N1 Claim Form: How to Fill It In and Start a Small Claim
Section-by-section guide to the N1 claim form for the County Court: where to download the official form, when to use the GOV.UK online money claims service instead, the July 2026 fees, interest at 8%, a completed example of the brief details and particulars, mandatory mediation and what happens after you file.
Quick Answer
Form N1 is the claim form that starts a civil claim in the County Court under Part 7 of the Civil Procedure Rules. You can issue most fixed-sum claims of £25,000 or less online instead, through GOV.UK's money claims service. Defended claims of £10,000 or less normally go to the small claims track. Once served, the defendant has 14 days to respond, or 28 after acknowledging service. Issue fees run from £35 to £455 for claims up to £10,000.
Last reviewed: 25 September 2026 — England and Wales
General information only. This article describes County Court procedure in England and Wales as at the date shown above. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice on your case. For free advice, contact Citizens Advice, a Law Centre, or Support Through Court.
Get the Official Form, or Claim Online
Download N1 free from GOV.UK. The current form is the December 2024 version on the Form N1 publication page, with the notes for claimants (N1A) beside it and a large-print version. Do not pay for a copy of N1 from any other site.
Or claim online. GOV.UK's online money claims service (Civil Money Claims) issues claims for a fixed sum of £25,000 or less without a paper N1. It calculates the fee and interest for you and the court fee is the same as on paper. You must use paper N1 if any of the following applies:
- you do not know how much you want to claim
- you are claiming on behalf of more than one person or organisation
- you are claiming against three or more people or organisations
- you or a defendant has no address in England or Wales
- the claim is against a government department
A paper N1 goes to the Civil National Business Centre, St Katharine's House, 21–27 St Katharine's Street, Northampton NN1 2LH, with one copy for the court, one for each defendant and one for you.
Before You Fill It In
The court expects you to have tried to resolve the dispute first. Two sets of rules apply:
- The Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims applies where a business, including a sole trader or public body, is claiming a debt from an individual, including a sole trader. It requires a letter of claim with the Reply Form and financial statement, and the creditor must wait 30 days from the date of the letter before issuing (paragraph 3.4). From 1 October 2026 the letter should also go by email if the creditor has the debtor's personal email address.
- The Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct applies to every other claim with no specific protocol. It requires a letter before claim setting out the basis of the claim, what you want and a reasonable time to respond, which in a simple case is 14 days.
Skipping this stage does not stop you issuing, but the court can pause the claim, reduce the interest you recover or order costs against you (Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct, paragraphs 13 to 16). Gather the contract, invoices, photographs, messages and any quotes now. Where your claim is based on a written contract or quotation, attach a copy to the particulars of claim (Practice Direction 16, paragraph 7.3); the rest of your evidence goes with your witness statement later.
The N1 Section by Section
The December 2024 form has five pages. The boxes, in the order they appear:
Page 1: the court, fee references and the parties
In the heading "In the", write County Court Money Claims Centre for a money-only claim; the notes for claimants (N1A) require that wording. Leave the claim number and issue date blank; the court completes them. Next come the Fee Account number, for solicitors with a court fee account, and the Help with Fees reference (HWF-…) if you have applied for fee remission online.
Claimant(s). Your full name and address with postcode. A sole trader is "Jane Smith trading as Smith Plumbing". A limited company uses its full registered name from Companies House.
Defendant(s). The defendant's full name and address. Get the legal identity right or the claim fails against the wrong person:
| Defendant | What to write |
|---|---|
| Individual | Full name and home or last known address |
| Sole trader | Individual's name "trading as" the business name |
| Partnership | The firm's name and its principal place of business |
| Limited company | Full registered name and registered office, from the Companies House register |
Brief details of claim. A summary in a few lines, not the story. State the relationship, the obligation, the breach and the loss:
The Claimant engaged the Defendant under a written quotation dated 15 January 2026 to fit a kitchen for £4,500. The Defendant left the work incomplete and defective. The Claimant claims £3,200, the cost of remedial work, plus interest.
