Form N1: Part 7 Claim Form (2026 Guide)

Form N1 is the standard claim form used to start civil proceedings in the county court under Part 7 of the Civil Procedure Rules. Whether you are pursuing an unpaid debt, seeking damages, or enforcing a contractual right, the N1 is the document that formally opens your case. Completing it accurately is not optional — errors at this stage can delay your claim, invite an application to strike out, or cause the court to return the form unfiled. This guide walks you through every section clearly and precisely.

<

div style=”margin:24px 0;padding:18px;background:#f8f8fc;border-radius:8px;”>

When Do You Need Form N1?

You need Form N1 when you are starting a civil claim in the county court under CPR Part 7 and one or more of the following applies:

• The claim value exceeds £10,000 — claims above this threshold are not automatically allocated to the small claims track and may not be suitable for the Online Civil Money Claims (OCMC) portal.
• The claim is not a straightforward money claim — OCMC is limited to specified money claims. If your claim involves an injunction, a declaration, specific performance, or any non-monetary remedy, you must use Form N1.
• The claim is against multiple defendants — OCMC does not accommodate multi-defendant claims; Form N1 does.
• The claim involves a complex factual or legal dispute — where the particulars of claim require detailed pleading, Form N1 gives you the space (and the attached Particulars of Claim) to do that properly.
• You are issuing in a specific county court hearing centre — for example, where a contract specifies a jurisdiction clause or where CPR r.7.1 and the County Court jurisdiction rules require a particular venue.

If your claim is a straightforward specified money claim of £10,000 or less, the OCMC portal at http://www.gov.uk may be more appropriate. Above that limit, or where the claim is otherwise unsuitable for OCMC, Form N1 is the correct route under CPR r.7.2.

What Form N1 Is Used For

Form N1 commences proceedings under CPR Part 7. It is the mechanism by which a claimant formally notifies the court — and through the court, the defendant — that a legal claim is being made.

The form serves the following functions:

• Formal issue of proceedings — once issued by the court (stamped and given a claim number), the claim is live and limitation periods cease to run against the claimant for that cause of action.
• Service on the defendant — the court will normally serve the claim form unless you request permission to serve it yourself under CPR r.6.4(1)(b).
• Allocation trigger — once a defence is filed, the court uses the information on Form N1 (particularly the claim value and track preference) to allocate the case to the appropriate track under CPR r.26.5.
• Costs management reference — in multi-track cases, the value and nature of the claim as stated on the N1 informs costs budgeting under CPR r.3.12 onwards.

How to Complete Form N1: Step by Step

Form N1 has several distinct sections. Each must be completed accurately. The notes below follow the layout of the current 2024/2025 version of the form.

1. In the [Name of Court] Box

Enter the full name of the court at which you are issuing. For most county court claims this will be a designated County Court Hearing Centre — for example, “County Court at Nottingham” or “County Court at Birmingham”. Do not write “County Court” alone; the specific hearing centre must be identified.

If you are unsure which hearing centre to use, CPR r.7.1 and Practice Direction 7A paragraph 2 apply. As a general rule, you should issue in the hearing centre for the district where the defendant resides or carries on business, or where the cause of action arose.

2. Claimant Details

Enter your full legal name (for an individual) or the full registered company name (for a business claimant). Include your address for service — this is the address to which the defendant and the court will send correspondence. If you are a litigant in person, this will usually be your home or business address.

Do not use a PO box as your only address unless you can also provide a physical address. The court requires a geographical address under CPR r.6.23.

3. Defendant Details

Enter the full legal name of the defendant. For an individual, use their full name. For a company or LLP, use the registered company name exactly as it appears at Companies House. An error in the defendant’s name can render service defective and cause costly procedural delays.

Include the defendant’s address for service. For a company, this is usually the registered office address.

4. Brief Details of Claim

This is the short summary box near the top of Form N1. It is not a substitute for your Particulars of Claim — it is a brief one or two sentence statement of what the claim is about. For example: “The claimant claims payment of £15,750 for goods supplied under a written contract dated 14 January 2025 and unpaid since 28 February 2025.”

Keep this concise. The court uses it for administrative purposes. Your full pleading goes in the Particulars of Claim.

5. Value

This section requires you to state the financial value of your claim. There are three options on the form:

• I expect to recover not more than £10,000 — small claims track indicator.
• I expect to recover between £10,000 and £25,000 — fast track indicator.
• I expect to recover more than £25,000 — multi-track indicator.

