County court claim in the UK. What it means and what to do.

If you've received a claim form from a county court, or if you're thinking about bringing a claim against someone, you need to understand how the process works. Many people freeze when they see a court document in the post. The county court system looks complicated from the outside, but it's actually built to be fair and transparent. The rules are public. The deadlines are clear. You have options at every stage.

This guide explains what a county court is, what happens when a claim reaches you, what a county court judgment means, and what your options are if you want to respond or defend yourself.

The short version

A county court is the main civil court in England and Wales. It handles money claims, property disputes, consumer complaints, and many other civil matters. When someone wants to sue someone else for money or for an injunction, they usually start in a county court.

If you're the person being sued, you have 14 days to acknowledge the claim and 28 days to file a defence. If you don't respond, the other side can get a default judgment against you. A default judgment is a court order saying you owe the money, made without your side of the story being heard. If it goes unpaid, this judgment gets registered as a county court judgment, or CCJ. A CCJ stays on your credit record for six years and makes it much harder to borrow money.

The county court system has three different tracks, depending on the size of the claim. Small claims are dealt with quickly and cheaply. Fast-track cases move through more slowly. Multi-track cases for large disputes get the full court resources.

At a glance

What is the county court?

The county court in England and Wales is a single national court that sits in many locations. Before 2014, there were hundreds of separate local county courts. Now there is one county court with district registries and hearing centres scattered across England and Wales.

For paperwork purposes, most cases are handled by the Civil National Business Centre, based in Northampton. That's where claim forms are processed, where replies are filed, and where procedural orders are issued. But hearings still happen locally, in courtrooms near you. If you're sued, the hearing will usually be at the court closest to where the dispute happened or where you live.

The county court is a civil court, not a criminal one. It handles disputes between people or companies about money, property, contracts, employment, personal injury, and hundreds of other matters. It is not the place for criminal cases; those go to the magistrate's court or Crown Court.

How a claim reaches you

Someone (the claimant) decides they have a legal claim against you. They fill out a claim form, usually on form N1. They write down what the claim is about, what they say you've done wrong, and how much money they're claiming. They file this form at court and pay a court fee. The court checks that the form is complete, then serves a copy on you. Serving means officially delivering it, either by post, by email, by hand, or through a process server.

When you get the claim form, it will have a response pack attached. This tells you exactly what you need to do and when. Read it carefully. The dates are not suggestions.

Your deadlines as the defendant

This is crucial. Get these dates right.

Within 14 days of the claim being served on you, you must acknowledge receipt of the claim. You do this by filing a form N9A (acknowledgement of service). If you acknowledge, it buys you time. You then have 28 days from the date you were served to file a defence. A defence means your written response explaining why you don't owe the money, or why the claim is wrong in some way.

If you file a defence within 28 days, the case proceeds through the court system with both sides having their say.

If you do not respond within 14 days, and you do not acknowledge the claim, the claimant can ask the court to enter a default judgment against you. This means the judge will make an order in your favour without ever hearing from you. You will owe the money, plus the court fee, plus possibly the claimant's legal costs. All because you didn't file a form.

Some people receive the claim but ignore it, hoping it will go away. It does not go away. It gets worse. Once a default judgment is entered, you can still try to get it set aside (overturned) if you have a good reason, but you are fighting an uphill battle. Judges are reluctant to overturn a default judgment if you had fair notice and just didn't respond.

The claim tracks

Once both sides have put in their documents, the court decides which track the case will follow. The track depends on the value of the claim and how complex it is.

Small claims track: claims up to GBP 10,000 go onto the small claims track. These cases are dealt with informally, usually by a judge on their own without a jury. You can represent yourself, and the other side can too. The advantage is that costs are limited. Even if you lose, you usually only pay the court fee, not the winner's legal bills. The disadvantage is that the hearing is quick and straightforward, with limited time for complicated arguments. If you think you have a strong case, small claims can be fast and cheap. If you need technical legal expertise, you might struggle.

