Making a small claim

Summary

MCOL will calculate the correct fee for you based on how much you’re claiming. You’ll be asked for your credit or debit card details. Enter your email address if you want a receipt. You can download a copy of your filled in claim form. Keep a copy of your form and make one copy for the court and one for each defendant. The address to send your form to is different depending on whether you’re claiming just for money or for something else, like repairs. If you’re only claiming a sum of money, send the original and the copies for the court and the defendants to the Civil National Business Centre. Your call is likely to be free of charge if you have a phone deal that includes free calls to landlines - find out more about calling 030 numbers. If you filled in a paper form and are claiming money and anything else - like an order that repairs be done - send it to your local county court. Find your local county court. The court will send a copy of your claim form to the defendant. If you made your claim on a paper form or through MCOL, the defendant must tell you they’ve received your claim within 14 days either by sending a reply or a form called an ‘acknowledgement of service’. If they.

Key information

• •requesting a judgment if you claimed through Money Claim Online - check how to request a judgment on GOV.UK
• •filling in form N225 if you claimed a fixed (‘specified’) amount
• •filling in form N227 if you claimed an ‘unspecified’ amount
• •MCOL will calculate the correct fee for you based on how much you’re claiming. You’ll be asked for your credit or debit card details.
• •Keep a copy of your form and make one copy for the court and one for each defendant. The address to send your form to is different depending on whether you’re claiming just for money or for something else, like repairs.
• •If you’re only claiming a sum of money, send the original and the copies for the court and the defendants to the Civil National Business Centre.
• •Your call is likely to be free of charge if you have a phone deal that includes free calls to landlines - find out more about calling 030 numbers.
• •If you filled in a paper form and are claiming money and anything else - like an order that repairs be done - send it to your local county court. Find your local county court.
• •Find out how to pay your court fee to send a postal order on GOV.UK.
• •The court will send a copy of your claim form to the defendant. If you made your claim on a paper form or through MCOL, the defendant must tell you they’ve received your claim within 14 days either by sending a reply or a form called an ‘acknowledgement of service’.
• •If they send you an acknowledgement of service, they have 28 days to send you a reply. The 28 days start from when they receive the details of your claim.
• •If you used Civil Money Claims, the defendant has 19 days from the day the claim is made. If they need longer, they must tell the court. The most they can have is 33 days.

Practical guidance

• •Source: [Making a small claim](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/legal-system/small-claims/making-a-small-claim/)

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