about the same time.
There is more on borrowing during and after insolvency in our guide to car finance after bankruptcy or a DRO.
What lenders look at before the six years are up
Six years is when an entry disappears, not when finance becomes possible. Specialist lenders look at:
- Age. A default from five years ago carries much less weight than one from last year.
- Whether it is settled. Satisfied CCJs and settled defaults help.
- What has happened since. A year or two of payments made on time counts for a lot.
- Affordability today. Steady income and a payment that fits your budget matter most of all.
See how this applies to your situation: car finance with a CCJ, with defaults, with an IVA or with missed payments.
If an entry is wrong or older than six years
Entries should delete themselves automatically. If something is still showing after six years, or the dates or amounts are wrong, raise a dispute with the credit reference agency that holds it. Our guide to checking your credit file for free explains how.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
This guide covers England and Wales. Scotland has decrees instead of CCJs and protected trust deeds instead of IVAs, and Northern Ireland has its own judgments register. The six-year credit file period is broadly the same, but the rules about removing court entries differ.
Finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. Over 18s, UK residents only. This guide is general information, not personal financial advice. We are a credit broker, not a lender.