Court fees for a money claim
The fee to issue a claim depends on the total amount you claim, including interest. These are the issue fees in England and Wales:
| Amount claimed | Issue fee |
|---|
Issue fees checked against GOV.UK on 17 October 2026. If the claim is defended you may also pay a hearing fee, and there are separate fees to enforce a judgment — check GOV.UK for the current amounts.
Before you issue a claim
- Send a letter before action. The court expects it. Use the letter before action generator.
- Check the debtor can pay. A judgment against a company in liquidation, or a person with no assets, may not be worth the fee. The Companies House checker shows a company's status.
- Use the exact legal name of the person or company.
What happens next
Once issued, the defendant has 14 days to respond (28 if they acknowledge the claim and say they will defend). If they do nothing, you can ask for a default judgment — a County Court Judgment (CCJ). If they defend, the court allocates the case to a track: most claims up to £10,000 go to the small claims track, where each side usually pays its own legal costs.