Civil court fees (EX50)
Updated 19 January 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fees-in-the-civil-and-family-courts-main-fees-ex50/civil-court-fees-ex50
Overview
This guide sets out a selection of civil court fees. See the full list of fees charged in the civil and family courts (EX50A).
The full lists of all court fees are contained in statutory instruments (SIs) known as fees orders and can be found at www.legislation.gov.uk
The court fees set out on this page apply to, and are the same in, the High Court and in county courts and family courts, unless otherwise stated. Your local court will be able to help you identify any fee not covered here.
Find out how to pay a civil or family court fee, get help with fees or get a refund.
Issuing claims
Money claims (civil fees order 1.1 to 1.2)
To issue a claim for money, the fees are based on the amount you are claiming, plus interest.
| Value of your claim | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to £300 | £35 |
| More than £300 but no more than £500 | £50 |
| More than £500 but no more than £1,000 | £70 |
| More than £1,000 but no more than £1,500 | £80 |
| More than £1,500 but no more than £3,000 | £115 |
| More than £3,000 but no more than £5,000 | £205 |
| More than £5,000 but no more than £10,000 | £455 |
| More than £10,000 but no more than £200,000 | 5% of the value of the claim |
| More than £200,000 | £10,000 |
The maximum amount for Secure Data Transfer (SDT) or Money Claim OnLine (MCOL) is £99,999.99.
Secure Data Transfer is a secure system to enable customers issuing in bulk to upload and transfer data files directly from their systems to HM Courts and Tribunals Service systems.
Non-money claims
| Issue a claim for possession (fees order 1.4) | Fee |
|---|---|
| High Court possessions | £480 |
| County court possessions | £355 |
You can issue a claim for something other than money or possessions (fees order 1.5) – for example, civil injunctions, gas injunctions or anti-social behaviour injunctions. The fees are based on where you start your claim.
| Issue a claim for something other than money or possessions (fees order 1.5) | Fee |
|---|---|
| High Court (including possession claims) | £569 |
| County court | £332 |
If you file an application for a non-money claim (other than a claim for possession of land or recovery of goods) and a claim for damages, both court fees must be paid.
Example: county court fee or High Court fee (fee 1.5) plus relevant money claim fee (the court issued claim fee 1.1).
Certain non-money claims will attract the hearing fees set out in General fees for civil proceedings. Check with the court to see if your case is affected.
Other fees associated with starting a claim
| Issue proceedings | Fee |
|---|---|
| Against a party or parties not named in the proceedings (fees order 1.6) | £59 |
| Permission to issue proceedings (fees order 1.8a) | £59 |
The fees in this section are not paid in respect of applications to commence proceedings under the Companies Act or in insolvency proceedings. Instead, see Companies Acts and insolvency proceedings.
Counterclaims and additional claims
Money claims – the court fee (set out in Issuing claims) is based on the value of the counterclaim or additional claims.
If you need to amend your claim, you will need to make an application. For general applications fees, see General applications (fees order 2.4 to 2.8). The fee will depend on whether the claim has been served on the other party (the claim is ‘on notice’). If you amend the amount claimed, you will need to pay the difference for the court fee as set out in Issuing claims.
Non-money claims – the court fee is based on where the original claim was made, either in the High Court or county court. The court fees are set out above.
Costs proceedings
For court fees relating to the issue of costs only or cost assessment proceedings, go to Other civil court fees.
General fees for civil proceedings
The fees for issue of a claim are payable by the claimant. The hearing fees below are payable by the claimant, unless the case continues on the counterclaim alone, in which case the hearing fees are payable by the defendant.
Hearing fees (fees order 2.1)
| Type and value of claim | Fee |
|---|---|
| Small claims track for claims up to £300 | £27 |
| Small claims track for claims between £300.01 and £500 | £59 |
| Small claims track for claims between £500.01 and £1,000 | £85 |
| Small claims track for claims between £1,000.01 and £1,500 | £123 |
| Small claims track for claims between £1,500.01 and £3,000 | £181 |
| Small claims track for claims more than £3,000 | £346 |
| Fast track claims | £545 |
| Multi-track claims | £1,175 |
For more information, see:
- Small claims track in the civil courts (EX306)
- Fast track and the multi-track in the civil courts (EX305)
You must pay to the court the hearing fee or file an application for help with fees by the date given in the order.
Failure to pay the fee or make the appropriate application for help with fees will result in the claim or counterclaim being dismissed (struck out) with immediate effect, without further order and the hearing being removed from the list.
If your claim has been struck out, it will no longer exist. You may, if you wish, file an application to have the claim reinstated. However, the application will itself have a fee and, if the court permits the application to reinstate, that permission will be conditional on payment of the appropriate hearing fee or application for help with fees.
