Start My Claim

Everything that happens in a UK small claims case, in plain English — is it a small claim, are you still in time, what court fees actually cost, the Letter Before Action, the hearing, and enforcement. No card, no catch.

Do I need a solicitor for a small claim?

No. The small claims track is built for people without one, and most claimants run their own case. Because legal costs generally aren’t recoverable even if you win, paying a solicitor by the hour rarely makes financial sense on a claim of this size.

What is a Letter Before Action, and do I really have to send one?

It’s a formal written demand giving the other side a clear deadline — usually 14 days — to pay or respond before you go to court. Courts in England and Wales expect to see one before a claim is issued, and skipping it can cost you the court’s goodwill, and sometimes costs, later.

How much does it cost to make a small claim?

The court issue fee runs from £35 to £455 depending on how much you’re claiming. If you win, the court normally orders the defendant to repay that fee on top of your claim, and you can usually add statutory interest as well.

What happens if the defendant just ignores everything?

Silence works in your favour. If they don’t respond within 14 days of being served, you can apply for default judgment and win without a hearing.

What if the defendant defends the claim?

For most defended claims under £10,000, you’ll be offered free telephone mediation through HM Courts & Tribunals Service first — many claims settle here. If not, it goes to a hearing in front of a district judge, usually under an hour, without wigs or theatrics.

What happens after I win?

A judgment is an instruction to pay, not a bank transfer. If the defendant still doesn’t pay within 14 days, you choose an enforcement route — a warrant of control, High Court enforcement, an attachment of earnings, or a third-party debt order against their bank account.

Is it worth claiming for a small amount?

Only you can weigh that up, but it’s worth asking three things honestly: can the defendant actually pay, is the amount comfortably above the fees and hassle, and can you evidence it with documents rather than a general sense that you’re owed money. Two clear yeses and a maybe usually means proceed.

Can I claim back what I spend getting help with my case?

Court fees, yes, if you win. A solicitor’s bill, generally no — that’s the rule (Civil Procedure Rules, rule 27.14) that makes the small claims track different from higher-value litigation, and it’s the reason most people either go it alone or use a fixed-fee service instead of paying by the hour.

Is your dispute actually a small claim?

Most money disputes worth up to

in England and Wales are handled on the small claims track — a part of the county court system deliberately designed for people without lawyers. Unpaid invoices, deposits never returned, faulty goods, poor workmanship, personal loans that went quiet, damage to property. If it comes down to money someone owes you, there’s a good chance it belongs here.

Four things make a claim solid before you spend any time on it:

Claims above £10,000 move to tracks where the costs rules change significantly — that’s the point at which weighing up professional help deserves harder thought.

Are you still in time?

Time limits for bringing a claim come from the

. Miss them, and even the strongest claim in the world usually dies before it starts.

Two things many people don’t know. A

part-payment or a written acknowledgment

of the debt can restart the clock. And

issuing the claim stops it

— so if you’re anywhere near a limitation date, act on the claim first and tidy up the paperwork second.

The whole process, at a glance. Every section below unpacks one of these steps.

Worked example — Sarah’s claim, start to finish

Sarah fitted a kitchen for a developer who owed her

, four months overdue. In her first 48 hours she found the signed quote, gathered 14 chasing messages — two of them saying “you’ll get paid this month,” which count as acknowledgments — confirmed the developer’s company was still active at Companies House, and totalled the debt to the exact pound.

The numbers: £1,850 plus £74 statutory interest (8% for six months) came to £1,924. Adding the £115 court issue fee brought the total the developer faced to £2,039 — and the letter suddenly read differently.

The developer ignored her letter but not the claim form. Two days before the mediation call, his solicitor offered £1,700. Sarah counter-offered £1,924 plus her £115 fee, and settled at £1,900 — eleven weeks after she wrote the first message.

Every one of these steps strengthens your claim, and none of them commits you to anything.

Court fees — what it actually costs

These are court fees, paid to HM Courts & Tribunals Service when you file — not Start My Claim charges, whoever helps you with your claim. They range from £35 to £455 depending on the claim value.

The court adds a further hearing fee later if the case is defended and listed. Filing online is generally cheaper than filing on paper.

