You’ve been served. Don’t panic.
A claim form (N1) just arrived from the County Court. You have 14 days to acknowledge — 28 if you ask for more time — and four ways you can respond. Here’s exactly what each one means, in plain English, and how to file the right paperwork without paying a solicitor £350 an hour to do it.
Acknowledgment of Service
The four forms that landed with the
claim form. What each one does.
HMCTS sends the claim with a response pack. You need to know which form to use depending on which of the four routes you take below.
The claim form itself
The court-stamped document setting out who’s suing you, for what, and the sum claimed. With it, the Particulars of Claim — the claimant’s narrative of the dispute.
The response pack cover sheet
Tells you the four ways you can respond, the deadlines, and where to send your reply. Read this carefully — it lists exactly what HMCTS expects from you.
Admission & offer to pay
You sign this if you accept the claim and want to offer terms (full amount, by instalments, or a different sum). Stops the case from continuing.
Defence & counter-claim
The form you use to actually defend the claim — paragraph by paragraph denial, with reasons. The same form lets you bring a counter-claim against the claimant.
A walkthrough, in the right order.
Read the N1 claim form and the Particulars of Claim first — the whole narrative is there. Then read the N9 to see your four options. Pick the route below that fits your situation, and you’ll know which response form to use.
The court will also include a Directions Questionnaire (N180) for later in the process — you don’t need that yet. Don’t fill anything in for the first 24 hours. Read first. Decide second.
All response forms are free to download from gov.uk → “civil forms”. Or call the court named on the claim form — the number is on page 1 of the N1 — and they’ll send a replacement pack.
You have four ways to respond.
Pick the one that fits your case.
The most expensive option isn’t always the right one. Admitting and paying may be cheaper than defending and losing. Defending may be cheaper than ignoring.
Admit the claim
If you agree you owe the money and can pay (now or by instalments).Sign the N9A, offer terms. The claimant accepts, the court enters judgment, you pay. No hearing. No further fees.Admit, but negotiate
If you owe some but not all, or need a payment plan.Sign the N9A with a counter-offer. Most claimants accept partial payment to avoid a hearing — about 1 in 3 small-claims settle here.Defend the claim
If you dispute the claim — in whole or part. You believe you don’t owe what’s claimed, or have a legal defence.Acknowledge first (buys 28 days). Then file the N9B Defence — paragraph-by-paragraph response. Case proceeds to directions, mediation, hearing.Defend & counter-claim
If they actually owe you money for related facts.Same N9B form, second section. Court fee applies on your counter-claim. Both claims heard together — sets up a setoff.You can ignore the claim. After 14 days the claimant can apply for default judgment, the court enters a County Court Judgment (CCJ) against you on the papers, no hearing. It stays on your credit file for 6 years. Don’t do this.
The Defence Pack — drafted in minutes.
A pack containing every document HMCTS expects from a defendant, drafted from your facts. Acknowledgment of Service first (buys you 28 days), then the full Defence with the Statement of Truth, in the format the court accepts.
B E T W E E N
CLAIMANT
— v —
G. ELLINGTON LTD
DEFENDANT
1. The Defendant denies the Claimant’s claim in full.
2. Paragraph 1 of the Particulars is admitted: the parties entered into an agreement dated 14 November 2025.
3. Paragraph 2 is denied. The agreed sum was £6,200 in total, not £8,400; the additional £2,200 was conditional on KPIs the Claimant accepts were not met.
4. Paragraph 3 is denied. The work was not completed to specification; defects logged in writing on 11 February 2026.
The three ways
to defend yourself.
Most defendants on small-claims default to one of two extremes — either pay a solicitor £2,000+ in fear, or do nothing and lose by default. There’s a £97 middle.
Read the CPR yourself, draft from scratch, hope you get the format right. Can work for legally-trained defendants; high-risk for everyone else.
- ✓ Costs nothing
- × Takes 8–12 hours to draft properly
- × Format errors get the defence struck out
- × No second pair of eyes on the wording
- × Easy to miss the 14-day deadline
Drafted in minutes from your facts. Format the court accepts. Statement of Truth in the right form. Filing checklist. Editable Word doc.
- ✓ Drafted from your facts
- ✓ Acknowledgment + Defence + Counter-claim
- ✓ CPR-compliant format, statement of truth
- ✓ Deadline tracking, AI claim analysis
- ✓ 30-day money-back if unhappy
A regulated lawyer drafts the defence, takes the case off your hands, represents you at hearing. Worth it for high-value or high-risk cases.
- ✓ Lawyer’s risk, not yours
- ✓ Court representation included
- × Costs not recoverable on small-claims track
- × Hourly rates £200–£350
- × Overkill for claims under £5,000
Costs figures from a 2024 Law Society guidance review of small-claims engagement letters across 12 high-street London firms. CourtPilot is a document-preparation service. We don’t represent you in court. For high-value or complex defences, consider a regulated solicitor.
Illustrative example based on the kind of outcome a properly drafted defence can have on a weak claim. Not a specific customer.
Four mistakes that
cost defendants the case.
Filing a defence is a procedural exercise. Get the format wrong and you can lose a winnable case before a District Judge ever reads the merits.
Ignoring it
The single most common defendant own-goal. After 14 days the claimant applies for default judgment — the court enters a CCJ on the papers without hearing your side.
Replying informally
Writing back to the claimant or the court in a letter or email saying “I disagree” is not a defence. It doesn’t comply with CPR 16.5, and the court won’t treat it as a defence — default judgment can still follow.
Missing the Statement of Truth
Every defence must end with the prescribed Statement of Truth (CPR 22.1) — exact wording, signed and dated. Miss it and the defence may be struck out, even if the substance is sound.
Things people ask in the first 24 hours.
Can I just call the claimant and settle privately?+
Yes — and you should try. But you still must file the Acknowledgment of Service within 14 days regardless, even if negotiations are ongoing. If you talk first and then file later, you risk a default judgment landing while you’re negotiating. Acknowledge first, negotiate alongside.
What if the claim has the wrong amount, wrong company name, or wrong facts?+
That’s exactly what Route 3 (defend) is for. Your defence paragraph-by-paragraph denies the wrong details and states the correct ones. A claimant suing the wrong legal entity, or claiming the wrong sum, is a very common procedural error — and grounds for the case being struck out.
Will it go on my credit file?+
Only if the claimant gets a CCJ against you — which happens by default judgment (if you ignore the claim) or after a hearing (if you defend and lose). If you defend successfully, or settle by negotiation before judgment, nothing goes on your credit file.
I think the limitation period has expired. Can I argue that?+
Yes. Limitation is a strong defence. Six years for contract and most debts, three years for tort (Limitation Act 1980). State it as the first paragraph of your defence: “The claim is statute-barred under section 5 of the Limitation Act 1980.” The court will dismiss the claim on that basis alone if you’re right.
I’ve already been served with a default judgment. Is it too late?+
Not necessarily. You can apply to set aside a default judgment using Form N244 if either (a) you have a real prospect of defending the claim, or (b) there’s some other good reason to set it aside. Apply quickly — the longer you delay, the harder it gets. Our defence pack supports this if you tick “set-aside” at the start.
What happens at the hearing if I do defend?+
Small-claims hearings are informal — a District Judge, the claimant, you. About 30 minutes. The judge reads the bundle in advance, hears each side briefly, asks questions, and decides on the day or by written judgment days later. Our toolkit covers hearing prep if you reach that stage.
Don’t ignore it.
Defend it, properly.
Drafted from your facts in minutes. CPR-compliant. Editable Word doc. Filing checklist. £97 one-off — everything you need from acknowledgment through to hearing.