Small Claims Court Fees: How Much Are They and Who Pays?

CaseCraft.AI makes filing and monitoring your small claims case much easier. The secure online platform gives you at-a-glance access to all documents, notices and alerts, so you can easily stay on top of important details like court fees and take the hassle out of seeking legal restitution for your money claim.

Money Claims Court Fee

First in a series of small claims court fees payable by the claimant, the money claims court fee is paid when you first issue proceedings. The amount you pay in money claims court fees depends on how much compensation you are seeking through the court.

As of the 9th March 2015, the following money claims court fees have applied to small claims court cases:

Listing Questionnaire (Pre-Trial Checklist) Fees

Currently, claimants are not required to pay listing questionnaire court fees for small claims cases. This pre-trial checklist fee applies to claims raised via fast-track (those with a monetary value of £10,000 to £25,000) and those raised via multi-track (usually money claims with a value of £25,000 or more).

UK Small Claims Court Hearing Fees

In the UK small claims court, hearing fees are payable by the claimant unless the case continues on a counterclaim basis alone, in which case they are payable by the defendant. While this does increase the cost of claiming, small claims court is designed to make seeking legal compensation for small monetary claims as simple as possible. This is why, in most cases, small claims court cases are resolved without a hearing. Telephone mediation is available, and the District Judge will attempt to decide the case without a hearing even if mediation proves unsuccessful.

Should proceedings amp up, and a hearing become necessary, the following UK small claims court hearing fees apply:

UK Small Claims Court Fees For Copy Documents

It is generally advisable to keep copies of all court documents you submit and which are issued to you. If you ask the court to make copies of documents, there is a fee to pay. This starts at £10 for between 1 and 10 pages of any document and increases by 50p for every extra page of the same document. You can also ask the court to provide paper copies of digital documents for £10 per document. However, it is much cheaper and easier to upload digital copies of your court files and case evidence to a secure, AI-powered small claims platform like CaseCraft.AI.

General Fees For Civil Proceedings

Small claims court fees in England vary depending on the amount of money you are claiming in compensation. It is essential to be aware of all general small claims court fees payable before issuing a claim, as the cost of bringing your case may render the action irrelevant. 

Sometimes, additional court fees may apply. For instance, if you need to amend your money claim, you will need to make an application to the court. This will carry a general application fee, which will depend on whether the claim has been served on the other party yet. 

All court fees in the UK are listed in statutory instruments (SIs) known as fee orders, which can be found on the GOV.UK website. Fees are subject to change, and it is important to ensure you are aware of the latest small court fees before raising your claim.

Companies Acts and Insolvency Proceedings

Are you wondering ‘how much are small claims court fees in the UK if a company is insolvent or a person is bankrupt?’ When bringing a money claim against an insolvent or bankrupt defendant, you will still need to pay the same initial money claims court fee and potential hearing fee. Should you be awarded compensation, the court order applies even if the other party already has an existing CCJ or has been declared bankrupt. 

If you are entering a petition to make someone who owes you money bankrupt, known as a creditor’s petition, a fee of £280 applies. The same fee also applies to enter a wind-up petition order for a company, or to enter any other petition where no other fee is specified. There is also an additional amount, known as the Official Receiver’s deposit, payable at the same time as the court fee. The court processing your application will tell you how much this is when you pay.

Other Civil Court Fees

Other civil court fees that may apply, depending on the complexity of your case, include applications to amend your claim or to add a party, or requests to extend an injunction against the other side. It’s essential to keep a close eye on costs as your case progresses. If the case does not result in a favourable judgement, and you wish to appeal, you will need to pay £120 to file an appellant’s notice with the court. Other fees also apply during appeal proceedings.

The Cost of Civil Enforcement Proceedings

If you win your case and the other side fails to pay, you may need to take further steps to secure restitution, including commencing enforcement order proceedings. The cost of civil enforcement proceedings can be considerable, as fees apply at every stage, from seeking to obtain debtor information to issuing a warrant or enforcing an award in the County Court. Fees range from £30 to £300, depending on the required action.

While bringing a case to small claims court might seem costly, the good news is that if you win your case, the judgment in your favour will usually include reimbursement for your small claims court fees. This is why some people think of going to court for a money claim as a small claims court no win no fee solution. However, it is not recommended to consider court costs in this way, as fees can often increase or change depending on the case’s progress.