Value. If you claim a fixed sum, put it in the Amount claimed box (N1A). If not, write "I expect to recover" followed by "not more than £10,000", "more than £10,000 but not more than £25,000" or "more than £25,000", or "I cannot say how much I expect to recover".
Defendant's name and address for service. Repeat the defendant's details, with postcode. This is where the court sends the claim.
Amount claimed, court fee, legal representative's costs, total. The amount claimed includes interest to the date of issue. The court fee comes from the table below. A litigant in person leaves the costs box blank.
Page 2: hearing centre, vulnerability and human rights
Preferred County Court Hearing Centre. Name the centre nearest to you. If the defendant is an individual and you claim a fixed sum, a defended claim is sent to the defendant's home court instead (CPR 26.3(3)); otherwise it goes to the centre you name.
Vulnerability. Tick Yes and explain if you, or a witness for you, are vulnerable in a way the court needs to consider, for example a disability or a need for an interpreter. Otherwise tick No.
Human Rights Act 1998. Tick No unless your claim relies on the Human Rights Act 1998. If it does, the particulars must say so and give details (Practice Direction 16, paragraph 14.1).
Page 3: particulars of claim
The particulars are your statement of case. Put them in the box, or tick "attached" and add them as a separate document showing the court name, claim number, the parties and your address for service, with its own signed statement of truth (Practice Direction 16, paragraphs 3.2 to 3.3). If you tick "to follow", you must serve them within 14 days after the claim form is served (CPR 7.4). Where the claim is on a written contract or quotation, attach a copy to the particulars (Practice Direction 16, paragraph 7.3). A good set of particulars for a small claim:
- States the facts in date order, in numbered paragraphs.
- Names the legal basis: breach of contract, the Consumer Rights Act 2015, negligence.
- Sets out the loss with figures.
- Claims interest under section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984 at 8% a year, giving the date it runs from, the date to which it is calculated, the amount and the daily rate after that (CPR 16.4(2)).
- States the remedy: the sum claimed, interest and costs.
Worked example for the kitchen claim:
- On 15 January 2026 the Claimant accepted the Defendant's written quotation, a copy of which is attached, to supply and fit a kitchen at 12 Elm Road, Reading, for £4,500, payable in two instalments.
- It was an express term that the work would be completed by 28 February 2026, and a term, treated as included by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, that the Defendant, as a trader supplying a service to the Claimant as a consumer, would perform the service with reasonable care and skill.
- The Claimant paid the price of £4,500 in two instalments of £2,250, on 16 January 2026 and 14 February 2026.
- The Defendant stopped work on 20 February 2026 with the worktops unfitted and the plumbing leaking, and has not returned despite the Claimant's letters of 3 March and 24 March 2026.
- The Claimant obtained a quotation from another contractor and paid £3,200 on 14 April 2026 to complete and correct the work.
- The Claimant claims £3,200 damages for breach of contract.
- The Claimant claims interest under section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984 at 8% a year from 14 April 2026 to [date of issue], £[amount], and thereafter at the daily rate of £0.70 until judgment or payment. AND the Claimant claims: (1) £3,200; (2) interest as set out in paragraph 7; (3) costs.
Every fact you plead you must be able to prove. Leave out anything you cannot evidence.
Page 4: statement of truth
Sign the statement of truth in the words printed on the form. Proceedings for contempt of court can be brought against anyone who signs a statement of truth without an honest belief in its truth (CPR 32.14). If you do not sign it, the court can strike the claim out and you cannot rely on it as evidence (CPR 22.2). For a company, a director or other senior officer signs and gives their position.
Page 5: address for documents
Your address for service, with a telephone number and an email address. Every court letter, including the hearing notice, goes there.
