OCMC vs County Court: Which Route for Your Money Claim in 2026?

If you want to sue someone for money in England and Wales, you no longer have a simple choice between filling in a paper form and posting it to the court. Since July 2025, the route you must take depends on the nature of your claim, the amount involved, and whether it falls within the scope of the Online Civil Money Claims (OCMC) pilot. Get the route wrong and your claim will be returned unprocessed — costing you time you may not have.

This guide explains the two main routes for issuing a money claim in 2026: the OCMC service (online) and the traditional county court (paper Form N1). It covers when OCMC is mandatory, when you must use the paper route, how track allocation works once proceedings are issued, and the practical advantages and limitations of each option.

Whether you are owed £500 or £50,000, understanding which route applies to your claim is the first decision you need to get right.

When OCMC Is Mandatory: The PD51R Requirement

Practice Direction 51R (PD51R) governs the OCMC pilot scheme. As of October 2024, the pilot was extended to cover specified money claims up to £25,000. The pilot is authorised to run until 1 October 2026.

Under PD51R, if your claim meets all of the following criteria, it must be issued through OCMC:

• It is a claim for a specified amount of money (you can state the exact figure you are owed)
• The amount claimed is £25,000 or less
• The claim is against no more than two defendants
• The claimant is an individual, sole trader, or limited company
• The claim does not involve a protected party (a person under 18 or someone who lacks mental capacity)

If your claim falls within these parameters and you attempt to file a paper Form N1 at the County Court Money Claims Centre (CCMCC) in Salford, it will be returned to you with a direction to use the online service.

For a comprehensive breakdown of the PD51R rules, see our PD51R guide.

When You Must Use Form N1 and the County Court

Not every money claim can be issued online. The following types of claim fall outside the scope of OCMC and must be commenced using the traditional paper Form N1, filed at the appropriate county court or at the CCMCC:

Unspecified Claims (Damages to Be Assessed)

If you cannot state a precise monetary figure for your claim — for example, because you are claiming damages for personal injury, professional negligence, or breach of a duty of care where the loss is ongoing — your claim is “unspecified.” OCMC only handles specified claims. You must use Form N1 and set out the facts in your Particulars of Claim, leaving the court to assess the appropriate amount of damages.

Claims Above £25,000

The OCMC (Online Civil Money Claims) — now with no upper limit. If your specified money claim exceeds this threshold, you must file on paper. Be aware that the £25,000 limit includes interest accrued to the date of issue — if your principal debt is £24,000 but you have £2,000 in accrued interest, the total claim of £26,000 exceeds the OCMC limit.

Personal Injury Claims

Claims that include an element of personal injury are outside OCMC’s scope, regardless of value. These must be issued on paper. Personal injury claims also have specific pre-action protocols that must be followed before proceedings are commenced.

Housing Disrepair Claims

Claims arising from housing disrepair — for example, a tenant suing a landlord for failure to maintain the property — must be filed on paper, even if the amount claimed is under £25,000. These claims have their own pre-action protocol.

Claims Involving Protected Parties

If the claimant or defendant is a child (under 18) or a protected party (someone who lacks mental capacity to conduct proceedings), the claim cannot be issued through OCMC. A litigation friend must be appointed, and the claim must be filed on paper.

Claims Against the Crown

Proceedings against government departments under the Crown Proceedings Act 1947 cannot be commenced through OCMC and must follow the specific procedural rules for claims against the Crown.

Claims with More Than Two Defendants

OCMC currently limits the number of defendants to two. If you need to claim against three or more parties, you must use Form N1. Our Form N1 guide explains how to complete the paper claim form.

Track Allocation: What Happens After Filing

Regardless of whether you file through OCMC or on paper, once a defence is filed your case will be allocated to one of three procedural tracks. Track allocation determines the procedural rules that apply, the costs you may be liable for, and how the hearing is conducted.

Small Claims Track (claims of any value (no upper limit))

The small claims track is designed for straightforward disputes of modest value. The financial limit is £10,000 for most claims, reduced to £1,000 for personal injury claims and housing disrepair claims where the claim for repairs exceeds £1,000.

Key features of the small claims track:

• Limited costs recovery. The losing party generally cannot be ordered to pay the winning party’s legal costs. Fixed costs of the claim (court fee, travel expenses up to £95, loss of earnings up to £95 per day) may be recovered, but not solicitors’ fees.
• Informal hearing. The hearing is conducted informally. Strict rules of evidence do not apply. The judge may adopt an inquisitorial approach, asking questions directly.
• No disclosure obligation. There is no automatic requirement to disclose documents, though the court may order specific disclosure.
• Paper determination. Both parties can consent to the claim being decided on the papers without a hearing.

