AnswersCourt, and what comes after
How long does a money claim take?
The short answer
About a month. That is if the company doesn't answer: on the newer online service it has until 4pm, 28 days after the claim is issued2, then you can ask for judgment on a form, with no hearing. If it defends, the court's median from issue to trial is 41.0 weeks for small claims, though only 14% of claims issued were defended1.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
The numbers
The clocks, and the court's own median.
What you can add
A £7,200 invoice, claimed and met with silence
Say you invoiced another business £7,200, due on 3 August 2026. You issue the claim on Monday 5 October, 63 days late: £7,200.00 plus £146.02 interest plus the £70.00 fixed sum is £7,416.02, which puts the court fee at £455. The company says nothing. On the newer online service its time ends at 4pm on Monday 2 November, so you ask for judgment on Tuesday 3 November, 92 days late. Interest runs at 11.75% a year12.
- The invoice£7,200.00
- Interest: £7,200 × 11.75% ÷ 365 × 92 days10£213.24
- Fixed sum (invoices from £1,000 to £9,999.99)11£70.00
- Court fee (claims above £5,000 up to £10,000)9£455.00
- Judgment on 3 November 2026£7,938.24
If the company defends instead, the court's median of 41.0 weeks from 5 October 2026 lands around mid-July 2027. That is a middle value, not a promise. Interest keeps running at £2.32 a day while you wait.
The road ahead
One fee to start. Then it forks: silence or a defence.
Step 1: Issue the claim and write down the date
Issue starts the clocks. The court fee9 is worked on the amount you claim plus interest: £455 from £5,000.01 to £10,000, then 5% of the whole claim from £10,000.01 to £200,000. You may be able to claim the fee back from the company if you win.
Step 2: Find the company's last day and diary it
The court sends you the date7 the company must respond by, so use that one. On the newer online service it is 4pm, 28 days after issue2.
On paper and the older online service it is 14 days after service of the particulars, or 28 if it files an acknowledgment of service3. A paper claim form posted first class counts as served on the second business day4 after posting. On the older service, use the court's date.
Step 3: Road one: if it says nothing, ask for judgment
Ask the day after the company's last day, not on it: online, it has until 4pm. Ask for judgment7 online, or on form N225 for a fixed sum claimed on a paper claim form. It is a form, not a hearing.
If the company responds before the court enters judgment, even late, the court cannot enter it2 and sends the claim to a judge. Judgment is an order to pay, not payment. If the company still doesn't, enforcement is a new wait.
Step 4: Road two: if it defends, answer the court
On the newer online service the court asks whether you will carry on. You have 33 days if neither side has a lawyer, 28 if either does2. On a paper claim the court sends a questionnaire, with at least 14 days5 to return it.
A claim of £10,000 or less goes to a free mediation call of up to an hour8. With no deal, the court allocates it within four weeks5 of the last questionnaire, then gives at least 21 days' notice6 of the hearing.
Step 5: Read the 41 weeks as a median, not a date
In April to June 2026 the court's median from issue to trial was 41.0 weeks for small claims and 55.9 weeks for fast, intermediate and multi-track claims1. It is longer in London and the South East, and claims that settle at mediation are not in it.
The 14% defended covers all County Court claims, not only business debts. You will not wait longer for a hearing8 because you tried mediation first.
Step 6: Keep the claim moving while you wait
Four things stretch it. The company can agree up to 28 more days3 with you. A counterclaim usually sends the claim out of the online service2. A part admission with a payment plan needs your answer. A wrong address holds everything up.
Do not sit on it. The court stays the claim if you miss its 33 days to carry on, or if six months pass from issue2 with no reply from the company and no judgment request from you. To restart it, you apply. Interest runs while you wait, which is a reason to keep going.
The letter
This page is about waiting. The court sends the dates, and the steps above are your diary.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- You need the money inside a month and the company is likely to defend. A claim will not get you there; an offer now can beat a judgment next summer.
- The company is insolvent or about to be. A claim will not speed anything up; see whether it is worth suing a company with no money.
- The sum is small against a year of tied-up cash. Weigh the fee and the wait against the invoice before you issue.
- The company is in Scotland or Northern Ireland. This page is for England and Wales; the courts and the times differ.
The Wolf's note
A claim has two clocks. The company holds the first and it is short; the court holds the second and it is long. Diary the first, and do not plan your cash around a date on the second.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
What is Money Claim Online, and how does it work?
Money Claim Online is the court's web form for a fixed sum under £100,000, paid by card.
8 min read · Letter included
The company filed a defence. What happens next?
Usually mediation, then a hearing if there is no deal.
6 min read · Letter included
What is small claims mediation, and do I have to try it?
Usually, yes. If your defended claim is for £10,000 or less, you must attend one free phone call with a court mediator.
5 min read
Don't want to do this yourself?
The Wolf does every step for you. He works out the sums, writes the letters and keeps track of every date. Nothing goes without your yes.