Fast track: claims between GBP 10,001 and GBP 100,000 go on the fast track. These are more formal. The court sets fixed dates and timetables. There is usually one hearing, lasting a few hours to a couple of days. If you lose, you pay the winner's legal costs, but they are capped. This is where many disputed contract claims, construction disputes, and professional negligence claims end up.

Multi-track: claims above GBP 100,000, or cases that are too complex for the fast track, go on the multi-track. These are the big cases. The court gives the parties more time, there may be several hearings, and the case can take a year or more to resolve. Costs are not capped, so if you lose you could end up paying tens of thousands of pounds in the other side's legal bills. This is also where cases involving expert evidence, multiple parties, or novel legal questions are handled.

What happens if the claimant gets a judgment

If the court decides the claimant has won, it makes an order saying you owe the money. This is the judgment. The claimant then has to enforce it, meaning they have to actually collect the money from you.

If the judgment is not paid within 28 days of the order, the claimant can use court enforcement powers. They can ask the court to send a bailiff to take goods from you and sell them to pay the debt. They can get a charging order on your house. They can apply to freeze your bank account. If you ignore court orders, you can also be held in contempt of court.

A judgment stays on the court record for six years. If the claimant obtains a judgment against you and it is registered on the Register of Judgments, it shows up on your credit file as a county court judgment, or CCJ. This severely damages your credit rating. Lenders will refuse you. You won't be approved for a mortgage, a car loan, or a credit card. Some landlords will refuse to rent to you. Some employers will check your credit file too.

Even if you later pay the judgment, it still shows on your credit file for six years from the date of the judgment. After six years it disappears automatically.

What a CCJ is and how it affects you

A county court judgment is a formal order of the court saying you owe money. The judgment itself is neutral; what matters is that it gets registered on the Register of Judgments, operated by Insolvency Service. Once it's on the register, credit agencies see it and add it to your credit file.

A CCJ is different from a debt. A debt is money you owe. A CCJ is a court order saying you owe money. You can have a debt without a CCJ (if the creditor hasn't sued you). You can have a CCJ without currently owing money (if you've paid off the judgment). But a CCJ on your credit file is a powerful negative signal to anyone who checks it.

A CCJ affects:

• Your ability to borrow money. Lenders see it and assume you're a high risk.
• Your mortgage prospects. Most mortgage lenders will refuse you within six years of a CCJ.
• Your rental prospects. Many landlords run credit checks now.
• Your insurance premiums. They can go up.
• Your job prospects. Some employers run credit checks.

The only way to get a CCJ off your credit file before six years is to pay it in full, then ask the court to remove it. Even then, the court is not obliged to. Usually they will if you pay within a month of the judgment. After that, they're less likely.

Can you get a judgment set aside?

If a default judgment has been entered against you, you can apply to the court to have it set aside, which means overturned. But you have to move quickly, and you have to have a good reason.

The court will consider your application more favourably if you can show:

• You have a real defence to the claim (not just "I don't want to pay").
• You acted promptly when you found out about the judgment.
• You were not properly served with the original claim form.
• There is good reason for your delay in responding.

If you can show you never received the claim form in the first place, you have a strong case. If you just didn't get around to responding, your case is much weaker.

What if you ignore a county court claim

This is important enough to repeat. If you receive a claim and do nothing:

• After 14 days, the claimant can enter a default judgment.
• You are then on the court record as owing the money.
• If it's not paid, a CCJ is registered against you.
• Your credit score drops sharply.
• For six years, lenders will refuse you.
• The claimant can use bailiffs and bank freezes to enforce the judgment.
• If you ignore court orders to pay, you can be prosecuted for contempt of court.

Ignoring a claim does not make it go away. It makes everything worse.

Common misconceptions

"County court claims are always for large amounts of money." Wrong. The small claims track handles claims up to GBP 10,000. The majority of claims are small claims. Many are for a few hundred pounds.

"You need a lawyer to defend a claim." Not for small claims. The whole point of the small claims track is that you can represent yourself. You do not need a lawyer, and the costs are capped so you won't pay the other side's legal bills even if you lose.

"A judgment can be overturned easily." It is hard to overturn a default judgment if you had proper notice and just didn't respond. You need a good reason and you have to act quickly.

