County Court Claim Form N1: How to Fill It In for a Money Claim

When You Need Form N1

Form N1 is the standard paper claim form for starting a county court money claim under CPR Part 7. Litigants in person can use it to file by post with the Civil National Business Centre (CNBC), including for claims outside OCMC such as unspecified-amount or multi-party claims. Legal representatives must use OCMC for eligible claims. If the Particulars of Claim exceed the online character limit, follow the portal instructions to serve separate Particulars within 14 days under CPR 7.4.

Even if you file online, understanding N1's structure helps — OCMC asks for the same information in the same order. The notes form, N1A, explains each section, but it doesn't show you how to write effective Particulars of Claim. That's the section where most mistakes happen.

Section by Section

Claimant and defendant details. Use full legal names. If the defendant is a sole trader, write "Jane Smith trading as Smith Plumbing." If they're a limited company, use the exact registered name from Companies House — not the trading name on their van. The defendant's address must be a place where they can actually be served: a registered office for a company, a home address for an individual.

Brief details of claim. This is the summary box at the top of the form, not the full Particulars. Keep it to one or two sentences: "The claimant claims £2,800 for unpaid invoices for design services supplied between 1 March and 30 June 2026, plus statutory interest."

Value. Tick the box that matches your claim amount. For a specified sum, enter the exact figure. This determines your issue fee band.

Defendant's name and address. Repeat the details accurately. Inconsistencies between sections can cause processing delays.

Writing the Particulars of Claim

The Particulars of Claim is where you set out your case. It sits in the lower section of N1 or — if space is too tight — on a separate sheet headed "Particulars of Claim" attached to the form. The court reads this to understand what happened and why the defendant owes you money.

Structure it chronologically:

1. The agreement — what was agreed, when, and between whom. Reference the contract, invoice, or arrangement.
2. The breach — what the defendant did or failed to do. Be specific: "The defendant failed to pay invoice #2026-017 dated 15 March 2026, due on 14 April 2026."
3. The loss — the amount owed, broken down if multiple items are claimed.
4. Interest — state the statutory basis you rely on. For commercial debts: "The claimant claims interest pursuant to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 at [rate]% per annum." For non-commercial debts: "The claimant claims interest pursuant to Section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984 at 8% per annum." Give the daily rate and the amount accrued to the date of issue, then add "and continuing at [daily rate] per day until judgment or sooner payment."

Avoid emotional language, arguments about who's right, or legal conclusions. State facts. The judge decides the rest.

Common N1 Mistakes

• Wrong defendant name — suing "ABC Plumbing" instead of "ABC Plumbing Limited" means you may not be able to enforce the judgment against the company
• Missing interest calculation — if you don't plead interest in the Particulars, the court can't award it
• Incorrect claim value — forgetting to include accrued interest when calculating the value, which means you pay the wrong issue fee
• No statement of truth — Form N1 requires a signed statement of truth at the bottom. An unsigned form gets returned

What Happens After You Post It

Send the completed form with two copies (one for the court, one for each defendant) and the court fee to the CNBC. The court stamps it, assigns a claim number, and serves the claim on the defendant. You'll receive a notice of issue confirming the claim number and the date of service.

The Making a County Court Money Claim guide walks through every section of Form N1 with field-by-field notes, an interest calculator, and the full defendant-naming matrix for individuals, sole traders, partnerships, and limited companies.

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