If your claim is for an unspecified amount (for example, unliquidated damages), tick “I cannot say how much I expect to recover” and state the track you believe is appropriate. Note that where the value is genuinely uncertain, the court will allocate based on all the information available under CPR r.26.8.

6. Defendant’s Name and Address (Lower Section)

This repeats and confirms where the claim form will be served. Ensure this matches the details at the top of the form exactly.

7. Particulars of Claim

You may include your Particulars of Claim on the N1 itself (in the space provided or on a separate sheet marked “Particulars of Claim”) or serve them separately within 14 days of the claim form under CPR r.7.4(1). If you attach them to the N1, mark the attached document clearly and reference it in the relevant box on the form.

Your Particulars of Claim must contain a concise statement of the facts relied on (CPR r.16.4(1)(a)), the remedy sought, and — if claiming interest — the basis and calculation of interest under CPR r.16.4(1)(b) and (2). If you are claiming contractual interest, cite the clause. If under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 or the Senior Courts Act 1981 s.35A (applicable in county court by virtue of County Courts Act 1984 s.69), state so explicitly.

8. Statement of Truth

The claim form must be verified by a statement of truth: “I believe that the facts stated in this claim form are true. I understand that proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against anyone who makes, or causes to be made, a false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth without an honest belief in its truth.” (CPR r.22.1 and PD 22.)

Sign and date it. If you are signing on behalf of a company, you must be authorised to do so and state your position. An unsigned or unverified claim form will be rejected by the court office.

9. Court Fee

Calculate the correct issue fee using the current HMCTS fee schedule (EX50). As of 2026, fees range from £35 for claims up to £300 to several thousand pounds for high-value claims. If you are on a low income, you may apply for a fee remission using Form EX160 before or at the point of issue.

Key Deadlines for Form N1

Missing the 4-month service deadline is one of the most serious errors a claimant can make. If the claim form expires unserved, you must issue fresh proceedings and the limitation period will have continued to run.

What Happens After You File Form N1?

Once you submit Form N1 to the court (in person, by post, or where the court permits, by email) and pay the issue fee:

1. The court issues the claim. It is stamped with a claim number and a date of issue. Limitation stops running from this point.
2. The court serves the claim form (unless you have elected to serve it yourself). Service is by first class post under CPR r.6.3, and deemed service occurs on the second business day after posting under CPR r.6.14.
3. The defendant has 14 days from deemed service of the particulars of claim to file an acknowledgement of service or a defence.
4. If the defendant files an acknowledgement, they have a further 14 days (28 days total from service of particulars) to file a defence.
5. If no defence is filed, you may apply for judgment in default under CPR r.12.3.
6. If a defence is filed, the court will send both parties a directions questionnaire (Form N180 for small claims, Form N181 for fast and multi-track) to begin the allocation process under CPR r.26.3.

Common Mistakes That Get Form N1 Rejected

The court office applies a formal check before issuing. The following errors regularly cause the form to be returned or the claim to encounter procedural difficulties:

1. Wrong defendant name. Using a trading name instead of the legal entity (e.g., “Acme Services” instead of “Acme Services Ltd”) can invalidate service. Always verify the legal name at Companies House.
2. Missing or defective statement of truth. If the form is not signed and dated with the correct wording, the court will not issue it. Photocopied signatures are not acceptable.
3. Incorrect court. Issuing in a court that does not have jurisdiction over the claim or the parties can lead to a transfer application and wasted costs.
4. Particulars of Claim not attached and no statement that they follow. If you do not attach the Particulars and do not indicate they will follow, the form is incomplete on its face.
5. Failure to state the value or track preference. Leaving the value section blank means the court cannot allocate the claim and will write to you for clarification, delaying proceedings.
6. Incorrect or missing fee. Submitting the wrong fee — or no fee and no remission application — will result in the form being held unissued until the correct payment is made.
7. Interest not pleaded. If you intend to claim interest (contractual, statutory, or discretionary), it must be pleaded in your Particulars of Claim with the rate, basis, and amount calculated to the date of the claim. Failing to plead interest may mean you cannot recover it later.

Form N1 and the Civil Procedure Rules

Form N1 is the procedural instrument of CPR Part 7. The key rules are:

<

ul>