How to Respond to a County Court Money Claim When You Dispute the Full Amount

If someone has filed a county court money claim against you and you believe you owe nothing, one route is to file an Acknowledgment of Service to extend your deadline, then file a full defence on Form N9B for a specified-sum claim, Form N9D for an unspecified claim, or through the claim's online response portal. Your defence sets out why you dispute the claim. You have 14 days from the deemed date of service to respond (or 28 days if you file the Acknowledgment first). Missing the deadline means the claimant can apply for a default judgment — a court order saying you owe the money — without a hearing.

This is the situation most defendants dread and the one where doing nothing is most dangerous. Even if you believe the claim is baseless, silence gives the claimant a judgment by default.

The Response Timeline

Understanding the sequence matters because each step has a hard deadline:

Deemed service and deadline start: For Money Claim Online claims, service is deemed on the fifth calendar day after issue. For Online Civil Money Claims, use the "respond by" date shown on the digital dashboard. For paper Part 7 claims served by first-class post within the UK, service is deemed on the second business day after posting under CPR 6.14. The 14-day response period runs from the applicable deemed-service date, not from when you opened the envelope.

Day 1–14 from deemed service: File an Acknowledgment of Service (Form N9 or online equivalent). This extends your deadline from 14 days to 28 days from deemed service. There is no fee. The form is a single page that says you intend to defend. Filing it buys time without committing you to any position.

Day 1–28 from deemed service (if Acknowledgment filed): File your defence on Form N9B (for specified claims — a fixed amount) or Form N9D (for unspecified claims — an amount to be decided by the court). The defence must set out specific denials under CPR Part 16, not just a general statement that you disagree.

After defence filed: The court sends Directions Questionnaires and allocates the claim to a track (usually Small Claims for claims valued up to £10,000, depending on case factors). Eligible defended fixed-sum claims up to £10,000 are referred to mandatory mediation under Practice Direction 51ZE after the Directions Questionnaires are filed. If mediation does not settle the dispute, a hearing date is set.

What Goes in a Full Defence

CPR Part 16 requires a defence to contain specific denials. "I don't owe this money" is not enough — the court treats that as a bare denial and may strike it out. Your defence must:

1. Address each allegation in the claim individually. Go through the Particulars of Claim paragraph by paragraph. For each one, state whether you admit it, deny it, or require the claimant to prove it.

2. Give your version of events for anything you deny. If the claimant says you agreed to pay £3,000 for building work, and you say the work was incomplete, your defence must explain what was incomplete and why you believe you owe nothing.

3. State any facts you rely on that the claimant has not mentioned. If there was a separate agreement, a prior dispute, or a defect in the goods or services, set it out.

4. Include a Statement of Truth. The defence must end with: "I believe that the facts stated in this defence are true. I understand that proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against anyone who makes, or causes to be made, a false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth without an honest belief in its truth."

Common Situations Where Defendants Dispute the Full Amount

Builder or contractor disputes. You hired a builder who left the job unfinished or did defective work. The builder is now claiming payment for the full quoted amount. Your defence sets out what was agreed, what was actually done, what was defective, and why the work as delivered does not justify the claimed payment.

Deposit disputes. A former tenant is claiming the return of a deposit you withheld for property damage. Your defence sets out the specific damage, the evidence (photographs, inventory reports, contractor quotes), and why the deductions were justified.

Car sale disputes. You sold a car privately and the buyer is claiming the price back, alleging a defect you did not disclose. Your defence sets out what you knew at the time of sale, what was stated in the listing, and whether the sale was "as seen" or included specific representations.

Service disputes. A customer is claiming a refund for services you provided. Your defence sets out what was agreed, what was delivered, and why it met the standard specified in the agreement.

The Mediation Step

Since 22 May 2024, eligible defended fixed-sum money claims up to £10,000 are automatically referred to mandatory mediation under Practice Direction 51ZE. The service is a free one-hour telephone session with an HMCTS mediator. Both parties must attend.

Mediation is not a hearing. The mediator does not decide who is right. They help both parties explore whether a settlement is possible. If it is, the agreement is recorded and becomes binding. If not, the case proceeds to a hearing.

