Both forms can stop bailiff action. Both involve the same courts. And both have "N24-something" names that blur together when you're stressed and searching at midnight. But they do fundamentally different jobs — and using the wrong one wastes your court fee and doesn't solve your actual problem.
The one-line version
N245 = "I accept I owe this, I just need different payment terms."
N244 = "I want to challenge the judgment, the claim, or the enforcement itself."
Form N245: changing how you pay
N245 is for people who accept the CCJ is valid but can't manage the current payment terms — whether that's a lump sum you can't afford, or monthly instalments that no longer reflect your circumstances. Filing N245 asks the court to:
- Set new, lower monthly instalments based on your current income and expenditure
- Suspend a Warrant of Control while the court considers your new payment offer
Crucially, N245 doesn't touch the judgment itself. It assumes the CCJ is correct and simply asks for different terms to pay it off. The court fee for this application is £16.
Form N244: challenging the judgment or the process
N244 is a general-purpose application notice used for a much wider range of requests — and this is exactly why it gets confused with N245. Depending on your situation, N244 can be used to:
- Set aside a default judgment — arguing the CCJ shouldn't have been entered at all (see our guide on which ground applies to your case)
- Suspend a Warrant of Control or Writ of Execution for reasons unrelated to payment terms — for example, while a set-aside application is pending
- Ask the court for almost any other order within existing proceedings
The court fee is higher — £321 on notice, or £126 by consent — reflecting that it's a broader, more substantial application than N245.
A worked example: same situation, two different forms
Imagine two people, both with a £2,000 CCJ and a bailiff visit scheduled next week.
| Person A | Person B | |
|---|---|---|
| Their situation | Lost their job, the debt is genuine, they just can't pay the current instalments | Never received the original claim form — first they heard of it was the bailiff letter |
| What they need | Lower payments and a pause on the warrant | To challenge whether the judgment should exist at all |
| Correct form | N245 | N244 (set aside application) |
Person A filing N244 to set aside the judgment would fail — they don't dispute the debt is valid, so there's no ground to set it aside. Person B filing N245 would also fail to get what they actually need — even with new payment terms, an incorrectly-entered judgment stays on their credit file for 6 years.
Still not sure which applies to you?
Ask yourself one question: do you dispute that you owe the debt, or only how you're paying it? If it's the debt itself — the amount, whether it's yours, or how the judgment was obtained — you need N244. If you accept the debt and only need different terms, N245 is faster, cheaper, and the right tool.
Not Sure Which Form Fits Your Situation?
Tell us what's happening and we'll confirm which application is right before you pay any court fee — then draft it correctly, fixed-price.
View N245 Help → 💬 Message Us on WhatsAppFor N244-specific guidance, see our CCJ Set-Aside Help or N244 Bailiff Stop Help pages. Fees confirmed against the HMCTS EX50A fee schedule.