The hearing will be vacated, a counterclaim hearing fee is only payable by the defendant (if counterclaim acts alone).
The hearing fee is non-refundable. If parties settle before the hearing fee is due, the hearing fee will not need to be paid.
General applications (fees order 2.4 to 2.8)
‘On notice’ or ‘with notice’ means the other party has been notified of the application, regardless of whether there is a hearing or not.
‘Without notice’ means the other party has not been notified of the application, regardless of whether there is a hearing or not.
| Type of application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Application on notice where no other fee is specified – including creditor applications in the county court relating to the Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space) regulations | £275 |
| Application to set aside a county court judgment | £275 |
| Application by consent or without notice where no other fee is specified | £108 |
| Applications to vary (amend or change) or extend an injunction for protection from harassment or violence | £54 |
| Applications for a payment out of funds deposited in court | £54 |
If an application by consent or without notice is refused and is ordered on notice, the excess balance of the fee should be paid to the court to process the application on notice.
There is no fee for an application by consent for an adjournment of a hearing if received by the court at least 14 days before the date of the hearing.
| Type of application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Application to vary (amend or change) a judgment (or order), suspend enforcement or suspend a warrant of possession or stay a High Court writ | £14 |
| Application for a summons or order for a witness to attend court | £21 |
| Application for a certificate of satisfaction or cancellation of a judgment debt | £14 |
There is no fee for an application to prohibit cross-examination under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
Bulk applications – an application without notice fee is charged for each case to substitute or change a party’s name.
The only exception is county court business centre (CCBC) cases, where bulk applications are automated and therefore there is only one fee per application with multiple cases.
These applications are not due in respect of general applications to court under the Companies Act and insolvency proceedings.
Appeals (fees order 2.2 to 2.3)
Refer to Appeal a court decision: civil and family appeals (EX340).
| Filing an appellant’s or respondent’s notice | Fee |
|---|---|
| High Court | £259 |
| County court, small claims track | £129 |
| County court, all other claims | £151 |
Other fees apply in appeal proceedings where applications are made. These fees do not apply on appeals against a decision made in detailed cost assessment proceedings (see Other civil court fees).
Companies Acts and insolvency proceedings
In regard to the Companies Act 1985, Companies Act 2006 and Insolvency Act 1986, High Court and county court (fees order 3.1 to 3.12).
Bankruptcy and company winding-up petitions
| Type of petition | Fee |
|---|---|
| Entering a petition to make someone who owes you money bankrupt (creditor’s petition) | £302 |
| Entering a winding-up petition (companies only) | £302 |
| Entering a petition order for an administration order | £302 |
| Any other petition | £302 |
These are just the court fees. An additional amount, known as the official receiver’s deposit, is due at the same time as the court fee. The court processing your application will tell you how much the deposit is.
Some insolvency proceedings are allocated to the multi-track and will attract the multi-track hearing fees. Check with the court to see if your case is affected.
Other applications
| Type of application or request | Fee |
|---|---|
| Application under the Companies Acts or the Insolvency Act 1986 other than one brought by petition and where no other fee is specified (not due when made in existing proceedings) (fees order 3.5) | £280 |
| Application to convert a voluntary arrangement into a bankruptcy or winding-up (fees order 3.6) | £160 |
| Application on notice in existing insolvency or Companies Act proceedings where no other fee is specified (fees order 3.12) | £99 |
| Application by consent or without notice in existing insolvency or Companies Act proceedings where no other fee is specified (fees order 3.11) | £26 |
| Request for a certificate of discharge from bankruptcy (fees order 3.4a) | £75 |
| Request for a copy of a certificate of discharge from bankruptcy (fees order 3.4b) | £11 |
| Application to challenge a debt advisor’s decision (non-disclosure of residential address) under regulation 38(9) of the Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space) in England and Wales regulations 2020 (fees order 1.10) | £5 |
Bankruptcy searches
| Type of search | Fee |
|---|---|
| General search in the records of the High Court for each 15 minutes or part 15 minutes (fees order 10.3) | £12 |
| Search in person, including where a court officer searches the bankruptcy and companies records in the county court (fees order 3.13) | £45 |
Other civil court fees
Copy documents (fees order 4.1 to 4.2)
If you ask the court to make copies of documents, receive or send a fax on your behalf, or provide a copy of a document already provided.
| Number or format | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to 10 pages of any document | £11 |
| For every additional page after 10 | 50p |
| Documents provided on computer disk or other electronic format | £11 |
Costs only proceedings (fees order 1.8b)
Where parties have agreed a dispute without issuing a claim or petition, but the issue of costs has not been agreed, either party can issue a claim for costs only proceedings.