Three fee facts worth knowing. If you win, the court normally orders the defendant to repay the court fee on top of the claim. You can usually claim

statutory interest at 8% a year

on most debts. And on a low income or certain benefits,

(gov.uk) can reduce or remove the court fee entirely — worth checking before you pay anything.

Why paying for a solicitor rarely adds up on a small claim

Here’s the quirk of the small claims track that changes the whole economics of getting help:

even if you win, the losing side generally does not have to pay your legal costs

(Civil Procedure Rules, rule 27.14). Court fees, yes. A solicitor’s bill, no.

Typical rates run £150–£300 or more an hour. A few hours of letters and advice can swallow most of a £2,000 claim, and you can’t claim that back from the loser. Many firms simply won’t take small claims on, for exactly this reason.

A claims or debt recovery company

Usually paid as a percentage of whatever they recover — often a quarter or more of your money — and the claim stops being fully yours to control.

Entirely by yourself

Free, and plenty of people do it. The risk is the procedural traps — limitation, service rules, evidence formats — the same mistakes covered later in this guide.

One fixed fee — £49 for the letter, £119 for the full case — no hourly clock, no percentage of your money, and every document in the format courts expect. You stay in control; the software does the paperwork. This is self-service software, not a solicitor acting for you.

Is self-representation right for you?

The previous section compares the cost of each route. This one is about fit, not cost — four honest questions worth asking yourself before you decide how to go about this. The small claims track was designed for people without a lawyer, and most people who bring one run it themselves.

None of this is pass or fail

Most people who read this far manage all four just fine. Three honest paths, depending on how it felt reading the list above:

Free, and thousands do it well. The risk is the procedural traps covered under Five Mistakes below.

Alone, with Start My Claim.

You stay in control of every decision; the software builds the documents in the format the court expects, and is built to help you catch the deadlines and mistakes above before they cost you anything.

Worth genuinely considering if your claim involves multiple defendants or turns on a complex point of contract law — a real cost-benefit call, not a failure to cope on your own.

Anatomy of a Letter Before Action

It isn’t a threat — it’s the formal start of the process courts expect. Precision is what makes people pay: vague letters get ignored, specific ones get taken seriously.

The wording matters as much as the structure. Our letter builder produces one from your case details, in the format courts expect — that’s part of what the paid plans cover, on the pricing table further down this page.

When they respond — or don’t

A strong letter often produces a phone call within days — and that call is where good claims get talked away. Five rules.

“Without prejudice” in one line

Words on a genuine settlement offer meaning it can’t be shown to the judge later, so both sides can negotiate freely. Don’t stamp it on everything — it doesn’t make facts disappear.

Hearing day and enforcement

The hearing, demystified.

Bring three copies of everything — yours, theirs, the judge’s. A one-page dated chronology is the most persuasive document most claimants ever produce. The judge runs the hearing and asks the questions — nothing like television. Judgment usually comes the same day, with payment ordered within 14 days.

Winning is half the job.

A judgment is an instruction, not a bank transfer. If they still don’t pay, you choose the enforcement route that matches what you know about the defendant:

Choosing the route that matches what you know about the defendant is the difference between paper and money.

Five mistakes people make

Is it worth claiming?

Three questions, answered honestly, save a lot of wasted fees.

Two yeses and a maybe? It’s usually worth proceeding. Three nos? Sometimes the bravest decision is to walk away — better to know that now than after paying a court fee to find out.

Small claims, decoded — the words you’ll meet along the way, in plain English.

The full plain-English glossary lives at

What it costs to do it with us

Everything above is the map — the tools do the driving, if you want them to. One-off payments, no subscription, and this is self-service software, not a solicitor acting on your behalf.

Letter Before Action Only

Covers the letter through to filing your claim — enough for when a formal, court-format demand does the job, as it does for most people.

Adds what you need if they dig in and defend it — the witness statement builder and hearing preparation guide, through to the hearing itself.

Start with the letter and upgrade later? Your £49 is automatically credited — Full Case costs you the £70 difference. See the full comparison on the

The small claims process, step by step

Small claims pricing

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