AnswersCourt, and what comes after
The company paid after I issued the claim. What do I do now?
The short answer
Tell the court yourself. The court is not told when a defendant pays, and until you tell it the claim stays open2. Marking it paid means you accept what you received as settlement, so once the money has cleared, first ask for any balance: interest to the day they paid8, the fixed sum9 and the court fee7.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
What you can add
A £4,200 invoice, paid 95 days late
Say a company owed you £4,200, due on 1 June 2026. You issued a claim on 20 August 2026 for £4,378.16 (the invoice, £108.16 interest and the £70 fixed sum) and paid a £205 court fee. On 4 September 2026 the company pays the £4,200 and nothing else. The money has cleared. It is 95 days after the due date, and the debt went late on 2 June, so the first-half 2026 rate of 11.75% applies.
Interest stopped8 on 4 September, when the £4,200 arrived. The £403.45 balance does not grow.
The road ahead
Five steps. Four are free.
Step 1: Wait for the money to clear
Look at your bank account, not the payment advice. If you tell the court it is paid and the payment then fails, you must apply to the court and pay a fee to reinstate the claim2.
Step 2: Work out what is still owed
Add up interest to the day the money arrived, the fixed sum and the court fee. For a debt that went late from 1 January to 30 June 2026 the rate is 11.75% a year12, 8% over Bank Rate11.
CPR 45.183 spares a company further costs only if, within 14 days of being served, it paid the whole sum claimed and any fixed costs on the claim form. Paying just the invoice is not enough, and rule 45.163 allows the court fee on top of those costs.
The company may dispute the fees2. The court's notice of service5 gives the date your claim form counts as served.
Step 3: Ask for the balance in writing
Email the letter below with the sums worked out. Ask before you mark the claim paid, because that means you accept what you received as settlement2.
Step 4: Tell the court it is paid
When the balance arrives, or you decide to let it go, update the claim status1 online, by phone or email, or for a paper claim by contacting the court. Online it can take up to 2 working days2 to show. Give the date the money arrived.
Then tell the company. If you let a balance go, the Money Claim Online guide2 says an N2796 must still be sent to them.
An N279 can leave you liable for their costs4 unless the claim has been allocated to the small claims track, and the court fee is not refunded2. So do not use one in place of marking a claim paid.
Step 5: If the balance is ignored, keep the claim open
You need not tell the court about a part payment2 until you are paid in full. If the company does not respond once its time is up, you can request judgment for the balance. If it files a defence, the claim carries on. See part payments.
A letter you can copy
Letter asking for the balance after a payment
Send it once their money has cleared and part of the claim, such as interest or the court fee, is still unpaid.
Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.
Send it by email, quoting the claim number, so it is dated. Keep a copy with the court papers.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- The shortfall is small and the client is worth keeping. Mark it paid, send the N279 Money Claim Online asks for2, and let it go: £403.45 in the sum above, £205 of it your court fee.
- They paid everything, interest and fee included. There is nothing to ask for. Tell the court and tell them, and the file is done.
- The company is in liquidation or administration. Speak to an insolvency practitioner, or a solicitor who does debt recovery, before you touch the claim.
- Judgment has already been entered. You can no longer discontinue. Tell the court the date you were paid in full; a judgment paid within one month can be cancelled2 on their application.
- Your claim is in Scotland or Northern Ireland. This page covers England and Wales, where the courts and the steps differ.
The Wolf's note
Being paid and being finished are not the same thing. The court only learns of the money from you, so the order matters: money cleared, balance asked for, claim marked paid. After that the file is shut.
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
What can I claim in court besides the invoice: interest, fees, costs?
Interest, a fixed £40, £70 or £100 and the court fee, yes; legal costs, mostly not.
6 min read · Letter included
Can I withdraw a claim, and do I get the fee back?
Yes, until judgment, by filing Form N279 and serving it on the company.
6 min read · Letter included
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.