Claim form (N1)

The document that turns a dispute into a court claim — and the one place where getting the detail right early saves the most trouble later.

Do I have to use the paper N1, or can I claim online?

Most straightforward money claims can be started through Money Claim Online or the newer Online Civil Money Claims service, which collect the same information in a web form rather than on paper. The paper N1 is still used where the claim does not fit the online criteria, for example claims against certain defendants, claims for something other than a fixed sum of money, or claims where the particulars run to more than the online service allows.

What is the statement of truth, and does it matter?

It is the signed declaration that you believe the facts stated in the claim are true. It matters a great deal: a person who signs a statement of truth without an honest belief in what it says can face proceedings for contempt of court under CPR Part 32. It is a good reason to write only what you can actually stand behind.

Can I put the particulars of claim in a separate document?

Yes. You can either set the particulars out on the N1 itself, or serve them separately within 14 days of serving the claim form. Separate particulars are common where the story needs more room than the box allows. If you serve them separately, the claim form must say that particulars are to follow.

What does it cost to issue an N1?

The issue fee is banded by the value of the claim and published in the HMCTS EX50 fee schedule. Online claims attract slightly lower fees than paper ones at several bands. If money is tight, you can apply for Help with Fees at the same time using form EX160, and the fee is added to what you are asking the defendant to pay if the claim succeeds.

How long is a claim form valid once issued?

A claim form issued for service within the jurisdiction must generally be served within four months of the date of issue, under CPR 7.5. Missing that window is one of the more painful procedural failures because the limitation period may have expired in the meantime, leaving no clean way to start again.

Should I claim interest on the N1?

If you want interest you have to ask for it, and the claim form has a section for exactly that. For most contract and debt claims the basis is section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984, which allows the court to award simple interest at a rate it considers appropriate, commonly 8 percent a year. Commercial debts between businesses may instead qualify for statutory late payment interest, which is calculated differently.

Small Claims · Glossary

The document that turns a dispute into a court claim — and the one place where getting the detail right early saves the most trouble later.

Last reviewed: August 2026

is the county court document that starts a civil claim in England and Wales, setting out who is suing whom, for how much, and on what basis.

Where this comes from

— how proceedings are started by claim form.

— what the claim form and particulars of claim must contain.

Make a court claim for money

— gov.uk overview of the process and fee bands.

Form N1 — claim form

— the form itself, with notes for claimants.

What the N1 actually does

A dispute becomes a legal claim at the moment a claim form is issued by the court. Everything before that — the arguments, the chasing emails, the

— is negotiation. The N1 is the hinge. It fixes the parties, fixes the amount in issue, stops the limitation clock, and generates a claim number that follows the case to its end.

It is also the document the defendant reads first, and often the only one they read carefully. A claim form that is clear about what happened and what is owed invites a sensible response. One that is vague or overstated invites a

built around the gaps.

For claims that will end up on the

— broadly, money claims up to £10,000 — the N1 is deliberately light. The court does not expect a pleading drafted by a barrister. It expects a claimant who can explain the facts in order, say what the defendant did wrong, and show how the figure was arrived at.

What goes on the form

• Full and correct names and addresses. A sole trader is sued in their own name with the trading name noted; a limited company is sued in its registered name at its registered office. Naming the wrong entity is the single most common reason a claim has to be amended.
• Brief details of claim.
• A short summary — a sentence or two — that tells the court and the defendant what the claim is about. This is not the place for the full story.
• What you are claiming, or your best estimate if the sum is not yet fixed. This drives the issue fee and, later,
• Particulars of claim.
• The substance: what was agreed, what went wrong, what loss followed, and how the figure breaks down. Either on the form or served within 14 days after it.
• The basis on which you claim it, the rate, the period, and either the total or the daily rate accruing.
• Signed by you, or by someone authorised to sign on your behalf.

How the numbers come together

A photographer is owed £3,200 for a wedding shoot delivered in full. The client stopped replying after the final invoice, which fell due on 1 February 2026. The photographer sends a Letter Before Action, waits the standard period, gets nothing back, and issues an N1 on 1 August 2026 — six months later.

Interest to date of issue (s.69, 8% a year)

Daily rate accruing thereafter

Total claimed on the N1

debt + interest + fee

The interest figure is worked out as £3,200 × 8 percent × (181 ÷ 365), and the claim form states the daily rate so the court can bring it up to date at judgment. The photographer also asks for the issue fee to be added to the judgment, which is the normal order where a claim succeeds.

Writing particulars that hold up

The particulars of claim are where most self-represented claimants either win the judge's attention or lose it. The structure that works is chronological and plain: what the parties agreed and when, what each side was supposed to do, what the defendant did or failed to do, and what that cost. Numbered paragraphs help, because the defence will respond to them paragraph by paragraph and a judge will navigate by them at the hearing.

Resist the urge to argue. The particulars set out facts; submissions come later. A paragraph saying “the defendant behaved appallingly throughout” adds nothing a judge can act on, whereas “on 14 March the defendant confirmed by email that the work would be completed by 30 March; it was not completed by that date or at all” does real work.

Attach or refer to the documents that prove the key steps: the contract or the exchange that formed it, the invoice, the evidence of delivery, the complaint and the reply. You do not have to file everything at issue stage —

comes later — but the particulars should show that the paper trail exists.

• Suing the wrong legal person.
• The trading name on an invoice is often not the entity that owes the money. Check Companies House for a limited company, and use the registered name and registered office address.
• Inflating the claim.
• A figure that cannot be evidenced pushes the claim into a higher fee band, weakens credibility at the hearing, and can affect who pays what if the defendant makes a sensible offer you turn down.
• Leaving interest off.
• The court will not award interest you did not ask for. On a debt that has been outstanding for a year or more, that is real money left behind.
• Forgetting the four-month service window.
• Issuing is not serving. CPR 7.5 sets the deadline, and extensions are not granted freely.
• Signing the statement of truth loosely.
• Everything above the signature has to be something you honestly believe. Overstating a fact to strengthen a claim creates a far bigger problem than the fact was worth.
• Skipping the pre-action steps.
• A claim issued without a Letter Before Action can attract adverse comment on costs and conduct, even on the small claims track where costs are otherwise limited.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• CPR Part 7 — how to start proceedings
• CPR Part 16 — statements of case
• County Courts Act 1984, s.69
• (legislation.gov.uk)
• Form N1 — claim form
• EX50 — civil and family court fees
• Make a court claim for money

Ready to put your claim on paper?

Start My Claim helps you organise the facts, the figures and the documents into a claim you can file yourself.

Last reviewed: August 2026.

References checked against CPR Parts 7 and 16 and the HMCTS EX50 schedule as published in August 2026.

This page is explanatory only and is not legal advice. Start My Claim is self-service software, not a law firm — its tools help you build and run your own case.