How much are court fees for a money claim in 2026? Issue, hearing and enforcement fees, and what a debt recovery desk pays in a year

Issuing a money claim in the courts of England and Wales costs between £35 and £10,000 in 2026, depending on the amount claimed with interest added. A hearing costs a further £27 to £1,334, and each enforcement step has its own fee. Every figure below was read on 1 October 2026 in EX50, the fee list of HM Courts and Tribunals Service, which was last updated on 13 July 2026.

The fee to issue

The list gives one set of fees and shows no lower fee for a claim made online. The most that can be claimed through Money Claim Online is £99,999.99.

EX50 says the fee is based on the amount claimed "plus interest". Two bands have a step big enough to matter:

• A debt of £4,950 with £80 of interest is a claim for £5,030. The fee is £455, where £205 would have covered the debt alone.
• A debt of £9,900 with £250 of interest is a claim for £10,150. The fee is 5%, which is £507.50, against £455.

Work the interest out to the day of issue before quoting the fee to the client.

The hearing fee

The claimant pays it, by the date in the court's order.

Under Part 26 of the Civil Procedure Rules the small claims track is the normal track for a claim of not more than £10,000. The fast track takes money claims of not more than £25,000 and the intermediate track those of not more than £100,000.

Three rules on the fee list belong in the diary:

1. If the fee is not paid by the date in the order, and no help with fees application is filed, the claim is struck out without a further order.
2. The fee is not refunded once paid.
3. If the parties settle before the fee falls due, it does not have to be paid.

An application to reinstate a struck-out claim carries its own fee, £321 if made on notice.

Applications and enforcement

One firm's year

A two-partner firm runs a debt recovery desk for local trade clients and issues 36 claims in twelve months.

Five are defended to a hearing: three of the £7,500 claims on the small claims track (£346 each, £1,038), one £18,000 claim on the fast track (£619) and one £60,000 claim on the intermediate track (£1,334). That is £2,991. Six judgments need a warrant of control at £96, which is £576.

Court fees for the year: £20,270 + £2,991 + £576 = £23,837. Issue fees are 85% of it, and the two largest claims account for £6,000.

Each fee is paid before the court acts, so someone funds £23,837 ahead of any recovery. The retainer should say whether the client pays each fee on account or the firm pays and bills it.

Holding the client's money for a fee

Under rule 2.1(d) of the SRA Accounts Rules, money received for the firm's fees and for unpaid disbursements before a bill is delivered is client money. A court fee collected in advance is held as client money until the fee is paid. Small sums left behind when a claim settles early are how residual balances build up, so return money collected for a hearing fee that was never paid as soon as the claim ends.

What the price page has to say

Debt recovery up to the value of £100,000 is one of the three business services in the SRA Transparency Rules. The costs information must include a description of, and the cost of, any likely disbursements, and whether they attract VAT. Our guide to the transparency rules sets out what else the page must carry. A line that covers the disbursement item:

Court fee to issue the claim: set by the court on the amount claimed with interest. £115 for a claim of £1,500.01 to £3,000, £205 up to £5,000, £455 up to £10,000 and 5% of the claim above that. If the claim is defended and goes to a hearing, the court charges a hearing fee of £27 to £1,334, depending on the track. Fees as published by HM Courts and Tribunals Service on 13 July 2026.

The wording is ours. The fee list does not cover VAT, so check the VAT treatment of court fees with the firm's accountant before the page states it.

Quote the same figures in the client care letter, and review the page whenever EX50 changes. Its update history shows changes to the civil fees on 8 April 2025, 12 May 2025 and 13 July 2026.

Before relying on this

EX50 is a selection of the main fees. The full list is EX50A, and the court can confirm any fee not shown. A supervising solicitor reviews and signs anything a tool drafts, including a claim form and a fee calculation. This page is general information, not legal advice.