Interest
Section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984 gives the court power to award simple interest at the rate it thinks fit. Claimants usually claim 8% a year, the rate on judgment debts under the Judgments Act 1838, and the court can award less. Interest runs from the date the money fell due or the loss was suffered. A business claiming from another business can claim statutory interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 instead.
£3,000 at 8% from 1 June 2025 to 1 March 2026 is 273 days. Interest to issue: £3,000 × 0.08 × 273 ÷ 365 = £179.51. Daily rate after issue: £3,000 × 0.08 ÷ 365 = £0.66 (rounded).
The online service does this arithmetic for you. If the contract fixes a rate, claim that rate instead and say so.
Court Fees from 13 July 2026
The issue fee is set by the Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008 and published on the civil court fees list (EX50). Online and paper fees are the same.
| Claim (including interest) | Issue fee |
|---|---|
| Up to £300 | £35 |
| £300.01 to £500 | £50 |
| £500.01 to £1,000 | £70 |
| £1,000.01 to £1,500 | £80 |
| £1,500.01 to £3,000 | £115 |
| £3,000.01 to £5,000 | £205 |
| £5,000.01 to £10,000 | £455 |
| £10,000.01 to £200,000 | 5% of the claim |
| Over £200,000 | £10,000 |
A hearing fee is payable later if the claim is defended and listed: £27 for claims up to £300, rising through £59, £85, £123 and £181 to £346 for claims over £3,000.
If you are on a low income or a qualifying benefit, apply for Help with Fees on form EX160 at the same time as the claim. Our EX160 guide explains the thresholds.
What Happens After You File
- Issue and service. The court issues the claim and serves it on the defendant with a response pack.
- Fourteen days. From service of the particulars the defendant has 14 days to admit, defend or file an acknowledgment of service. Filing an acknowledgment extends the time for the defence to 28 days from service (CPR 15.4).
- No response. You request judgment in default (CPR 12.4) on form N225 (or N227 if you did not claim a fixed sum), or online if you claimed online.
- A defence. The court sends both sides a directions questionnaire, form N180 for small claims, to return by the date in the notice, which must be at least 14 days after it is served (CPR 26.4(6)).
- Mandatory mediation. For a defended claim for a fixed sum of £10,000 or less (not personal injury or, until 30 September 2026, road traffic; from 1 October 2026 road traffic claims without injury are included), the court refers the case to the HMCTS Small Claims Mediation Service once both sides have filed their directions questionnaires. The service is a free telephone appointment of up to an hour (Practice Direction 51ZE, modifying CPR 26.6). Attendance is compulsory. At the hearing the judge must consider sanctions against a party who did not attend, which can include striking out the claim or defence, or costs.
- Allocation. Defended claims worth £10,000 or less, ignoring interest and costs, normally go to the small claims track. Personal injury claims stay on it only if damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity are £1,500 or less (£5,000 for most road traffic claims), and housing disrepair claims only if repairs and other damages are each £1,000 or less. Claims up to £25,000 normally go to the fast track if the trial will last no more than a day, up to £100,000 to the intermediate track, and above that to the multi-track (CPR 26.9).
- The hearing. In April to June 2026 the median time from issue to trial for a small claim was 41.0 weeks, according to the Ministry of Justice's civil justice statistics published on 3 September 2026. Plan for most of a year.
Costs on the Small Claims Track
Under CPR 27.14 the winner recovers only fixed costs stated on the claim form, court fees, reasonable travel and subsistence for a hearing, loss of earnings or leave up to £95 a day for each person, and expert fees up to £750 for each expert. Any other costs, including solicitors' fees, can be ordered only against a party who has behaved unreasonably (CPR 27.14(2)(g)), and failing to attend mediation can count. Budget on that basis before you issue.
Common Mistakes
- Wrong defendant. Suing "Dave's Decorating" when the contract was with "David Jones trading as Dave's Decorating" or with "Dave's Decorating Ltd".
- No letter before claim. The court can pause the claim, cut your interest or order costs against you.
- Wrong figure. Forgetting interest, or claiming losses the law treats as too remote.
