Small claims in England and Wales: where to check the procedure

For a money claim in England and Wales, the procedure is published on the GOV.UK guidance page "Make a court claim for money", which is maintained by HM Courts & Tribunals Service. It covers applying to a county court for money you are owed by a person or a business. You can apply online or by post.

What the official guidance covers

The guidance describes the county-court money-claim route. You apply to a county court to claim money you are owed by a person or a business. This is known as making a court claim.

The same page records that this used to be known as taking someone to a "small claims court". Use the current HM Courts & Tribunals Service guidance to check the application route.

Does it apply where you live?

This guidance applies to England and Wales. The GOV.UK page states that there is a different process to make a court claim in Scotland, and a different process to make a court claim in Northern Ireland.

If the defendant, the dispute or the property sits outside England and Wales, start from the procedure for that jurisdiction rather than from this page.

Does it apply to your type of dispute?

This article focuses on claiming money you are owed by a person or a business. For another type of dispute, look for the relevant official guidance before choosing a route.

What this article does not tell you

Fees, time limits and documents should be checked on the current official guidance for the route you intend to use. This page identifies the official starting point; it does not decide whether a particular claim can proceed.

Checking the procedure is the first step, not the whole of it: the guidance is published by the court service itself, so it is the version to work from rather than any summary.

Sources

• Make a court claim for money: What a court claim is - GOV.UK