The cost sanction matters: if a party refuses or fails to attend without good cause, the judge may impose procedural sanctions or costs penalties for unreasonable conduct under CPR 27.14(2)(g). The rule concerns attendance, not whether you reach a settlement.

What Happens at the Hearing

If mediation does not resolve the dispute, the court lists the case for a hearing. On the Small Claims Track, this is informal. The District Judge reads the claim, the defence, and any evidence filed beforehand. Both parties give their account. The judge asks questions and may limit cross-examination.

The judge then makes a decision, usually on the day. Under CPR Part 27.14, recoverable amounts on the Small Claims Track can include fixed issue costs, court fees, reasonable travel expenses, capped loss-of-earnings and expert fees, and costs for unreasonable conduct. Solicitor fees are generally not recoverable.

Who This Is For

• A defendant who has been served with a county court money claim and believes they owe nothing
• Someone who has evidence that the claimant's version of events is wrong or incomplete
• A defendant who wants to understand the procedural steps for filing a full defence and what happens next
• Someone who needs to act quickly — the 14-day deadline is running

Who This Is NOT For

• Someone who owes the claimed amount (or part of it) and wants to arrange payment by instalments — that is an admission on Form N9A, a different route
• Defendants in regulated consumer debt claims (credit cards, loans, debt purchasers) — free debt advice services are the right first step
• Claims over £100,000, which are normally allocated to the Multi-Track depending on case factors, where legal representation is common

Tradeoffs

Defending in full preserves your position but requires work. You need to draft a defence that meets CPR Part 16 requirements, gather your evidence, take part in mediation if your claim is referred, and prepare for a hearing. The procedural overhead is real, but the alternative — letting the claimant take a default judgment — can leave you with a CCJ on your credit record for six years. If you pay the judgment debt, court costs and interest in full within one calendar month of the judgment date, you can apply for a Certificate of Cancellation and have the entry removed.

Free resources explain the principles but not the sequence. GOV.UK and Citizens Advice cover each step on separate pages, and court staff cannot advise on what to write. The Responding to a County Court Money Claim guide puts the entire defendant workflow in order — deadline calculation, Acknowledgment of Service, defence drafting with the CPR Part 16 requirements, mediation preparation, and hearing checklist — with six worksheets including a Defence Drafting Framework that structures your denials paragraph by paragraph.

A solicitor gives you a merits opinion but at a cost. If you need someone to tell you whether your defence is legally strong, a one-off solicitor consultation costs £150–£350. For the procedural question — how to file the defence, what to include, where to send it — a guide is faster, cheaper, and available immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I file a defence and the claimant's case is strong?

Filing a defence does not commit you to going to trial. For eligible defended fixed-sum claims up to £10,000, the court refers the parties to mediation after the Directions Questionnaires are filed. Many defendants who file a full defence settle at the mediation stage — sometimes for a reduced amount, sometimes with a payment plan. Filing the defence keeps your options open; not filing hands the claimant a default judgment.

Can I file a counterclaim at the same time as my defence?

Yes. If you believe the claimant owes you money (for example, a builder who damaged your property during incomplete work), you can file a counterclaim on the same Form N9B under CPR Part 20. There is an additional court fee based on the counterclaim amount. The counterclaim is heard at the same hearing as the original claim.

What if I need more than 14 days to file my defence?

File an Acknowledgment of Service within the initial 14-day period. This extends your defence deadline to 28 days from deemed service. The Acknowledgment is a simple form (or online click) that says you intend to defend. It costs nothing and gives you an additional 14 days.

Do I need evidence to file a defence?

You need to set out your version of events in the defence itself. Supporting evidence (photographs, emails, invoices, text messages, receipts) is filed separately before the hearing, usually as part of a court bundle. You do not need to attach evidence to the defence form, but you should start gathering it immediately.

What if the claim was issued online and I want to respond by post?

You can respond by post regardless of how the claim was issued. Online Civil Money Claims (MC prefix) can be responded to online or by post to Civil Money Claims, PO Box 12747, Harlow, CM20 9RA. Money Claim Online claims can be responded to through Government Gateway or by post to the Civil National Business Centre, St Katharine's House, 21–27 St Katharine's Street, Northampton, NN1 2LH.

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