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Partial settlement on your credit file: settled, partially settled, satisfied

Three words that look interchangeable and mean different things to every lender who reads your file for the next six years.

Written by The My Debt Cleared editorial teamLast reviewed 30 August 2026Jurisdiction England & WalesEditorial policy
“Settled” means the balance was paid in full and the account closed normally. “Partially settled” means the creditor accepted less than the full balance and wrote off the rest — a full and final settlement. “Satisfied” is the term for a County Court Judgment that has been paid. A partially settled default remains on file for six years from the original default date, not from the settlement, and lenders see it as a debt that was not repaid in full.

The three markers

Settled — the ordinary closure, no adverse meaning on its own. Partially settled — the account carried a default or arrears, and closed with less than the contractual balance paid; the default marker stays and is annotated. Satisfied — applies to a CCJ paid after the one-month removal window, which remains for six years from judgment with the satisfied flag added.

Six years from when

A default’s six-year clock runs from the default date recorded by the lender, and a partial settlement does not restart it. So settling an old default is usually good news for your file: the record was going to expire on the same date anyway, and settled beats unsettled to every underwriter. Settling a recent default gains less on the file — its value is the certainty and the end of collection.

Negotiating the marker

Some creditors will agree to record a settlement as “settled” rather than “partially settled” as a term of the deal, particularly debt purchasers. Ask in the settlement letter before paying; you have leverage before the money moves and none after. Never rely on a verbal promise about what will appear on a file.

Related: how much to offer and how an IVA is recorded.

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