How to fill in form N245
To ask the court to suspend a bailiff warrant or lower your instalments. Type your pay and bills as they come and get every statement of means figure, ready to copy.
This is not debt advice. Free, confidential help: National Debtline, StepChange, Citizens Advice.
Bailiffs on the way? GOV.UK says you get 7 days to pay before a bailiff visits, and you may be able to stop the visit with this form. Send it straight away. This is for county court bailiffs; High Court enforcement officers are different (see below).
Fees, eviction, High Court bailiffs
The fee. The form says there is a fee. Help with Fees (online or form EX160) can cut it if you have a low income or get certain benefits.
Facing eviction from your home? To suspend a warrant of possession, GOV.UK’s guidance uses a different form: an application notice (form N244), asking for a hearing before the eviction date. Get advice today from Shelter.
Letter from High Court enforcement officers? That is a writ of control, not a county court warrant. National Debtline says to ask the court that issued the writ for a “stay of execution” on form N244, and also to apply to the county court to vary the judgment.
How the boxes are worked out
Each line on the N245 reads “£ … per”. Pick a week or a month, and every amount you type is converted to it: weekly × 52 ÷ 12, every 2 weeks × 26 ÷ 12, every 4 weeks × 13 ÷ 12, every 3 months × 4 ÷ 12, yearly ÷ 12 (for a week, × times a year ÷ 52). Each line is rounded to the penny once, and each total adds the lines as shown.
Box 11 is the form’s own sum: box 6, minus the totals of boxes 7, 8 and 9, minus the payments in box 10. Open a filled-in example worked in weeks: £500.68 a week coming in leaves £78.64 a week, which is £340.77 a month.
The official N245 (01.19) is on GOV.UK, with a large-print version. The answer sheet is not the form: copy the figures onto the form, sign it and return it to the court that made the order or warrant.
Questions people ask
What does box 11 on the N245 mean?
It says: take the totals of boxes 7, 8 and 9 and the payments you are making in box 10 away from the total in box 6, and you will get some idea of the sort of sum you should offer. It adds that the offer should be one you can afford. This page does that sum for you.
Is there a fee, and can I get help with it?
The form says you will have to pay a fee. Fees change, so check the current court fees list. If you have little in savings and get certain benefits or a low income, Help with Fees can cut it: apply online or on form EX160, and write the HWF reference at the top of the N245.
What happens after I send it?
The form notes say it is sent to the claimant to consider your offer. The court then sends you an order saying how and when to pay, or tells you when to come to court. GOV.UK says that if your offer is rejected, the court decides the amount.
Can I fill in the N245 online?
GOV.UK offers the N245 as a PDF to fill in or print, plus a large-print version. Send it to the court that made the order or warrant, as the form says.
Should the form be weekly or monthly?
Each line says “£ … per”, so you choose. Using one period on every line lets the totals add up. The box 11 offer is “a month”, so if you choose weeks, this page also gives the monthly figure (times 52, divided by 12).
Who can see what I type?
Nobody else. It is saved only in this browser on this device as you type, and nothing is uploaded. Download a backup to move it to another device. On a shared computer, use Delete everything when you are done.