A company owes you money and has ignored every email. The idea of "taking them to court" sounds like something that requires a solicitor and thousands of pounds. For claims up to £10,000, it genuinely doesn't — the system is built for individuals to use directly.
What the process actually is
Money Claim Online (and its newer replacement, Civil Money Claims) are HM Courts and Tribunals Service's digital systems for issuing county court claims for money owed, accessible through gov.uk. For claims up to £10,000 against a defendant with a UK address, this is generally the fastest and cheapest route — no solicitor required, no physical court visit needed unless the case is defended and reaches a hearing.
The fees — corrected to the actual current scale
Court fees for the small claims track (claims up to £10,000) run from £35 to £455, scaled to how much you're claiming — not a flat £410 cap as sometimes quoted. If your claim goes to a defended hearing, there's a separate hearing fee (roughly £27 to £346), though the majority of small claims never reach that stage. If you win, the court orders the defendant to reimburse both the filing fee and any hearing fee on top of what they owed you — you don't lose this money even though you pay it upfront. If you're on a low income or certain benefits, you can apply for "Help with Fees" to reduce or waive the cost entirely.
Before you file: the pre-action step you shouldn't skip
Courts expect you to have given the other side a genuine chance to resolve things first. Send a formal Letter Before Action — referencing the Practice Direction on pre-action conduct — giving a clear final deadline (commonly 14 days) to pay before you proceed. This step alone resolves a meaningful share of disputes, since many businesses would rather settle than have a County Court Judgment (CCJ) recorded against them, which can damage their credit rating and business reputation.
How to file
- Gather the facts: what was agreed, what went wrong, and the exact amount owed, plus any interest you're claiming.
- Write your Particulars of Claim in plain, factual language — online claims are limited to roughly 1,080 characters, so keep it concise (e.g. "On [date] I provided [service] for £X, invoiced on [date], due [date]. Despite my letter before action of [date], the Defendant has not paid.").
- Submit via moneyclaims.service.gov.uk (or the paper N1 form if your case doesn't fit the online character limit or format).
- Pay the fee — the system calculates it automatically based on your claim amount.
- The court serves the claim on the defendant, who then has 14 days to respond (33 days if they acknowledge service and request more time).
- If they don't respond at all, you can apply for a default judgment at no extra cost. If they defend, the case proceeds to the small claims track, and a hearing may be listed.
See also: before you file, check your case with Citizens Advice's free legal help — limitation periods and mediation expectations can make or break a claim.