AnswersCourt, and what comes after
What is a directions questionnaire, and what do I put in it?
The short answer
A court form, N180. It comes once a defence is filed, and your short, factual answers on witnesses, dates, the hearing centre and mediation shape the track and the hearing. The court's letter sets the return date, at least 14 days after the letter counts as delivered2, and the two sides cannot agree to move it. When you return it you can ask for a one-month pause to settle2, and if both sides ask, the court must give it.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
The numbers
The numbers on this form.
What you can add
A £2,400 invoice, claimed 43 days late
Say another business owes you £2,400, due on Monday 3 August 2026. You issue a claim on Tuesday 15 September 2026, which is 43 days late, and they file a defence. It went late on 4 August 2026, so the 11.75% rate for the second half of 2026 applies.
- The invoice£2,400.00
- Interest: £2,400 × 11.75% ÷ 365 × 43 days9£33.22
- Fixed sum (invoices from £1,000 to £9,999.99)10£70.00
- Court fee to issue the claim (£1,500.01 to £3,000)8£115.00
- Hearing fee, once the form is back and the court fixes the hearing8£181.00
- The claim on 15 September 2026, plus both court fees£2,799.22
£296 of that is court fees, and if you win the court can order the company to pay them back3. Interest keeps growing at 77p a day until they pay.
The road ahead
Six steps. The only fee comes after.
Step 1: Find your date and your court
Read the court's notice for the return date and the office to send it to, which can differ from the court where you issued the claim1. The other side cannot give you more time.
Don't wait for a reminder. In a County Court money claim, a missed date brings one more notice with 7 days, then your claim is struck out2 without a further order.
If you claimed on GOV.UK's newer Civil Money Claims service, there is no paper form: you answer the questionnaire on screen when you say you are carrying on, within 33 days of being asked, or 28 if the company has a lawyer5. Miss it and the claim is put on hold. The one-month pause does not apply there.
Step 2: Ask for the pause if you are talking
If you and the company are already in talks, put a short written request in with the form for the proceedings to be stayed for one month2 while you try to settle. If both sides ask, the court stays the claim. If only you ask, the court can still decide to.
If you settle, the claimant must tell the court. If the court hears nothing by the end of the month, it gives directions for the case.
Step 3: Answer the hearing questions
Keep to short facts; this is not the place to argue the claim. Count witnesses1 as yourself plus people who saw or heard something first-hand and will come. List the days in the next nine months when you or a key witness cannot attend, and only real ones.
Name the hearing centre you can reach. Say if you need an interpreter, or support because you or a witness is vulnerable. Question D1 asks if a judge could decide on the papers alone; say yes only if you would accept that.
Step 4: Answer the mediation questions
For most claims of £10,000 or less4, the claim goes to the court's free mediation service7 once both questionnaires are in: a phone call of up to an hour.
There is no box to refuse it: section A of the form says both sides must attend1. The rule is a pilot for claims issued since 22 May 2024, running to 6 April 2027. Outside it, mediation needs both sides to agree. What mediation involves.
Give a name and number, or the call may not take place1. Add any dates in the next 3 months you cannot make. The judge must consider a sanction4 for a no-show.
Step 5: Sign it, send it, copy the other side
Sign the form, return it to the court named in the notice by the date, and send the other side a copy2. Keep a copy of what you sent, with the date.
Expect the court's next notice to set the track, the mediation call and then the hearing date. What happens at the hearing.
The letter
The only paper to send is a copy of the completed form to the other side, which the rules require, so there is no letter to write.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- They have paid, or you have settled. Tell the court at once, as the form asks. If you settle before it is due, the hearing fee need not be paid8.
- The claim is over £10,000. The small claims track stops there2, so a different questionnaire applies. See the small claims limit.
- You are in Scotland or Northern Ireland. This is the England and Wales form and rule. The route differs there.
The Wolf's note
The court is not asking you to argue the case. It is asking when you can come, who you will bring and who will take the mediation call. Answer those three plainly, and ask for the month if talks are live.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
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
What happens at a small claims hearing, and how do I prepare?
Informal, often in the judge's room.
6 min read · Letter included
How long does a money claim take?
About a month if the company doesn't answer.
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.