Where money claims are filed: the official portal is www.moneyclaims.service.gov.uk — HMCTS’s own Money Claims service. It is new (still badged beta), and following the 181st Practice Direction update there is no upper limit on the amount you can claim through it — and if you qualify for Help with Fees, the issue fee itself can be reduced to zero, whatever the size of the claim. New to the portal? Read our step-by-step walkthrough.
Want every screen, fee and deadline in one place? Read the complete money-claim walkthrough or use the free court form finder.
If someone owes you money and won’t pay, you can take action yourself — no solicitor, and if money is tight, no court fee either. This is how the three pieces fit together: the official online service, Help with Fees, and Chris.
The one thing most people get wrong
Many people believe a large claim means hiring a solicitor, or that you can only claim a few thousand pounds online. Neither is true.
You do not need a solicitor at any stage. The official service — Civil Money Claims (often called OCMC) at moneyclaims.service.gov.uk — is the standard route for a money claim against a person or business with an address in England or Wales. It is a modern service, separate from the older Money Claim Online (MCOL) — and unlike MCOL-era thinking, it has no upper value limit: the £25,000 cap was removed from PD 51R by the 181st CPR Practice Direction Update, in force 27 February 2025. GOV.UK lists the cases that go on paper Form N1 instead: where you do not yet know the amount, you are claiming for more than one person or organisation, against three or more people or organisations, a party has no address in England or Wales, or the claim is against a government department — the same court rules, just a different door.
Help with Fees: your claim can be free
There’s a court fee to start a claim, scaled to the amount you’re claiming — the online service works the exact fee out for you, and court fees rose on 13 July 2026, so always rely on the figure shown on screen rather than an older table. But if money is tight, Help with Fees can reduce it, often all the way to £0. Apply first at gov.uk/get-help-with-court-fees and keep your reference number to enter when you claim. If you’re on Universal Credit or a low income, you may pay nothing at all. Cost should never be the reason you don’t claim what you’re owed. — full Help with Fees guide →
How it works, step by step
- Check it fits (60 seconds). The eligibility checker confirms you’re claiming a specific, known sum, against one person or business with an address in England or Wales, with interest at one rate from one date.
- Send a Letter Before Claim. The court expects you to ask for payment first, with a deadline. How to write a Letter Before Claim →
- Work out your interest. Usually 8% a year under section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984 (or the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Act for business debts) — set out the rate, the daily figure and the running total.
- Prepare your Particulars of Claim. The clear, factual story of what happened and why you’re owed the money, ready to paste in.
- Make the claim, screen by screen, pasting each prepared value — the court fee is worked out for you. Court fees explained →
- After you file. The defendant must respond by 4pm on the 28th day after your claim is issued — 28 days, counted from issue, not from the day they receive it (PD51R para 5.1(1)). There is no acknowledgment of service in this service. If they ignore it you can ask for a County Court Judgment; if they defend, it usually goes to free mediation. You track everything in your online account.
You sign the Statement of Truth yourself — that part is always you.
Where Chris fits in
The hard part is the wording — the Letter Before Claim, the interest calculation, and the Particulars of Claim. That is exactly what Chris prepares for you. Tell Chris what happened in plain English and upload your proof; Chris asks the right questions, then drafts your whole claim and lays out every value to enter, screen by screen, to a professional standard — often in about 15 minutes, with unlimited drafts and no subscription.
You read it, you decide, you paste it in and submit. You stay in control the whole way — Chris does the preparation; you make every decision and press the button. That’s representing yourself, with a professional’s toolkit behind you.
New to money claims? Start with our flagship guide: how to start a money claim now OCMC has replaced form N1 →
Not sure you have a claim? Start with Chris.
Before you register anything, have a chat with Chris first — tell him what happened and he’ll help you check whether you actually have a money claim worth bringing. Once you share your case details, he drafts each section to a professional standard in minutes, ready for you to paste in. The claim itself is made on the government’s official Money Claims service — you complete and submit it yourself, so create your free account there when you’re ready.
Ready to register? Create your free account on the official government service here → Money Claims (GOV.UK sign-in)
Your claim. Your decision. Our toolkit.
Last reviewed: June 2026 · For litigants in person in England & Wales. eLitigant is a Community Interest Company (No. 16566612), not a law firm, and provides information, not legal advice. Figures and processes are drawn from official GOV.UK guidance and were correct at the time of writing — always confirm the current position on gov.uk and run the eligibility checker before relying on a figure.
The Money Claim Series: This guide is one chapter of the series. Start at the hub — Make a Money Claim Yourself: the complete guide — then go deeper: make a money claim online (OCMC) · the step-by-step walkthrough of every screen · OCMC vs County Court: which route to use · what happens after you file · how OCMC replaced the paper N1.