Court Fees for Civil Litigation
If you are bringing or defending a civil court action there may be certain fees involved.
How much you pay
The fees you need to pay at a court or tribunal depend on your claim or case. You may have to pay multiple fees, for example a hearing fee and an application fee.
| Case | Fee |
|---|---|
| Divorce or end a civil partnership | £550 |
| Claim money you’re owed | From £25 |
| Appeal a benefits decision | Free |
| Apply to an employment tribunal | From £390 |
| Apply for bankruptcy | £680 |
| Apply for probate | £215 |
Read the list of fees for:
- civil and family court cases (EX50)
- immigration and asylum tribunal cases
- Court of Protection
- other courts and tribunals
How to pay your court or tribunal fee
You can’t pay most fees online. Pay:
- in person at a court or tribunal by cheque, cash, debit or credit card
- by post with a cheque made out to ‘HM Courts and Tribunals Service’
You can only pay online when you use:
There’s a different system of court fees in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Court fees
You must pay a court fee when you make your claim.
The fee for making a money claim online is cheaper than the fee for sending a paper claim form.
If you know the claim amount
The court fee is based on the amount you’re claiming, plus interest.
| Claim amount | Paper form fee | Online claim fee |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £300 | £35 | £25 |
| £300.01 to £500 | £50 | £35 |
| £500.01 to £1,000 | £70 | £60 |
| £1,000.01 to £1,500 | £80 | £70 |
| £1,500.01 to £3,000 | £115 | £105 |
| £3,000.01 to £5,000 | £205 | £185 |
| £5,000.01 to £10,000 | £455 | £410 |
| £10,000.01 to £100,000 | 5% of the claim | 4.5% of the claim |
| £100,000.01 to £200,000 | 5% of the claim | You can’t make a claim online |
| More than £200,000 | £10,000 | You can’t make a claim online |
To calculate 5% of the value of the claim, take the amount you’re claiming and multiply it by 0.05. If necessary, round down the result to the nearest 1p.
The fee will be calculated for you if you make your claim online.
If you don’t know the claim amount
Use the paper claim form if you don’t know the exact amount - you can’t make a claim online.
Which fee you need to pay
You’ll need to estimate the amount you’re claiming and pay the paper form fee for that amount.
For example, if you estimate you’re claiming between £3,000.01 and £5,000, you’d have to pay £205.
If you leave the ‘amount claimed’ blank, the fee is £10,000.
Legal Help
If you decide you need formal legal help, solicitors firms offer a range of Fixed Fees are available in the following areas.