Court Fees On The Rise

Court fees are set to increase with effect from 9 March 2015, the necessary legislation having passed through the House of Lords this week.

For claims under £10,000, fees to issue the claim will not increase. For claims above £10,000, the fee to issue the claim will increase to 5% of the value of the claim, for example £750 to issue a claim for £15,000 (as opposed to £455 now) or £2,500 to issue a claim for £50,000 (as against £610 now).

The maximum issue fee for a money claim will be capped at £10,000 (for claims of £200,000 or above). The current maximum issue fee is £1,910, so, not surprisingly, the increases are controversial, and seen as having potential implications for access to justice.

Money claims include both debts and claims for damages (for example for professional negligence or breaches of contract). There is a trap for the unwary, in that, if you are bringing a money claim and do not state its value when starting the claim, a fee is charged at the maximum figure (i.e £10,000). This should not be an issue for a debt claim, but greater care needs to be taken if claiming an amount of compensation which may not be a fixed amount at the outset.

We provide a Debt Recovery Service and also a Small Claims Service (for claims between £5,000 and £10,000). 

Published: March 2015

Contact us:

For advice, contact a member of our litigation and dispute resolution team on York 01904 716000 or Wetherby 01937 583210.