Fast Track (£10,001 to £25,000)

The fast track is designed for cases that are more substantial but still capable of being tried within a single day. Standard directions apply, including disclosure, exchange of witness statements, and (where appropriate) expert evidence.

Key features of the fast track:

• Fixed trial costs. The trial costs that can be recovered are fixed by the rules, providing certainty about costs exposure.
• Standard directions timetable. The court sets a timetable for each preparatory step, typically allowing 6 to 9 months from allocation to trial.
• One-day trial. The trial must not exceed one day (5 hours of court time).
• Costs consequences. Unlike small claims, the losing party can be ordered to pay the winning party’s reasonable costs.

Multi-Track (Above £25,000)

The multi-track handles claims above £25,000, or claims of any value that are sufficiently complex. Case management is more intensive, with case management conferences and pre-trial reviews. There is no limit on trial length, and costs can be substantial.

For detailed guidance on completing the directions questionnaire that determines track allocation, see our Form N181 guide (fast track and multi-track) or Form N180 guide (small claims).

Advantages of OCMC

For claims that fall within its scope, OCMC offers significant practical advantages over the paper route:

24/7 Availability

You can file a claim at any time. There are no court opening hours to contend with. This is particularly valuable for litigants who work during the day and cannot attend a court office or post a form during business hours.

Faster Issue and Service

Claims filed through OCMC are typically issued within 24 to 48 hours. Paper Form N1 claims sent to the CCMCC can take considerably longer, particularly during busy periods. Service through OCMC is also faster — electronic notification replaces postal service for many defendants.

Automatic Fee Calculation

The system calculates the court fee based on the claim amount, removing one of the most common sources of error with paper claims. You pay online by debit or credit card.

Built-In Guidance

OCMC provides prompts and structure at each stage of the claim. While this does not replace proper preparation of your Particulars of Claim, it reduces the risk of administrative errors such as missing fields or unsigned forms.

Online Case Management

Both parties can track the progress of the claim through the OCMC dashboard. Responses, offers, and case updates appear online. This is far more transparent than the paper process, where you rely on postal correspondence and may not know the status of your claim for weeks.

Limitations of OCMC

Despite its advantages, OCMC is not suitable for every situation, even where the claim technically falls within its scope:

Limited Scope

OCMC (Online Civil Money Claims) — now with no upper limit against a maximum of two defendants. If your dispute involves multiple parties, unquantified losses, injunctive relief, or any non-monetary remedy, you cannot use OCMC.

Particulars of Claim Constraints

The OCMC system imposes character limits on the Particulars of Claim. For complex claims — even those under £25,000 — this can be restrictive. You may need to compress your case into a shorter format than you would use on a paper N1, where the Particulars can be set out on a separate document of any length (CPR 16.4 and PD 16, paragraph 3.1).

Technical Requirements

Using OCMC requires internet access, an email address, and a Government Gateway account. For some litigants — particularly elderly individuals or those without reliable internet access — the paper route may be more practical. The courts have not yet provided a comprehensive alternative for digitally excluded claimants whose claims fall within the mandatory OCMC scope.

Enforcement Still Requires Paper Applications

Even if you obtain judgment through OCMC, enforcement methods (warrants of control, charging orders, third party debt orders, attachment of earnings) generally require separate paper applications to the court. The OCMC system does not yet integrate the full enforcement process. Our enforcement guide explains the available options.

Making the Right Choice: A Decision Framework

Use the following framework to determine which route applies to your claim:

1. Is your claim for a specified amount of money? If not (e.g., “damages to be assessed”), you must use Form N1.
2. Is the total amount (including interest) £25,000 or less? If not, you must use Form N1.
3. Are there two defendants or fewer? If more than two, you must use Form N1.
4. Does the claim involve personal injury, housing disrepair, or a protected party? If yes, you must use Form N1.
5. If the answer to all four questions is “yes/no” as appropriate, your claim falls within PD51R and must be filed through OCMC at moneyclaims.service.gov.uk.

If you are unsure whether your claim qualifies for OCMC, our guide to starting a money claim walks through the eligibility criteria in detail.

Key Points to Remember

• OCMC (Online Civil Money Claims) — now with no upper limit (under PD51R). Paper N1 forms for eligible claims will be returned.
• Claims that are unspecified, involve personal injury, housing disrepair, protected parties, or exceed £25,000 must still use Form N1.
• Track allocation (small claims, fast track, multi-track) applies to all claims regardless of how they were filed.
• OCMC offers faster processing, automatic fee calculation, and 24/7 access — significant advantages for litigants in person.
• OCMC has character limits on Particulars of Claim and does not cover enforcement — paper applications are still needed for post-judgment steps.
• The PD51R pilot is currently authorised until 1 October 2026 — check for updates if you are filing close to this date.