AnswersCourt, and what comes after
What is Money Claim Online, and how does it work?
The short answer
An online court form. Money Claim Online5 is the court's own site for claiming a fixed sum of less than £100,0007 from a company or person with an address in England or Wales. GOV.UK's Make a money claim1 button opens a newer service instead. On either, if the company stays silent, you can ask for judgment online6 without a hearing.
England and Wales only. WolfX is software, not a law firm.
The numbers
Money Claim Online in four numbers.
What you can add
A £3,400 invoice, claimed online
Say you invoiced another business £3,400, due on 31 August 2026, and your letter before action went unanswered. On Monday 19 October 2026 you submit the claim online: 49 days late. The invoice went late in September, so interest runs at 11.75% a year. The claim asks for the invoice, the interest to that day, the fixed sum and the court fee, which is added for you.
- The invoice£3,400.00
- Interest: £3,400 × 11.75% ÷ 365 × 49 days11£53.63
- Fixed sum (invoices from £1,000 to £9,999.99)10£70.00
- Court fee (claims from £3,000.01 to £5,000)4£205.00
- The claim on screen, fee added£3,728.63
Then interest grows by £1.09 a day until the company pays or you ask for judgment. On Money Claim Online the court issues it within 2 working days, say Wednesday 21 October, and it counts as served on Monday 26 October. The company has until Monday 9 November to respond, or Monday 23 November with an acknowledgment of service. Silent past 9 November, you can ask for judgment online from Tuesday 10 November. On the newer service, a claim issued that day has until 4pm on Wednesday 18 November.
The road ahead
Eight steps. One fee to start.
Step 1: Send the letter before action first
The court expects you to try to settle before you claim, and the Money Claim Online guide says skipping that could affect, or in some cases invalidate, your claim6. Send a letter before action and leave the reply time it gives.
Step 2: Check it fits, then register
Money Claim Online takes a fixed sum below £100,0007 claimed by one claimant from up to 2 defendants, none a government department6, each with an address in England or Wales.
GOV.UK's Make a money claim1 button goes to the newer Money Claims service. It calls itself a beta12, takes interest only at one rate from one date, and GOV.UK gives it no top limit.
Money Claim Online's own site5 still takes claims: it calls itself a way of making a money claim on the internet, and you register with the Government Gateway first. The steps below are its steps. On the newer service the screens differ, and step 7 gives its deadline.
Step 3: Copy the company's name and address exactly
Use the full registered name and the registered office, or the address where you dealt with them6. A wrong name can mean a judgment you cannot register or enforce6.
Fixing a mistake after issue needs a judge's permission and a fee6. A sole trader goes in as a person, with T/A and the trading name after the surname6.
Step 4: Work out the sum, interest included
Add the invoice, interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate11, which is 11.75% a year9 on invoices that went late from 1 July to 31 December 2026, and the fixed sum10.
Put the total in the amount claimed, interest included. Interest due before issue cannot be added later without a judge's permission and a fee6. The working is in how to work out late payment interest to the day.
Step 5: Write the particulars to fit the box
On Money Claim Online the box holds 24 lines of 45 characters, 1,080 in all6, and takes only full stops, commas and pound signs as punctuation. Anything past the limit is cut off. The text below fits.
Money Claim Online also asks about interest. Answer No6: it offers County Court Act interest at 8% a year and uses 6 lines. The particulars below claim your interest under the Late Payment Act instead.
Step 6: Pay the fee and submit the claim
The summary screen is your last look. Type your name as the signature, then pay by card. The fee is added to your claim6, and it is set by the amount claimed plus interest4.
On Money Claim Online, no one at the court checks a claim before it is issued, and once you pay you cannot cancel or change it before issue6. It is issued within 2 working days, and the court posts you the issue date.
Step 7: Wait out the company's deadline
On Money Claim Online the claim counts as served on the fifth day after issue, weekend or not7. The company then has 14 days to respond, or 28 if it files an acknowledgment of service6.
On the newer service, which the court rules call Online Civil Money Claims, it has until 4pm on day 28 after issue8, and the two sides may agree an extension of up to 28 days8.
Step 8: Ask for judgment, or read the reply
If the deadline passes in silence, ask the court for judgment online3. There is no fee for the request4 and no hearing.
A late reply that reaches the court first still beats your request. A part admission lets you take judgment for that part or go on for the lot6. On Money Claim Online, a full admission goes to you, not the court. If you accept its offer, you can still ask for judgment online.
A defence brings a questionnaire, an extra court fee and mediation you may be told you have to attend3. On Money Claim Online, tell the court within 33 days if you are going on6, or the claim is stayed.
A letter you can copy
Particulars of claim that fit the online box
Paste it into the particulars box once your letter before action has gone unanswered. It fits the Money Claim Online box, which stops at 1,080 characters.
Tap a highlighted gap to see what goes in it.
The Money Claim Online box takes only full stops, commas and pound signs as punctuation, so this text has no brackets, colons, apostrophes or percent signs. Count the characters after you fill the gaps. Answer No to the interest question that offers County Court Act interest at 8% a year. The daily figure is what lets you add interest up to the day you ask for judgment. More than 1,080 characters? Tick the box for detailed particulars to follow. It takes 3 lines, and you must serve them on the company within 14 days of issue.
When not to bother
When it isn't worth it
- You need help with the court fee. Money Claim Online cannot take a claim that applies for help with fees5. On the newer service, GOV.UK says you can apply while you make the claim1.
- The company's address is not in England or Wales. Neither online service takes it1, and Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own court claims2. Ask a debt recovery solicitor.
- The amount is not fixed. A claim without a fixed sum cannot go online1: use paper form N1. Interest from more than one date rules out the newer service12, not Money Claim Online.
- The invoice is disputed. A company that denies owing the money can mean a court hearing6, and a long story outgrows the box. Get the undisputed part paid first if you can.
- The company has no money. A judgment lets you collect; it does not pay you, and someone bankrupt is unlikely to repay6. Check it is not failing before you pay the fee.
The Wolf's note
On Money Claim Online nobody at the court reads a claim before it goes out, and a paid one cannot be pulled back. So the work is done before the button: the right name, the right address, a sum that adds up. After that the clock is the company's, and silence has a form of its own.
Mr. Wolf · the AI inside WolfX
What comes next
Your next move
How much does it cost to take a company to court for an unpaid invoice?
From £35 to £455 to start a claim up to £10,000, plus £27 to £346 if it reaches a hearing.
6 min read · Letter included
How long does a money claim take?
About a month if the company doesn't answer.
5 min read
The company filed a defence. What happens next?
Usually mediation, then a hearing if there is no deal.
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.