Start My Claim

Step-by-step guide to filing a small claim via Money Claim Online (HMCTS). What you need before you start, fees, particulars of claim, common errors, the paper N1 alternative, and what happens after you submit.

Free account at moneyclaim.gov.uk. You need an email address and a UK postal address. Takes about five minutes. Use the same email for all future correspondence on the case.

Enter the defendant's details

Full legal name (individual or company), address for service, and — for companies — their Companies House number if you have it. Get the legal name right: mistakes here can invalidate service.

Enter the claim amount

The principal sum, plus interest from the date the debt fell due (usually 8% per year under s.69 County Courts Act 1984), plus the court fee. MCOL calculates the daily interest rate for you.

Write the particulars of claim

A short, plain-English statement of WHY they owe you the money. Two or three sentences covering: the contract, the breach, and the loss. The Particulars Builder fills this in for you, but you can write your own.

£35 to £455 depending on claim amount. Pay by card on MCOL. The fee is added to your claim and you recover it from the defendant if you win.

You get an instant case number. The defendant is served by post within 5 working days and has 14 days to respond once they receive it.

How to file a small claim using Money Claim Online (MCOL)

Gather your information

Collect the defendant's full legal name and address, the exact amount owed with interest calculation, and your particulars of claim drafted in plain English.

Create a free account at moneyclaim.gov.uk using your email address and UK postal address.

Add the defendant's details, the claim amount (principal plus 8% statutory interest), and your particulars of claim.

Pay the court fee by debit or credit card. Fees range from £35 to £455 depending on the claim amount. The fee is recoverable from the defendant if you win.

Submit and wait for service

MCOL issues the claim immediately and serves the defendant by post within 5 working days. The defendant has 14 days to respond from the date of service.

Request default judgment if no response

If the defendant does not respond within 14 days, log back into MCOL and request judgment in default. The court enters judgment automatically for the full amount plus the issue fee.

What you need before you start

Getting these ready before you open MCOL saves time and prevents mid-form errors that force you to start over.

• The defendant's full legal name and address for service. For companies, use the registered office (free search at Companies House) — not the trading address. Getting this wrong can invalidate service.
• The exact amount you are claiming: principal debt plus 8% statutory interest under s.69 County Courts Act 1984, calculated from the date the debt fell due.
• Your particulars of claim: two to four sentences explaining the contract, the breach, and your loss. Draft these in a text editor before you start so you can paste without time pressure.
• A debit or credit card for the issue fee (£35 to £455 depending on claim size). The fee is recoverable from the defendant if you win.

The six-step MCOL flow

From registration to a served claim in about 30 minutes, assuming you have your facts and figures ready.

Common MCOL errors and how to avoid them

The paper alternative — Form N1

If MCOL is not available for your case — the defendant is overseas, you have multiple claimants, or you need a non-money order — use Form N1, available from gov.uk or any county court.

The N1 process is slower: you post or deliver the form to the court, the court stamps it and serves the defendant by post, and the deemed service date runs from the court's posting rather than MCOL's automated service. Paper fees are also higher in each band.

The substantive process after issue — defence window, allocation, mediation, hearing — is identical whether you filed via MCOL or N1. The main reason to choose N1 over MCOL is necessity, not preference.

What happens after you file

MCOL serves the defendant by first-class post within 5 working days of issue. The defendant is deemed served two business days after the court posts the claim form. Their 14-day response window starts from that deemed service date.

• Defendant pays in full: case resolved, no judgment registered.
• Defendant files an Admission (N9A).
• Admits the debt and proposes payment. You decide whether to accept or push for more.
• Defendant files a Defence (N9B).
• The case proceeds to allocation, Directions Questionnaires, mediation, and a hearing.
• Defendant files an Acknowledgment of Service.
• Buys them 14 more days to file a defence (28 days total from service).
• No response after 14 days.
• Request default judgment through MCOL. Judgment is entered for the full amount plus interest and the issue fee. Move straight to enforcement.