Understand your options if the civil court has ordered that someone else must pay you money but they have not paid you when they should. This kind of order is often known as a county court judgment or ‘CCJ’. Sometimes the money owed is called a ‘judgment debt’. You can take fresh court action to try and make the other person pay. Lawyers call this ‘enforcement’. This guide will help you work out if you can enforce your county court judgment, if it is worth enforcing, and how to go about enforcing it, if you decide that is what you want to do.

The information in this guide applies to England and Wales only. The law may be different if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

How to sue someone

Step-by-step help to take broken contracts, consumer problems, unpaid debts, or personal injury (including road traffic accidents) claims to the civil court. You might take someone to the small claims court, or use the fast-track process in a county court. These advice guides will also help if you are being taken to court by someone else because of one of these issues.

Find out where you may be able to get free or affordable legal advice about employment law and what you should do about your problem at work. Get to grips with where you can get advice if you are taking a case to an employment tribunal or want advice about how to settle the case.

If you made a claim for DLA for a child and didn't get the award that you think they were entitled to, don't give up. This guide will help you challenge the decision by asking the DWP to look at their decision again - a 'mandatory reconsideration’. If they don’t change the decision straight away, we also have help that will show you how to successfully appeal the decision.

This information applies in England and Wales, and will be helpful for claimants in Northern Ireland and Scotland as the rules are the same. 

Christmas can be stressful for every family, but for parents who are no longer a couple, it can be extra tricky. Follow our top tips to reduce the stress and bring the joy back to Christmas, for you and the children.

This information applies in England and Wales.

Understand how the work capability assessment works and the activities and descriptors, and 'substantial risk' on which entitlement is based and the criteria for the support group.

Also understand what you will need to show so that you get the right amount of benefit if you have a health condition or disability. Helpful for people applying for the benefit or trying to decide if they should challenge a decision that found that fit enough to work.

This information applies to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Understand the impact of moving in with your partner or stopping living with a partner.  

This information will also help if you are not living with your partner but the benefits office or DWP believe you are, or if you want your romantic partner to stay sometimes but you don’t want to break the rules and risk losing benefit. 

We also explain the rules if you have split up with your partner but are still living in the same home because you can't afford to move out. And the effect on your benefits of family or friends moving in with you. 

We want to help you avoid all the stress and difficulty that problems with your benefits, or accusations that you have done something wrong, cause. 

The information in this guide applies in England and Wales.

Understand your options if you have been told you have an overpayment or if you have just seen deductions being taken from your benefit. Learn how to ask them to allow you to repay it in smaller amounts, or not to repay it at all if you do not have money for basics.

The information in this guide applies to the UK.