Court fees (England and Wales)

Contents

1. Starting your claim 2. Non-money claims 3. Counterclaim 4. Preparing for trial 5. Pre-trial checklist and hearing fees 6. Hearing fee 7. Refunding hearing fees 8. Small claim hearing 9. Fast track, multi track or non-money claim hearing 10. General applications 11. Appeals 12. Assessment of costs 13. Copies of documents 14. Enforcing judgments 15. Enforcing an Award in the County Court 16. Enforcing an Award in the High Court 17. Warrants (County Court only) 18. Writs (High Court only) 19. Order to obtain information from a judgment debtor 20. Attachment of earnings 21. Charging orders 22. Third party debt orders 23. Judgment summons 24. Satisfaction of county court judgments 25. Insolvency proceedings 26. Bankruptcy and company winding up 27. Bankruptcy searches 28. On filing 29. Family court fees 30. Marriage and Civil partnership proceedings 31. Ancillary relief 32. Children 33. On filing an application or requesting leave under the Children Act 1989 34. Children Act and Adoption applications 35. Maintenance orders 36. Applications within proceedings 37. Appeals to the High Court and county court 38. Searches 39. Index of decrees absolute or final orders 40. Index of parental responsibility agreements 41. How can I make payment to the court? 42. What if I cannot afford the fee?

To issue a claim form where your claim is for money only and the amount is:

Amount of claim	Court issued fee	Money claim online
Up to £300	£30	£25
£300.01 - £500	£50	£35
£500.01 - £1,000	£80	£60
£1,000.01 - £5,000	£120	£70
£5,000.01 - £15,000	£250	£80
£15,000.01 - £50,000	£400	£100
£50,000.01 - £100,000	£700	£210
£100,000.01 - £150,000	£900	£340
£150,000.01 - £200,000	£1,100	£595 Note
£200,000.01 - £250,000	£1,300	N/A
£250,000.01 - £300,000	£1,500	N/A
Over £300,000 or for an unlimited amount	£1,700	N/A
To issue proceedings where your claim is for something other than money	£150	N/A

• Note Maximum amount for money claims on MCOL is £99,999.99

To issue a claim for something other than money, including possession, the following fees will be payable based on where you start your claim:

• High Court £400
• County Court £50
• Possession Claims Online (PCOL) £100

(PCOL can only be used for possessions concerning rent or mortgage arrears).

Certain non-money claims will attract the multi-track allocation, pre-trial checklist and hearing fees. You should check with the court to see if your case is affected.

To make a claim against the claimant (a ‘counterclaim’) the fees above apply; that is, the fee to be paid depends on the amount of the counterclaim and in the instance of non-money claims the fee depends on the court. It must be paid when the counterclaim is filed at the court office.

Allocation to track:

Type of claim	Fee
Small Claims Track for money of £1,500 or less	No fee
Small Claims Track (where the claim is more than £1,500)	£135
Fast Track and Multi Track Claims	£200

This fee is payable by the claimant except where the case is proceeding on a counterclaim alone, when it is payable by the defendant.

Where a fee is due, it must either be paid when the allocation questionnaire is filed, unless:

• The court decides that an allocation questionnaire is not required; or
• The Civil Procedure Rules do not require an allocation questionnaire to be completed,

then, the fee must be paid within 28 days of:

• filing the defence (or the filing of the last defence if there is more than one defendant); or
• expiry of the time for filing all defences,

whichever is soonest.

Warning: If you do not pay the allocation fee when required, the court can make an order which may lead to your statement of case (claim or counterclaim) being ‘struck out’. This would mean that you could not proceed with your claim (or counterclaim).

Small Claim Track where the amount claimed is:	Hearing fee
Up to £300	£25
Between £300 and £500	£50
Between £500 and £1,000	£75
Between £1,000.01 and £1,500	£100
Between £1,500.01 and £3,000	£150
More than £3,000	£300

Type of claim	Pre trial checklist	Hearing fee
Fast track cases	£100	£500
Multi-track cases	£100	£1,000

The fees are payable by the claimant except where the case is proceeding on a counterclaim alone, when they are payable by the defendant. The fees must be paid on the filing of the listing questionnaire.

Both pre-trial and hearing fee must be paid at the same time the pre-trial checklist is filed. If pre-trial checklists are not required, or the case is on the small claims track, the fees must be paid within 4 days of:

• the despatch of the notice of the trial date or trial week; or
• the date when you are told of the trial date or trial week, if no written notice is given.