| Type of claim | Fee |
|---|---|
| Claim for starting costs only proceedings | £59 |
Costs assessment proceedings (fees order 1.8b)
Where a client is legally represented and there is a dispute over the amount of costs payable to the solicitor, the client can make an application for the costs to be assessed by the court (under part 3 of the Solicitors Act 1974 for the assessment of costs).
| Type of application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apply for costs assessment proceedings | £59 |
Determination of costs (fees order 5.1)
| Type of application, request or appeal | Fee |
|---|---|
| Filing a request for a detailed assessment where the party who files the request is legally aided or funded by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) | £237 |
| Appeal against a decision made in detailed assessment proceedings (fees order 5.4) | £249 |
| Request to issue a default costs certificate (fees order 5.3) | £71 |
| Request or application to set aside a default costs certificate (fees order 5.5) | £130 |
| Application for approval of a costs certificate payable from the Civil Legal Aid Fund (if the original request for detailed assessment was filed before 1 July 2013) (fees order 2.5b) | £54 |
For the following applications, the fee depends on the amount of costs being claimed:
- Request for a detailed assessment where the party filing the request is not legally aided or funded by the LAA
- Request for a hearing date for the assessment of costs following an order under part 3 of the Solicitors Act 1974
| Cost claimed (fees order 5.2) | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to £15,000 | £398 |
| £15,000.01 to £50,000 | £801 |
| £50,000.01 to £100,000 | £1,192 |
| £100,000.01 to £150,000 | £1,595 |
| £150,000.01 to £200,000 | £1,992 |
| £200,000.01 to £300,000 | £2,988 |
| £300,000.01 to £500,000 | £4,980 |
| More than £500,000 | £6,640 |
Civil enforcement proceedings
If the court has ordered someone to pay you a sum of money or to return your goods, property or land, and they have not done so, you can issue enforcement proceedings.
Order to obtain information from a debtor
| Type of order | Fee |
|---|---|
| Issue an application for an order for a debtor or other person to attend court to provide information (fees order 8.3) | £59 |
| Request bailiff service of an order for a debtor to attend court for questioning (fees order 8A.1) | £119 |
Warrants (fees order 8.1 to 8.2 and 8.6)
| Type of warrant | Fee |
|---|---|
| Issue a warrant of control (recovery of a sum of money) | £83 |
| Issue a warrant of delivery (for goods) | £130 |
| Issue a warrant of possession (recovery of a property or land) | £130 |
| Request a further attempt to execute a warrant at a new address, except where a warrant has been suspended | £33 |
Writs (High Court only) (fees order 7.1)
| Type of writ | Fee |
|---|---|
| Sealing a writ of control (recovery of a sum of money) | £71 |
| Sealing a writ of delivery (for goods) | £71 |
| Sealing a writ of possession (recovery of a property or land) | £71 |
Where a warrant or writ of delivery or possession also includes a claim for money, there is no additional fee.
Attachment of earnings (fees order 8.7)
| Type of application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apply for an attachment of earnings order | £119 |
There is a fee for each defendant against whom the order is requested.
On a consolidated attachment of earnings order, a fee of 10p for every £1, or part £1, of money paid into court, is deducted from the money before it is paid out to the creditors.
For more information see Attachment of earnings guidance.
Enforcing an award in the county court (fees order 8.9)
| Type of application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apply for the enforcement of an award in the county court | £47 |
You can apply 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
- for a sum of money made by the First-tier Tribunal, Upper Tribunal, Employment Tribunal or Employment Appeal Tribunal
Enforcing an award in the High Court (fees order 7.5)
| Type of application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apply for the enforcement of an award in the High Court | £71 |
You can make a request or application:
- to register a judgment or order
- for permission to enforce an arbitration award
- for a certificate or certified copy of a judgment or order for use abroad
Charging order (fees order 8.4(b))
| Type of application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apply for a charging order | £119 |
There is a fee for each separate charging order applied for.
For more information, see Third-party debt orders and charging orders (EX325).
Third-party debt order – fees order 8.4(a)
| Type of application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apply for a third-party debt order | £119 |
There is a fee for each party against whom the order is requested.
For more information, see Third-party debt orders and charging orders (EX325).
Judgment summons (fees order 8.5)
| Type of application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Apply for a judgment summons | £119 |
Certified enforcement agent application (fees order 1.5)
| Type of application | Fee |
|---|---|
| Other non-money fee for county courts | £332 |
For all civil magistrates fees, see the magistrates’ courts fees order on www.legislation.gov.uk.