Most County Court money claims never reach a hearing at all, they settle, get admitted, or end in a default judgment first. But once a defendant genuinely disputes a claim, the case moves through a fairly predictable sequence of steps before anyone sees a judge, and knowing what's coming makes the whole process far less intimidating.

Step 1: Understand why your claim ended up on the small claims track

Money Claim Online accepts claims up to £100,000, but that's a filing limit, not a track. Once a defendant files a defence, the court allocates the case to a track based on value and complexity, and most straightforward disputes worth up to £10,000 land on the small claims track, which is designed to be resolved without a solicitor and without the formal evidence rules of a full trial. Higher-value or more complex disputes can be moved to the fast track or multi-track instead, which follow a more formal process outside the scope of this guide.

Step 2: Complete and return the N180 directions questionnaire

After a defence is filed, the court sends both sides a directions questionnaire (Form N180), usually with a 14-day deadline to return it. It asks whether you agree to mediation, what witnesses and evidence you intend to rely on, and your availability and time estimate for a hearing. The judge uses these answers to confirm the track and set a timetable, so return it by the deadline; the court can allocate the case without your input if you don't.

Step 3: Attend mediation if your claim is £10,000 or less

For money claims of £10,000 or less, both sides are required to attend a mediation appointment through the Small Claims Mediation Service before the case proceeds further. It's a free telephone appointment with a trained mediator, separate from the hearing itself, and many claims settle at this stage without ever reaching a judge. Skipping it isn't a neutral option: a judge can penalise a party who doesn't engage, including ordering them to pay costs or, in some cases, deciding the claim in the other side's favour.

Step 4: Prepare your hearing bundle and evidence

If mediation doesn't resolve things, prepare a bundle of everything you'll rely on: your particulars of claim or defence, the contract or invoice in dispute, correspondence, photos, and a short chronology of events. Send copies to the court and the other side by the deadline set in the directions, not on the day itself. The small claims track doesn't apply strict rules of evidence, but a judge still needs to be able to follow your account quickly, so organise the bundle in date order with numbered pages.

Step 5: Know what happens on the day

Small claims hearings are deliberately informal and are usually heard by a District Judge in a courtroom or, increasingly, remotely by video or telephone. Lawyers aren't required, and many people represent themselves; you'll each get the chance to explain your side, the judge may ask questions of both parties directly, and formal cross-examination is rare. Bring your bundle, arrive in good time, and answer questions directly and factually rather than repeating your written statement word for word.

Step 6: Understand the costs rules before you go in

Whatever the outcome, you generally cannot recover solicitor's fees on the small claims track, even if you win and even if you did use a solicitor. The successful party can usually recover the court fee, fixed costs of roughly £80 for the money claim itself, reasonable travel expenses, and modest fixed amounts for a witness's loss of earnings or an expert's fee, but nothing beyond that. A judge can depart from this and award further costs only where a party has behaved unreasonably in how they conducted the case, not simply because they lost.

Step 7: Know what happens after the judgment

The judge will usually give a decision at the end of the hearing, or occasionally in writing shortly after. If you win and the other side doesn't pay, the judgment becomes a County Court Judgment (CCJ) that can be enforced through warrants of control, third party debt orders, or charging orders, see our CCJ enforcement guide. If you lose and owe money, the same judgment applies to you, and paying it within one month keeps it off your credit file altogether, see our guide on paying off a CCJ.

A worked example

A landlord claims £2,400 for damage to a rental property beyond normal wear and tear; the tenant defends, saying the damage was already there at move-in. Both sides return their N180 and, because the claim is under £10,000, attend a mediation appointment, but they can't agree on liability. The case is listed for a short hearing before a District Judge, where the landlord brings check-in and check-out photos and the tenant brings their own photos and a contemporaneous email raising the issue. The judge decides based on which account the evidence supports, and the losing side has no solicitor's fees to worry about, just the claim itself and modest fixed costs.

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and court procedures, thresholds, and costs rules can change. LawClaims is a document preparation tool, not a law firm, and no solicitor-client relationship is formed by using it or reading this page. For advice specific to your situation, consider speaking to a solicitor or a free advice service such as Citizens Advice.

What Happens at a Small Claims Court Hearing