Court fee

What it actually costs to bring a small claim — the issue fee, the hearing fee, the fees that follow judgment, and the remission scheme that can reduce them to nothing.

How much does it cost to start a small claim?

The issue fee scales with the amount you claim: £35 for claims up to £300, £50 up to £500, £70 up to £1,000, £80 up to £1,500, £115 up to £3,000, £205 up to £5,000 and £455 for claims between £5,000 and £10,000. A separate hearing fee, also scaled to the claim value, becomes payable if the case goes to a final hearing.

Do I get court fees back if I win?

Usually, yes. Court fees you have paid are normally added to the judgment, so the defendant is ordered to repay them on top of the money award. If the defendant does not pay, the fees form part of the judgment debt you can enforce.

What if I cannot afford the fee?

The Help with Fees scheme can reduce a fee or remove it entirely, based on the benefits you receive, your income and your savings. You apply online or with form EX160, ideally before or at the same time as the claim, and each fee in the case needs its own application.

Is the hearing fee refundable if we settle?

The fees order provides for a refund of the hearing fee where the court is told in good time before the hearing date that the case has settled or been discontinued. The exact notice window is set out in the current fees schedule, so tell the court as soon as settlement happens rather than letting the hearing date arrive.

Are there extra fees after judgment?

Enforcement has its own fees, which are generally added to the debt: for example £96 to issue a warrant of control and £139 to apply for a third-party debt order or charging order. A debtor applying to vary a judgment or suspend enforcement pays a small fee of £16.

Did court fees change in 2026?

Many civil fees rose modestly on 13 July 2026, but the small claims issue-fee ladder from £35 to £455 was unchanged. Always check the current EX50 fees schedule on gov.uk before paying, because figures are periodically revised.

Small Claims · Glossary

What it actually costs to bring a small claim — the issue fee, the hearing fee, the fees that follow judgment, and the remission scheme that can reduce them to nothing.

Last reviewed: August 2026

is the charge paid to HM Courts & Tribunals Service to issue and hear a claim — in the small claims track it scales with the amount claimed, it is usually added to the judgment if you win, and people on low incomes or certain benefits can apply for

Where this comes from

Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008 (as amended)

— the statutory instrument that sets each fee.

EX50 — civil and family court fees

— the current published fee amounts.

Get help with court fees

— the Help with Fees scheme (form EX160).

The issue fee: what you pay to start

Every money claim starts with an

, paid when the claim form is submitted through Money Claim Online or on paper with form N1. In the small claims track the fee runs on a ladder tied to the amount claimed, including interest: claims up to £300 pay £35; up to £500, £50; up to £1,000, £70; up to £1,500, £80; up to £3,000, £115; up to £5,000, £205; and from £5,000 to the £10,000

The ladder matters when you decide what to claim. A claim pitched at £310 rather than £300 moves you up a fee band; a claim inflated beyond what you can evidence buys a bigger fee for nothing. Claiming the statutory 8% interest under s.69 of the County Courts Act 1984 counts towards the banding too, so a £295 debt plus interest can tip over the £300 line.

The fees in sequence

• Paid up front, £35 to £455 on the ladder above. No fee, no claim — unless a Help with Fees application covers it.
• If the case is allocated to a final hearing, a further fee scaled to the claim value falls due by the date the court sets. Miss it and the claim can be struck out.
• Interim steps have their own charges — for example a defendant applying to set aside a default judgment, or either side applying for an order, pays the application fee current at the time.
• After judgment, issuing a warrant of control costs £96, and a third-party debt order or charging order application costs £139. These are generally added to what the debtor owes.

Court fees follow the outcome. Win, and the fees you paid are normally added to the judgment: the defendant is ordered to pay the debt, the interest and your fees. Lose, and your fees are simply spent — and in the small claims track each side generally bears its own costs beyond fees, witness expenses and a few fixed items — a costs regime designed to keep small claims affordable. This is why the fee is best understood as a stake, not a price: recoverable if the claim is sound and the defendant can pay, gone if either fails.

A settlement changes the arithmetic again. Cases that settle before the hearing can save the hearing fee entirely, and the fees order provides for a refund where the court is told in good time that the case has settled. Settlement terms often deal with who bears the fees already paid — worth addressing expressly rather than leaving to assumption.

How it works in practice

A photographer is owed £4,200 by a marketing agency that cancelled a contract after the work was delivered. Before filing she sends a Letter Before Action; the agency does not respond, so she issues through Money Claim Online.

Claim value (including s.69 interest)

Issue fee (£3,000–£5,000 band)

Hearing fee (scaled, per EX50)

paid later if needed

Judgment if she wins

The agency files a defence, the case is allocated to the small claims track, and a hearing fee falls due six weeks before the hearing. Two weeks after allocation the agency offers £3,900 plus the issue fee to settle. She accepts, tells the court promptly, and the case ends without the hearing fee ever being paid.

Help with Fees: remission for those who qualify

scheme (form EX160, or online) can wipe out or reduce any of these fees. Eligibility looks at whether you receive a qualifying benefit — such as Universal Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance — and at your income and savings. Each fee needs its own application, made before or at the time the fee is due, and a successful application means the fee is never charged rather than refunded later. The detail, including what happens if you have already paid, is on our

• Forgetting the hearing fee.
• The issue fee gets the claim started; a second fee falls due if the case heads to a hearing. The court sets a deadline, and an unpaid hearing fee can end the claim by strike-out.
• Rounding the claim up.
• Adding a speculative £200 to a solid £2,900 claim moves the fee up a band and hands the defendant an easy point at the hearing. Claim what the evidence supports.
• Assuming fees are lost money.
• Fees are normally recoverable on top of the judgment. Track them, list them in the claim, and include them when you enforce.
• People pay fees the Help with Fees scheme would have covered. Check eligibility before paying — the application takes minutes.
• Relying on stale figures.
• Fee amounts are revised periodically — several civil fees rose on 13 July 2026, though the small claims issue ladder did not. Confirm against the current EX50 before paying.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008 (as amended)
• (legislation.gov.uk)
• EX50 — civil and family court fees
• Get help with court fees (Help with Fees)
• Make a court claim for money
• County Courts Act 1984, s.69 (interest)

Working out whether a claim is worth the fee?

Start My Claim helps you weigh what you are owed against what it costs, then build the claim yourself.

Last reviewed: August 2026.

Fee figures checked against the published EX50 schedule following the 13 July 2026 revisions, as in force on 24 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.