Make a court claim for money

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After you make your claim

Your claim, including your name and address, will be sent to the person or business owing you money (the ‘defendant’).

They must respond to your claim. You’ll be sent a letter or email telling you the date they need to respond by.

What to do if you get paid

Tell the defendant when you’ve received their payment.

How you do this depends on how you made the claim.

If you claimed online

You can update your claim online, by phone or email. The contact details you use depend on how much money you’re claiming.

If you made your claim before 8 October 2024 and it’s for between £10,000 and £25,000, you can update it online using the Money Claim Online service or by calling Money Claim Online.

If your claim is for £25,000 or less you can update it:

Civil Money Claims
Telephone: 0300 123 7050
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm
Find out about call charges

If your claim is for between £25,000 and £100,000, you can update it:

Money Claim Online
contactocmc@justice.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 123 1056
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm
Find out about call charges

If you used a paper claim form

Contact the court where you sent your claim.

If you get no response or the defendant refuses to pay what they owe

You can ask the court to order the defendant to pay. You need to:

If you disagree with the response

You might have to go to a court hearing if:

  • the defendant says they do not owe you any money
  • they disagree with the amount you’ve claimed
  • you do not agree with how they’ve offered to repay you

The court may send you a questionnaire asking for more information on the case.

Fill in the questionnaire and return it to the court. You’ll have to pay an extra court fee.

Mediation

You may be offered or told you have to attend mediation after you’ve made a claim. This is often quicker than going to court.

View a printable version of the whole guide

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