How to Get Extra Time to Respond to a County Court Claim

Fourteen days is not much time to gather invoices, take photographs, chase witnesses, and draft a legal defence. If you have been served with a county court money claim and need more time, the Civil Procedure Rules give you three mechanisms — each with its own ceiling and requirements.

Option 1: File an Acknowledgment of Service (14 → 28 Days)

Filing an Acknowledgment of Service within the first 14 days automatically extends your defence deadline to 28 days from deemed service. No court fee, no application, no permission needed. You are simply telling the court you intend to respond.

This is the fastest and simplest extension. If you are reading this and your 14-day window is still open, file the acknowledgment immediately — even if you are not sure yet whether you will defend, admit, or counterclaim. It commits you to nothing and buys you critical preparation time.

Option 2: Agree an Extension with the Claimant (Up to 56 Days Total)

Under CPR 15.5, you and the claimant can agree in writing to extend the defence deadline by up to an additional 28 days beyond the acknowledgment window. This creates a maximum total of 56 days from deemed service.

Two requirements make or break this route:

1. The agreement must be in writing. An email exchange is sufficient — a phone call is not. Set out the new deadline date explicitly.
2. You must notify the court in writing. Send a letter or message through the portal confirming the agreed extension and the new deadline date.

If either step is missing, the extension has no procedural standing. The claimant could still apply for default judgment after day 28, arguing there was no valid CPR 15.5 agreement.

Option 3: Court Application (Beyond 56 Days)

If you need more than 56 days — or if the claimant refuses to agree an extension — you must apply to the court for an order. This means filing Form N244 (Application Notice), paying the court fee (£321 on notice to the other side, or £126 by consent), and explaining why the extra time is necessary.

Judges grant extensions for genuine reasons: awaiting expert reports, complex document disclosure, serious illness, or the need to obtain legal representation. "I was busy" or "I forgot" will not succeed.

What Happens If You Just Ignore the Deadline

The claimant applies for a default judgment. A CCJ is entered against you without a hearing, lands on the Register of Judgments for six years, and damages your credit for mortgages, car finance, and business accounts. Setting it aside later requires its own Form N244 application, a fee, and evidence that you have a real prospect of defending the claim.

The cost of filing an acknowledgment (free, five minutes) versus the cost of unpicking a default judgment (£321, weeks of delay, uncertain outcome) makes the calculation straightforward.

For a complete deadline calculator and step-by-step instructions for each extension route, the England & Wales Money Claim Response Guide covers the full timeline from service to hearing.

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