Court Fees Rose on 13 July 2026 — But Not the Ones Small Claimants Pay
The July 2026 fee order raised almost 200 court and tribunal fees. If you are bringing a small claim, the good news is that the issue fee and hearing fee bands you rely on did not move. Here is what changed, what did not, and the table to check against.
What Happened on 13 July 2026
The Ministry of Justice implemented a fee uplift across the civil, family and tribunal systems from 13 July 2026. According to the Civil Court Users Association, 170 fees rose by 2.6 per cent in line with inflation, 27 fees rose by an average of around 34 per cent to catch up with accumulated inflation, and four fees were reduced where the underlying cost had fallen.
The increases apply to applications and proceedings issued on or after 13 July 2026 and are not retrospective.
What Did Not Change: Small Claims Issue and Hearing Fees
We checked the current EX50 civil court fees, updated 13 July 2026. The fee to issue a money claim and the small claims hearing fee are the same figures that applied before July:
| Claim value | Issue fee | Hearing fee |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £300 | £35 | £27 |
| £300.01 to £500 | £50 | £59 |
| £500.01 to £1,000 | £70 | £85 |
| £1,000.01 to £1,500 | £80 | £123 |
| £1,500.01 to £3,000 | £115 | £181 |
| £3,000.01 to £5,000 | £205 | £346 |
| £5,000.01 to £10,000 | £455 | £346 |
| £10,000.01 to £200,000 | 5% of the claim | Fast or intermediate track fee applies |
These are the figures in the CourtPilot court fee calculator and in every claim value estimate the platform produces. If you see a different figure quoted elsewhere, check the date on the source.
What Did Change That Might Affect You
The uplift landed mainly on costs proceedings, applications and specialist fees. For someone running a small claim the ones most likely to bite are:
- Applications on notice, such as an application to set aside a default judgment or for an extension of time, which sit in the "27 fees rising by around a third" group.
- Applications by consent or without notice, which also rose.
- Detailed assessment and costs-only proceedings, which rarely arise on the small claims track but do if a claim is reallocated.
Enforcement fees did move. From 13 July 2026 a warrant of control costs £96 (was £94), an attachment of earnings order, third party debt order or charging order costs £139 each (up from £114 to £135 depending on the method), and an order to obtain information costs £69 (was £57). If you are enforcing a judgment, budget on the new figures.
A Reminder: Money Claims Must Now Be Made Online
Since 28 July 2025, eligible money claims must be issued through Money Claim Online or the Online Civil Money Claims service. Paper N1 claim forms for eligible claims are returned to the sender. Assisted digital support is available for people who cannot use the online services.
HMCTS reported in May 2026 that its digital civil services have now handled over a million claims, and that small claims mediation, which is compulsory for defended claims under £10,000, is running at more than 8,000 mediations a month, up from 1,900 a month before the requirement was introduced.
Both points matter for fees. Filing online is where Help with Fees is applied, and settling at mediation means never paying the hearing fee at all.
Frequently asked questions
Did the fee to issue a small claim go up in July 2026?
Did the small claims hearing fee change?
Can I still get help with court fees?
Preparing for mediation or a hearing? CourtPilot has you.
We analyse your evidence, identify the strengths and gaps, and draft the court-ready documents — all for £97.