Warning: If you do not pay the allocation, pre-trial checklist or hearing fees when required, the court can make an order which may lead to your statement of case (claim or counterclaim) being ‘struck out’. This would mean that you could not proceed with your claim (or counterclaim).

You could get a full refund of the hearing fee if you notify the court in writing, at least 7 days before the trial date or start of the trial week in which the case is settled or discontinued.

You could get a refund of some or all of the hearing fee if you notify the court in writing that the case is settled or discontinued. The following amounts will be refunded where the court is notified:

More than 28 days before the hearing	100% of fee
Between 28 and 5 days before the hearing	75% of fee
Between 4 and 7 days before the hearing	50% of fee
Fewer than 7 days before the hearing	no refund

Application on notice where no other fee is specified	£75
Application to set aside a County Court Judgment	£75
Application by consent or without notice where no other fee is specified	£40
Application to vary a judgment or suspend enforcement	£35
Application for a summons or order for a witness to attend	£35
Application for a certificate of satisfaction of a judgment debt	£15

No fee is payable for an application by consent for an adjournment of a hearing if received by the court at least four days before the date of the hearing.

To file an appellant’s notice or a respondent’s notice where the respondent is appealing, or wishes to ask the appeal court to uphold the order of the lower court for reasons different from, or additional to, those given by the lower court in:

Type of claim	Fee
The small claims track	£100
All other claims	£120

These fees do not apply on appeals against a decision made in detailed cost assessment proceedings.

On filing a request for a detailed assessment:

• Where the party who files the request is legally aided or funded by the Legal Services Commission (LSC) £ 40

Where the following applications are made, the fee payable depends on the amount of costs being claimed:

• Filing a request for a detailed assessment where the party filing the request is not legally aided or funded by the LSC; or
• Request for a hearing date for the assessment of costs following an order under Part 3 of the Solicitors Act 1974

where the costs claimed are:

up to £5,000	£300
£5,000 - £50,000	£600
£50,000 - £100,000	£900
£100,000 - £150,000	£1,200
£150,000 - £200,000	£1,500
£200,000 - £300,000	£2,250
£300,000 - £500,000	£3,750
more than £500,000	£5,000

Appeal against a decision made in detailed assessment proceedings	£200
Request to issue a default costs certificate	£60
Request or application to set aside a default costs certificate	£100
Application for approval of a costs certificate payable from the Community Legal Service Fund	£50

A fee is charged by the court office for making photocopies receiving or sending a fax on your behalf, or providing a copy of a document already provided.

Type of claim	Fee
For between 1 and 10 pages of any document	£5
For each subsequent page of the same document	50p per sheet
For copies of documents provided on computer disk or other electronic form	£5 per copy

If the court has ordered someone to pay you a sum of money or to return your goods or a property/land, and they have not done so, you can issue enforcement proceedings.

Application for the enforcement of an award for a sum of money or other decision made by any court, tribunal, body or person other than the High Court or county court, unless where exceptions apply £35

Request or application: £50

• to register a judgment or order; or
• for permission to enforce an arbitration award; or
• for a certificate or certified copy of a judgment or order for use abroad.

To issue a warrant of execution (recovery of a sum of money)	£100
To issue a warrant of delivery (for goods)	£95
To issue a warrant of possession (recovery of a property or land)	£95
To request a further attempt to execute a warrant at a new address, except where a warrant has been suspended	£25

Sealing a writ of execution (recovery of a sum of money)	£50
Sealing a writ of delivery (for goods)	£50
Sealing a writ of possession (recovery of a property or land)	£50

• To issue an application for an order to obtain information from a judgment debtor £50
• To request bailiff service of an order for a judgment debtor or other person to attend court to provide information £100

Where a warrant or writ of delivery or possession also includes a claim for money, no additional fee is payable.

• To issue an application for an attachment of earnings order (A fee is payable for each defendant against whom the order is requested) £100

On a consolidated attachment of earnings order, for every £1, or part of a £1, of the money paid into court, a fee of 10p is deducted from the money before it is paid out to the creditors under the order.

• To issue an application for a charging order (A fee is payable for each charging order applied for) £100

• To issue an application for a third party debt order (payable in respect of each party against whom the order is requested)£100

• To issue an application for a judgment summons £100

• To ask for a certificate of satisfaction when a debt is paid in full within one month of the date of its entry £15

Type of petition	Fee
To issue a bankruptcy petition for your own affairs (debtor’s petition)	£150
To issue a bankruptcy petition against someone who owes you money (creditor’s petition)	£190
To issue a petition to wind up a company which owes you money	£190
Any other petition where no fee is specified	£190

These are only the court fees; the court will ask for additional money for the Official Receiver's deposit.

