Form N245: suspending a county court warrant of control

What form N245 does

When a county court judgment is not paid, the creditor can apply for a warrant of control, which authorises enforcement agents to visit and take goods. Form N245 is the route available to the person who owes the money. It asks the court to suspend that warrant — meaning agents stop acting while payments are kept up — and can also ask the court to change the instalments on the underlying judgment itself.

GOV.UK describes it this way: “You may be able to stop the bailiff from visiting, by filling in the N245 application form. Say on the form how you’ll repay the money.” The form asks for income, outgoings and a proposed payment offer.

What the form costs and where to get it

Court fee to vary or suspend

£16From 13 July 2026

Fee to apply to set a judgment aside (form N244)

£321Where the debt is disputed or the claim was never received

Enforcement stage fee already added on a first visit

£247Fixed fee on the standard scale from 1 May 2026

Form N245 is available from GOV.UK and from the county court that issued the warrant. The £16 fee is paid when the form is filed. Help with fees is available to people on a low income through the fee remission scheme.

What happens after the form is filed

1. Application filed with the court

   The form and fee go to the county court that issued the warrant. The court sends a copy to the creditor.

2. Creditor is asked to respond

   The creditor can accept both the suspension and the offer, accept the suspension but dispute the amount, or oppose any suspension.

3. A court officer decides — or a hearing is arranged

   If the creditor accepts the suspension but not the amount, a court officer decides what is affordable. If the creditor opposes any suspension, the court arranges a hearing where both sides can put their case.

4. Warrant is suspended on terms

   If the offer is accepted or a court officer sets the amount, the warrant is suspended for as long as the payments are kept up. GOV.UK says: “the warrant will be stopped as long as you keep up with the payments”.

5. If payments are missed

   The creditor can have the warrant reissued without paying a new fee. Enforcement agents can then visit again.

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This form only works for county court warrants

Form N245 applies only to a county court warrant of control — the kind issued after a county court judgment is not paid. It does not apply to High Court writs of control, council tax liability orders, magistrates’ court fines, or parking penalties. Each of those has a separate process. For a High Court writ of control, the route is an application on form N244 with a court fee of £321. For other debt types, see bailiffs by type of debt.

What is at stake while an application is being decided

Filing form N245 does not automatically halt enforcement while the court considers it. Agents may still act unless the court makes an order. On the standard fee scale, £79 is added when the notice of enforcement is sent and £247 is added once an agent has made a first visit — whether or not anyone answers the door. A closed door does not stop the costs. For most debts the £247 enforcement stage fee is added from the first visit whether or not anyone answers, and a vehicle outside can still be clamped.

On the standard scale the fixed fees are £79 at the notice, £326 once an agent has visited and £442 if goods are removed for sale, before any percentage fee on a larger debt. The sooner an application is made, the lower the fees that have accumulated. More detail on how fees build up is on the bailiff fees page.

If the warrant reaches its end without payment

A county court warrant of control lasts 12 months. If it expires or if agents report that there are no goods worth removing, enforcement under that warrant stops. The debt itself is not cancelled. It goes back to the creditor, who has other ways to collect it — including applying for a new warrant, deductions from earnings, a freezing order on a bank account, or a charge on a property.

Goods are taken away in a small share of cases: 2,624 of almost 3.7 million in January to June 2025, most often a clamped vehicle. What happens far more often, with a car or without one, is cost. Of the cases that ended in payment in that period, 64% were paid at the enforcement stage or later, after an agent’s first visit had added the larger fee. The average fee collected on a case paid in full was £201, on the lower fees then in force.

Other routes available alongside or instead of N245

Form N245 is one of several ways enforcement can be paused or ended. Paying the full debt and fees ends the warrant immediately. A debt adviser can ask for the notice period to be extended to 28 clear days before a first visit, or apply for Breathing Space, which pauses enforcement for up to 60 days. A full list of routes and who decides each one is on the how to stop bailiffs page.