Court Fee Calculator

Court fees in England and Wales vary by the type of claim and the amount involved. For money claims, the fee ranges from £35 (claims up to £300) to 5% of the claim value (claims over £10,000, capped at £10,000). That cap bites once a claim passes £200,000, since 5% of that sum is £10,000, so every larger claim pays the same flat maximum. The same scale applies whether you issue the claim online through Money Claim Online (MCOL) or on a paper form N1, so the £5,000 claim in the worked example on this page costs £205 either way.

Other court fees include divorce petitions, probate applications, appeals and enforcement actions such as warrant of control or attachment of earnings. Possession claims cost £415, and application fees run from £126 to £321 depending on the type of application. In the family court, a divorce application costs £628 and a financial order £321, both figures following the fee changes that took effect on 6 July 2026. Fee exemptions and remissions are available if you receive certain benefits or have a low income. This is called Help with Fees, and you apply on form EX160 when starting court action.

The Help with Fees scheme is income-based. The maximum gross monthly income is £1,420 for a single applicant and £2,130 for a couple, plus £425 for each child aged 0 to 13 and £710 for each child aged 14 or over. Savings must be under £4,250 where the fee is £1,420 or less, with the limit rising in steps to £16,000 for fees over £7,000, and if you or your partner are 66 or over the limit is £16,000 whatever the fee. Successful applicants pay reduced or zero fees, and roughly 40-50% of applicants succeed. The calculator does not assess eligibility, so check these limits on GOV.UK before you pay.

Most money claims under £10,000 are allocated to the small claims track, which is designed for litigants in person, so a solicitor is not typically required. The court fee is scaled by the amount claimed, and there is no 'loser pays' rule on legal costs, so each side usually bears only its own fixed costs. The decision is binding, but it takes time to get there: Ministry of Justice figures for April to June 2026 put the median wait from issue to a small claims trial at 41 weeks. If the other side defends the claim, a hearing fee is added: in the £5,000 example that is £346 on the small claims track, taking the total potential court costs to £551. Money Claim Online is the quickest way to issue a claim, at the same fees as paper.

Tribunals follow a different route from the courts. Most disputes go through the county court or the High Court, but some specific areas use tribunals instead: the Employment Tribunal handles employment disputes and has been free since 2017, the First-tier Tribunal covers tax, immigration and mental health, and the Upper Tribunal hears appeals from the First-tier. Tribunals are generally faster, less formal and lower in cost than equivalent court proceedings. Fees were abolished for employment tribunals in 2017 and for most civil claims under £10,000 the small claims regime keeps costs contained.

This calculator covers money claims, the most common civil court claim in England and Wales. It does not cover other civil applications, criminal court costs or tribunal fees, which are calculated differently, and it does not check Help with Fees eligibility. Enter the amount you are claiming, and the tool returns the issue fee, the hearing fee that would apply if the claim is defended, and the combined figure you should budget for.