Type of service	Fee
Request for a certificate of discharge from bankruptcy	£60
And after the first certificate, for each copy	£5
Application on notice in existing insolvency proceedings, where no other fee is specified	£60
Conversion of voluntary arrangement to winding up or bankruptcy	£130
Application by consent or without notice in existing insolvency proceedings where no other fee is specified	£30

On a search in person, including where a court officer undertakes the search, of the bankruptcy and companies records in the:

• High Court, for each 15 minutes or part of 15 minutes £5
• County court £40

Type of service	Fee
Notice of intention to appoint an administrator	£30
Notice of appointment of administrator	£30

Where a person pays a fee on filing a notice of intention to appoint an administrator, no additional fee is payable on filing a notice of appointment of that administrator.

On submitting a nominee's report

£30

Not all county courts can deal with family cases. To find your nearest family court, ask at your local county court or visit the courts service website at www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk

Type of service	Fee
Filing a petition, including for divorce, dissolution, annulment and judicial separation	£300
Filing a second or subsequent petition with leave granted under Family Proceedings Rule 2.6(4)	£80
On applying for either a non-molestation order and/or an occupation order under Part IV of the Family Law Act 1996	£60
On filing originating proceedings where no other fee is specified	£200
On amending a petition	£80
On filing an answer to a petition or cross-petition	£200
Application to make a decree nisi, absolute (divorce), or a conditional order, final (dissolution)	£40

• Application on notice for ancillary relief, other than by consent £210
• Filing a notice of intention to proceed with an application for ancillary relief £210

Applications for injunctions Family homes and domestic violence applications:

• Application for a non-molestation order £60
• Application for an occupation order £60

Forced marriage applications:

• Application for a forced marriage protection order under Part 4 or Part 4A of the Family Law Act 1996 £60

An applicant can apply for any combination of these orders. Where an application is made for more than one of these orders at the same time, only one fee is payable.

Type of service	Fee
Private Law	£175
Public Law	£150
On commencing proceedings under the Adoption and Children Act 2002	£140

• Private Law cases are parental responsibility, guardians, section 8 orders and financial provision for children.
• Public Law cases include secure accommodation, care, supervision, contact with child in care, emergency protection, etc.

When applying for permission, no fee is payable on filing the subsequent application. Where an application is made or permission is sought under two or more provisions of the Children Act 989, or the Adoption and Children Act 2002, or the Children and Adoption Act 2006, only one fee is payable, and if the fees are different, the highest fee is paid.

Type of service	Fee
On filing an application for a maintenance order to be registered	£35
On filing an application for a maintenance order to be sent abroad for enforcement	£35

Type of service	Fee
Filing an application for an order without notice or by consent (including an application to make a decree nisi absolute), except where listed separately	£40
Filing an application on notice, except where listed separately	£80
Applications for a breach or revocation of an enforcement order	£80
Application for attaching a warning notice to a contact order	£40

On filing a notice of appeal:

Type of service	Fee
Of any decision in family proceedings made by a district judge in the High Court or county court	£100
Against a care or supervision order from a Magistrates’ Court	£140
Against a contribution order	£140

On a search in the index (for any specified period of 0 calendar years, or the ten most recent years) kept at:

• the Principal Registry of the Family Division; or £60
• any designated county court or District Registry £40

The fee includes a certificate of a decree absolute or final order, if appropriate.

• Search of the central index kept at the Principal Registry of the Family Division. £40

The fee includes a copy of the agreement, if appropriate.

You can make payment to the court by cash, cheque or postal order. Cheques and postal orders need to be made payable to HMCS. Please note that courts cannot accept payments by credit or debit cards.

Warning: If you do not pay the required fee, you may be unable to commence or continue with your claim.

The fee you will have to pay to the court will depend on the amount you are claiming, including interest. You will have to pay a court fee unless:

• You or your partner receive Income Support
• You or your partner receive Pension Credit guarantee credit
• You receive income-based Job Seeker’s Allowance
• Your gross annual income is £15,050 or less, and you receive Working Tax Credit with a ‘disability element’ or ‘severe disability element’
• Your gross annual income is £15,050 or less and you and your partner receive Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit between you
• Your gross annual income is less than £13,000 as a single person. The limit changes depending on the number of dependants you have and if you are married

If you show that the payment of a court fee would involve undue hardship to you, the Court Manager may reduce the fee or “remit” (say you do not have to pay) the fee.