Small Claims Court Fees Northern Ireland
The 2026 Fee Schedule
Court fees in Northern Ireland changed on 1 April 2026 under the County Court Fees (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026 (S.R. 2026 No. 36). The order introduced a 5% uplift, with further 2% increases scheduled for 1 April 2027 and 1 April 2028.
Here is what you pay to file a small claim as of April 2026:
| Claim amount | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| Up to £300 | £49 |
| £300.01 – £500 | £81 |
| £500.01 – £1,000 | £113 |
| £1,000.01 – £3,000 | £163 |
| £3,000.01 – £5,000 | £244 |
These fees apply to the initial application. If the respondent files a counterclaim, they pay the same scale of fees based on the value of their counterclaim. A third-party notice also carries the same fee.
Two other fees to know about:
- Setting aside a default decree: £25
- Appeal on a point of law: £244
When You Cannot Afford the Fee
If you are on a low income or receiving qualifying state benefits, you can apply for fee exemption or remission using Form ER1 ("Application for exemption or remission of court fee"). The form and its guidance document ("Do I have to pay court fees?") are available from the Department of Justice website.
You need to submit Form ER1 with your application, along with supporting evidence — benefit entitlement letters or income statements. If you forgot to apply at the time of filing, you can submit a retrospective remission application within six months of paying the fee.
What Costs You Can Recover If You Win
Small claims operate on a restricted costs regime. If you win, you can recover:
- Your court filing fee — the judge includes this in the decree
- Reasonable witness attendance expenses — at the judge's discretion
You cannot recover solicitor fees. If you hire a solicitor to help you with a small claim, that cost stays with you regardless of the outcome. This is one of the key reasons the small claims process is designed for self-representation — paying for legal help on a £1,500 claim makes little economic sense when you cannot pass those costs to the other side.
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The Filing Fee Is Non-Refundable
If your claim is dismissed at the hearing, or if the respondent wins on their defence, you do not get the filing fee back. The fee pays for the court's administrative work — processing the application, serving documents, listing the hearing — and it is consumed whether you win or lose.
This makes getting the application right the first time genuinely important. If the CPC finds technical errors or an incorrect fee, it returns the application for correction, adding time to the process. A dismissed claim at hearing loses you the fee entirely.
Other Costs in the Process
Beyond the filing fee, you may encounter:
- EJO register search: £28 (or £31 with court officer assistance) — an optional pre-filing check on whether the respondent has existing unsatisfied judgments
- Enforcement costs: If the respondent does not pay after a decree, the Enforcement of Judgments Office charges separate fees: £31 for a Notice of Intent to Enforce, then scaled fees for the enforcement application itself
These are additional costs beyond the court filing fee. The EJO charges a fee for the Notice of Intent to Enforce and a separate fee for the enforcement application, scaled to the judgment value.
For a complete breakdown of fees at every stage — filing, enforcement, and the optional EJO search — the Northern Ireland Small Claims Filing Guide maps out the full cost picture.
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