Small claims in the United Kingdom: England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It sets out figures from four official pages and does not say which route suits a given unpaid invoice. The same question for California, Ontario, Ireland and New Zealand is on the page about small claims limits.

The three systems side by side

Place and official page	Amount figure as stated	Other facts on the same page
England and Wales: GOV.UK, Make a court claim for money	The page uses £10,000 as the line for free court-organised mediation and for a hearing in the judge's room or a courtroom. It does not print a separate small claims limit	Court fee is £35 for a claim up to £300 and £455 for a claim from £5,000.01 to £10,000. Claims between £10,000.01 and £200,000 pay 5% of the claim
Scotland: Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, Simple Procedure	A claim for payment of a sum of money where the value is £5,000 or less	Claims over £5,000 follow the ordinary cause procedure. A claim form for £300 or less costs £23 to lodge and any other claim form costs £127
Northern Ireland: Department of Justice release of October 3, 2022	The maximum value of a claim in the small claims court rose from £3,000 to £5,000 on that date	The release calls the small claims court a separate court within the county court, with a District Judge presiding. No court fee table was read

England and Wales

The GOV.UK guide says a person or business owed money can apply to a county court, and that this used to be known as taking someone to a small claims court. Claims can be made online except where the amount is not known, where there are several claimants, where the claim is against three or more parties, where a party has no address in England or Wales, or where the claim is against a government department. Those cases use paper claim form N1.

The fee table runs from £35 for claims up to £300 through £50, £70, £80, £115 and £205 to £455 for claims between £5,000.01 and £10,000. Claims between £10,000.01 and £200,000 pay 5% of the claim, and claims above £200,000 pay £10,000. The guide says that for a claim of £10,000 or less that the defendant disputes, the claimant is told to attend a free court mediation appointment lasting up to one hour. It says a hearing for a claim of less than £10,000 can be held in the judge's room or a courtroom, and that a decision is given on the day. An appeal must be made within 21 days of the decision.

The same guide says that if money is owed by another business, interest can be charged on a late commercial payment, and that for other debts the rate is usually 8%.

Scotland

The Scottish courts service describes the simple procedure as a speedy, inexpensive and informal way to settle disputes in the sheriff court, where a sheriff or summary sheriff decides. It says a solicitor is not needed. The procedure covers a claim for payment of £5,000 or less, and a claim to recover moveable property or to make someone do something specific only when there is an alternative claim for payment of £5,000 or less.

Its fee page says new court fees apply from April 1, 2026. It lists £23 for a claim form for sums of £300 or less and £127 for all other actions, with service by a sheriff officer costing £15 plus the officer's fee. The simple procedure page adds that from May 21, 2025 every claimant must lodge an account of expenses claimed with the court before a case is decided.

Northern Ireland

The Department of Justice release says the Minister increased the upper limit on claims in the small claims court from £3,000 to £5,000 on October 3, 2022. It names the power to do this as Article 22 of the County Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1980, used after consultation with the Lady Chief Justice. It lists claims the court does not hear: personal injury, road traffic injury, defamation, gifts made under a will, ownership of land and property rights of married couples.

What the table leaves out

A tree business also deals with company registers and written quotes, which are covered on the pages about checking a company and the tree quote checklist. For England and Wales no page read states a small claims limit in so many words, and the table says so. For Northern Ireland the Department release is the only page read, and it carries no fee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.