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i England, Wales and Northern Ireland only

Administration order. What is it?

An administration order is a repayment plan arranged by the County Court.

To apply for an administration order you need to have:


  • Less than £5,000 debt in total, and
  • Received at least one court judgment

An administration order is legally binding on the people you owe and gives you protection from them.

The people included in the order cannot:


Administration orders are rarely used nowadays. Most people find a debt relief order is a cheaper and more suitable debt solution.

Is an administration order right for you?

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How an administration order works

In England and Wales:


  • Fill in an N92 court form listing your income, expenses and debts
  • Take this to the court

In Northern Ireland:


  • Contact the Enforcement of Judgments Office (EJO) for a copy of ‘Form 11’
  • Fill in this form and return it to the EJO

The court may ask you to attend a hearing where a judge decides:


  • Whether to grant an administration order and
  • How much your payment will be

The court may make a decision without a hearing if your case looks straightforward.

Making payments

During an administration order, you make one payment to the court each month. They then pass the money to your creditors.

This payment is based on what you have left after paying:


The court may want to take your payments directly from your wages. This can make it easier to keep up with payments.

Tell the court if this would be a problem for you.

There is no court fee to set up an administration order, but the court keeps 10% of each payment.

Apply for a ‘composition order’ if you can only afford a small amount towards your debts.


  • This sets a date for the administration order to end, often after three years
  • Creditors write off any remaining debt when you reach this date

The court only considers this if your payment will not clear the debts in a reasonable amount of time.

In Northern Ireland, you can apply for this at the same time as your administration order.

Your administration order ends when your debts are paid in full. Unless there is a composition order.

How does an administration order affect my credit file?

An administration order appears for six years on:


It is harder to take out credit during this time.

What happens if my circumstances change during the administration order?

Write to the court and ask to:


  • Alter the payment or
  • Cancel the administration order

You may need to go to a hearing to arrange this.

What debts can I include in an administration order?

In theory, all of your debts can be included in the order.

Sometimes a Judge may leave out some debts, like:


A creditor can object to being in the order and ask the court to leave them out.

The court calls a hearing if this happens. They decide whether it is fair to leave the debt in the order.

Free debt advice

Get impartial debt advice to find out if an administration order is right for you.

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