Someone Filed a Small Claim Against Me in Northern Ireland

A brown envelope arrives from the Civil Processing Centre in Belfast. Inside is a small claims court pack — Form 125 plus response forms — and your name is on it as the respondent. The adrenaline spike is normal. What matters now is understanding what you are looking at and what you need to do within the next 21 days.

What Is in the Pack

The small claims pack sent by the CPC at Laganside Courts contains:

• Form 125 (Notice of Application for a Small Claim) — the actual claim against you. Part A has the applicant's details and what they say happened. Part B has the claim number, the hearing court venue, and whether the claim is liquidated (a fixed sum) or unliquidated (an estimated amount).
• Form 126A (Notice of Dispute) — the form you fill in if you want to contest the claim or file a counterclaim.
• Form 126B (Acceptance of Liability) — the form you fill in if you accept you owe the money and want to propose how you will pay.

Read Form 125 first. Check the name, the amount claimed, the description of the dispute, and the court fee the applicant paid. Confirm this is a real claim about a real dispute involving you.

Verify It Is Genuine

Scam court papers exist. If anything looks off — an unfamiliar claim number, a strange payment instruction, an address that does not match the CPC — call the Civil Processing Centre directly on 0300 200 7812 or email [email protected] to confirm the claim is real. Do not use any phone number printed on a suspicious document. Checking authenticity does not pause your deadline.

Your Three Options

Option 1: Dispute the claim. If you believe you do not owe the money, or you owe less than claimed, fill in Form 126A. Write out why you disagree — briefly, factually, in plain English. If the applicant owes you money from the same dispute, you can add a counterclaim on the same form (court fee applies).

Option 2: Admit the claim. If you accept you owe the money, fill in Form 126B. You can admit the full amount or a partial sum. You can propose to pay in a lump sum or by instalments. Be aware that an admitted claim results in a court decree that goes on your credit record.

Option 3: Do nothing. This is not really an option. If neither form reaches the CPC within 21 days, the applicant can apply for a default decree — a judgment entered without a hearing. It goes on your credit file for six years and can be enforced through the Enforcement of Judgments Office.

The 21-Day Deadline

You have 21 calendar days from the date you receive the pack. Not from the date it was posted. Not from the date printed on the forms. Twenty-one days from when it was physically delivered to you.

Post your completed form by Recorded Delivery to the Civil Processing Centre, Laganside Courts, PO Box 882, 45 Oxford Street, Belfast BT1 3LL. Or hand-deliver it to the CPC or any local County Court office and get a stamped receipt. Filing is effective when the CPC receives the form, not when you post it.

What Happens Next

If you dispute: the CPC sends a copy of your 126A to the applicant and transfers the case to the local County Court. You both receive a Notice of Hearing with a date, time, and venue. You will need to exchange evidence copies 14 days before the hearing.

If you admit: the court enters a decree for the admitted amount. If you proposed instalments and the applicant disagrees, the District Judge sets the payment rate.

If you ignore it: the applicant gets a default decree and can start enforcement.

The Responding to a Small Claim in Northern Ireland guide walks through every step from the moment you open the envelope, with deadline tracking worksheets and form completion guides.

See more Northern Ireland guides →