"The county court is only for serious disputes." It is the main court for civil disputes of any size. Contract breaches, small debts, consumer complaints, building disputes, employment disagreements, and hundreds of other things start here.

"A CCJ disappears after 6 years automatically." Yes, but only from the Register of Judgments. It may linger on some credit files or be recorded elsewhere. After six years it is no longer a legal barrier to borrowing, but if the judgment is old you might still need to explain it to lenders.

"You can ignore a court order." You cannot. Court orders are binding. If you ignore them you can be held in contempt of court, which can result in fines or imprisonment.

The Money Claim Online system

For claims up to GBP 100,000, the claimant can use Money Claim Online, or MCOL. This is a digital system that lets claimants file claims electronically without going to a physical court office. If you are sued through MCOL, the procedures are the same, but everything is done online. You still get 14 days to acknowledge and 28 days to defend. You file your defence electronically too.

MCOL is faster and cheaper than paper claims. Many solicitors and frequent claimants use it. It's the same legal process, just on a computer instead of in an office.

What your options are if you're defending a claim

If you believe the claim is wrong, you have several options. You can:

• Admit the full claim and ask the court for time to pay in instalments.
• Admit part of the claim and defend the rest.
• Defend the claim entirely, saying you don't owe the money or that the amount is wrong.
• Make a counterclaim, suing the other side for money you think they owe you.
• Raise a legal defence, such as limitation (the claim is too old), or set-off (they owe you the same amount).

All of these require you to file a response document with the court. Forms are available on the gov.uk website. If you're not sure which one applies to you, a solicitor can advise. If you can't afford a solicitor, Citizens Advice has free guides and can point you toward local free legal advice.

What happens next

Once you've filed a defence, the case proceeds through the court system. Both sides exchange documents, evidence, and witness statements. Either side can ask for a hearing, or the judge can decide the case on the papers without a hearing.

For small claims, the hearing is usually quick and informal. You explain your side, the other side explains theirs, and the judge decides.

For fast-track and multi-track cases, there are usually case management conferences where the judge sets timetables and decides what evidence is needed. Then there is a trial or final hearing where both sides present their case fully and the judge gives a judgment.

This process takes time. Small claims typically take 6 to 9 months from start to finish. Fast-track cases take 6 to 12 months. Multi-track cases can take years.

Related concepts

If you found this page useful, these terms come up often when dealing with court claims:

• Default judgment. A judgment made in favour of the claimant because the defendant didn't respond.
• Set-aside. An application to overturn a default judgment.
• CCJ. A county court judgment registered on your credit file.
• Claim form N1. The document used to start a county court claim.
• Defence form N9B. The document you use to respond to a claim.
• Acknowledgement of service (N9A). The form you file if you need more time to prepare your defence.
• Particulars of Claim. The document explaining what the claim is about.
• Skeleton Argument. A written summary of legal arguments, used in hearings.
• Fast track. The middle track for claims between GBP 10,001 and GBP 100,000.
• Multi-track. The full procedure for claims above GBP 100,000 or complex cases.

Sources

The information on this page is based on:

• UK Government. How to make a court claim for money. https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money
• HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Civil Procedure Rules. https://www.judiciary.uk/guidance/civil-procedure-rules/
• Money Claim Online. Official government digital system for claims up to GBP 100,000. https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/
• Insolvency Service. Register of Judgments. https://www.register-of-judgments.org.uk/

This page was reviewed for accuracy on 2026-05-27. Court procedures and fee levels change occasionally; check the gov.uk website and the court service for the most current information.

A note on what this page is and isn't

This is information about how the county court works. It is not legal advice on your particular situation. County courts are fair systems, but they are also strict about procedure. If you've been served with a claim and you want to defend it, or if you're thinking about bringing a claim, talk to a solicitor about your specific case.

CaseCalm helps people understand UK court procedures and draft their own documents. We are not a law firm and we are not authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. When your situation needs legal advice tailored to your case, we point you to qualified professionals.

Written by Peter Kolomiets. Reviewed for accuracy 2026-05-27. Comments or corrections to peter@casecalm.com.