How to Sue Someone in Northern Ireland Small Claims Court

Someone owes you money and will not pay. You have tried asking, chasing, and demanding. The next step is the Small Claims Court — but the process in Northern Ireland is different from England, Wales, Scotland, or the Republic of Ireland, and getting the details wrong can mean a rejected application or an unenforceable decree.

Here is how to do it properly.

Can You Use the Small Claims Court?

The Small Claims Court in Northern Ireland handles monetary disputes up to £5,000. Before you file, check three things:

1. Is the amount within the limit? The ceiling is £5,000. If the total claim value between the same parties exceeds that, you must abandon the excess or use the ordinary County Court Civil Bill route (up to £30,000). You cannot split one cause of action into multiple smaller claims to get around the limit.
2. Is the claim type allowed? The court handles unpaid debts, contract disputes, faulty goods, property damage, and deposit refunds. It cannot hear personal injury claims, defamation, or disputes over land title.
3. Are you within the time limit? You have six years from the date of the breach or damage to file. After that, the claim is statute-barred.

Step 1: Name the Right Person or Company

Getting the respondent's name wrong is one of the most common reasons small claims applications fail. A decree against the wrong name is unenforceable.

• Individuals: Use their full legal name and current residential address.
• Sole traders: Name the individual plus the trading name — "Jane Smith trading as Smith Catering."
• Partnerships: Name the individual partners or the precise trading partnership name.
• Limited companies: Use the exact registered company name from Companies House (including "Limited" or "Ltd") and the registered office address. Not the shop address, not the website address — the registered office.

If you are unsure whether you are dealing with a sole trader or a limited company, search the Companies House register. It is free.

Step 2: Send a Demand Letter

Before filing, send a formal letter before action. Set out what you are owed, why, and give them 14 to 21 days to pay. Attach copies of your evidence — invoices, contracts, photographs.

Send the formal demand letter before filing to show that court proceedings are a last resort. The District Judge will want to see that you tried to resolve the dispute before coming to court.

Step 3: File Your Application

You can file online through the nidirect Small Claims Online portal or submit a paper application to the Civil Processing Centre at Laganside Courts, Belfast.

On the application form, you need to classify your claim:

• Liquidated claim: You are owed a fixed, specific amount — an unpaid invoice for £1,500, a deposit of £800. The figure is already determined.
• Unliquidated claim: The exact amount is not fixed and needs to be assessed — the cost of repairing faulty workmanship, the value of damage caused by a neighbour's tree. You estimate the amount and provide supporting evidence (repair quotes, independent assessments). The judge decides the final figure.

In the statement of facts, write a clear, chronological account: what happened, when, and what you are claiming. You do not need legal language. Keep it factual and specific.

Step 4: Pay the Court Fee

Court fees range from £49 to £244 depending on the claim value. If you are on a low income or receiving qualifying benefits, you can apply for a fee exemption or remission using Form ER1.

The fee is non-refundable if you lose.

Step 5: Wait for the Response

The CPC posts a Small Claims Pack to the respondent. They have 21 days to respond — by paying in full, admitting liability and proposing a payment plan, or filing a dispute.

If they do not respond at all, you can request a default decree.

If they dispute the claim, the case is transferred to your local County Court for an informal hearing in front of a District Judge.

What About Suing a Company?

The process is the same, but you must name the company precisely using its Companies House registration. Sue "ABC Builders Limited," not "ABC Builders" and not "Dave who runs ABC." If the company has been dissolved, get advice on the correct defendant and route before filing; do not name a director just because they ran the company.

For sole traders using a trading name, you sue the individual behind the name. The business name alone is not a separate legal entity.

Get the Full Filing Walkthrough

The Making a Small Claim in Northern Ireland guide takes you from the demand letter through to the application, with worked examples for each claim type and a respondent identification checklist to make sure your decree sticks.

See more Northern Ireland guides →