Introduction
If you get a letter or email from someone who claims you owe them money. You must respond by the date on the email or letter you receive.
Follow the instructions in the email or letter. You should respond in the same way that the claim was made, for example you should respond online if the claim was made online.
You can:
- pay the full amount
- offer to pay a different amount (if you think you owe less than the claim amount)
- defend the claim (if you do not think you owe any money)
If you offer to pay a different amount and it’s rejected, you might have to give more information at a hearing.
You can ask for another 14 days to respond if you are not paying the full amount. You might have to pay more or get a county court judgment (CCJ) if you do not respond in time.
You can also make a claim against them (‘counterclaim’) if you think they owe you money. You might have to pay a court fee.
Online Civil Money Claims
If the claim was made using the Online Civil Money Claims service
You’ll need to create an account to respond to the claim.
You’ll need your claim number and security code. Your claim number will include ‘MC’.
Respond using the Online Civil Money Claims service.
Money Claim Online
If the claim was made using the Money Claim Online service
You need a Government Gateway user ID and password to respond to the claim. If you do not have a user ID, you can create one before you respond to the claim.
You’ll need your claim number. Your claim number will be 8 digits long and will include letters and numbers.
Respond using the Money Claim Online service.
Using a paper form
If the claim was made using a paper form, you should respond by post. You can also use a paper form to respond if the claim was made online but you are not able to use the online services. You’ll have received a letter with instructions on how to respond.
The forms you fill in will depend on whether the claim is for a fixed (‘specified’) or an unspecified amount. If you need more time to respond to the claim, download and fill in form N9, see below.
If the claim is for a specified amount, download and fill in:
If the claim is for an unspecified amount, download and fill in:
- form N9D if you do not agree with the claim
- form N9C if you need to ask the court to decide how much you owe, or you want to offer to pay a certain amount
Where you send the forms to depends on how the claim was made.
If the claim was made using a paper form, send the form to:
Civil National Business Centre
St Katharine’s House
21 – 27 St Katharine’s Street
Northampton
NN1 2LH