- Vague particulars. "The defendant owes me money" pleads nothing. Say what, when, why and how much.
- Unsigned statement of truth. The court can strike the claim out (CPR 22.2).
- Out of time. Six years from breach for contract and from damage for most tort claims, three years for personal injury, under the Limitation Act 1980.
- Amending late. You can amend the claim form without permission only before it is served (CPR 17.1(1)). After service you need every other party's written consent or the court's permission, and a fee if the amount goes up.
Organising Your Documents for the Hearing
Unless the judge orders otherwise, standard directions require each side to file and serve copies of every document it relies on at least 14 days before the hearing (CPR 27.4(3)). No rule requires a formal bundle on the small claims track, but a page-numbered, indexed set makes every document easy for the judge and the other side to find. BundleCreator assembles your contract, invoices, photographs and correspondence into an indexed bundle with numbered pages, and the small claims templates cover the documents you draft yourself: the particulars, the witness statement, the schedule of loss and the skeleton argument. The N1 itself is always the official GOV.UK form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I download the N1 form?
From the GOV.UK publication "Make a claim against a person or organisation, claim form (CPR Part 7): Form N1". It is a five-page PDF, the December 2024 version, with a large-print version and notes for claimants. It is free.
Is the N1 the same as a Part 7 claim form?
Yes. N1 is the claim form for a claim under Part 7 of the Civil Procedure Rules, which is the ordinary procedure for a disputed claim. The Part 8 procedure, on form N208, is for claims that raise no substantial dispute of fact.
Can I file the N1 claim form online?
You do not file the N1 online. For a fixed sum of £25,000 or less you can usually claim through GOV.UK's online money claims service instead, which replaces the form, unless one of the exclusions above applies. Otherwise you post the paper N1 to the Civil National Business Centre in Northampton.
Is there a completed example of an N1?
The worked kitchen claim above shows the two parts people struggle with: the brief details and the particulars. The rest of the form is names, addresses, the value and the fee. GOV.UK's notes for claimants (N1A) walk through each box.
What if I do not know the defendant's address?
You must give an address for service. For a company, use its registered office or any place of business in the UK with a real connection to the claim (CPR 6.9). You must first take reasonable steps to find the defendant's current address (CPR 6.9(3)). If that fails, you apply to the court for permission to serve by an alternative method, for example by email, under CPR 6.15, with evidence of what you tried.
Can I keep a claim over £10,000 on the small claims track?
Only by limiting your claim to £10,000 and giving up the rest, or if the court agrees to allocate it there. The court treats a joint request from both parties as an important factor (Practice Direction 26, paragraph 14(9)), but the decision is the court's. Otherwise a claim between £10,000 and £25,000 normally goes to the fast track.
Do I need a solicitor?
No. The small claims track is designed for people representing themselves, and mediation and the hearing are informal. Take advice where the legal basis is contested, for example a professional negligence claim.
Authoritative Sources
- Form N1 and notes N1A: gov.uk/government/publications/form-n1-claim-form-cpr-part-7
- Make a court claim for money (online service, fees, mediation): gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money
- Civil court fees (EX50), updated 13 July 2026: gov.uk/government/publications/fees-in-the-civil-and-family-courts-main-fees-ex50
- CPR Part 7 (how to start proceedings), Part 12 (default judgment), Part 15 (defence deadlines), Practice Direction 16 (particulars), Part 17 (amendments), Part 22 (statements of truth), Part 26 (allocation), Part 27 and PD 27A (small claims), Practice Direction 51ZE (mandatory mediation): justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules
- County Courts Act 1984, section 69 (interest): legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/28/section/69
- Limitation Act 1980: legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/58
- Civil justice statistics quarterly, April to June 2026: gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-justice-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2026
Stevie Hayes is the founder of BundleCreator.co, which helps litigants in person and legal professionals prepare court-ready document bundles across 24 areas of law.
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