Specified vs Unspecified County Court Claim: Which Forms to Use (N9A/N9B vs N9C/N9D)

The N9 response pack that arrives with a county court money claim contains four forms: N9A, N9B, N9C, and N9D. Which ones you use depends on whether the claim against you is for a "specified" or "unspecified" amount. Get the wrong form and the court returns it, burning days off your deadline.

What Is a Specified Claim?

A specified claim is for a fixed, defined amount of money. The claimant knows exactly how much they want — £3,500 for an unpaid invoice, £2,000 for a security deposit, £800 for goods sold and not paid for. The Particulars of Claim state a precise figure.

Most county court money claims are specified. They are the bread and butter of the small claims track.

Response forms for specified claims:

• Form N9A — Admission (full or partial). Use this to admit you owe some or all of the money and propose payment terms.
• Form N9B — Defence and Counterclaim. Use this to deny the claim, set out your defence, and file a counterclaim if applicable.

What Is an Unspecified Claim?

An unspecified claim is where the claimant seeks damages but the exact amount has not been calculated. The court needs to assess or determine the figure. Examples include claims for loss of earnings from a contract breach (where the final loss is still accruing), damage to property where the repair cost is disputed, or compensation for inconvenience that requires judicial assessment.

Unspecified claims are less common on the small claims track but do appear, particularly in service disputes and property damage cases.

Response forms for unspecified claims:

• Form N9C — Admission of liability. Use this to accept you are liable but dispute the amount. The court then holds a hearing to assess the damages.
• Form N9D — Defence on liability and/or quantum. Use this to deny liability entirely, or to accept liability but dispute the claimed level of damages.

How the Process Differs

The key procedural difference: in a specified claim, if you admit the debt on Form N9A, judgment is entered immediately for the stated amount (with or without your instalment proposal). In an unspecified claim, if you admit liability on Form N9C, the court does not enter a final judgment — it schedules a "disposal hearing" to determine how much you owe.

This matters because an unspecified claim admission does not immediately generate a CCJ for a particular sum. The amount is decided at the disposal hearing, where both sides can present evidence on the correct figure.

For defences, the process converges after filing. Whether you filed N9B (specified) or N9D (unspecified), the court sends Directions Questionnaires to both parties, allocates the case to a track, and schedules a hearing.

How to Tell Which Type You Have

Look at the claim form (N1) and the Particulars of Claim:

• If the claimant states a specific pound amount they want (e.g., "The Defendant owes £4,200"), it is a specified claim. Use N9A or N9B.
• If the claimant asks the court to assess damages (e.g., "The Claimant claims damages to be assessed"), it is an unspecified claim. Use N9C or N9D.
• If you are unsure, the claim form itself is usually marked "specified" or "unspecified" in the value box.

Common Mistake: Using the Wrong Form

Filing N9A when you should have filed N9C (or vice versa) does not invalidate your response outright, but the court may return it and ask you to resubmit on the correct form. That delay eats into your deadline. Check the claim type before filling in any form.

The England & Wales Money Claim Response Guide includes a response route decision map that tells you exactly which form to use based on your claim type and response.

See more England and Wales guides →