Is Small Claims Court Worth It? (UK Calculator)

Not legal advice

This tool gives you an instant estimate to help you understand what you're owed: it's information, not legal advice. We are not solicitors. Figures are only as accurate as what you enter, and statutory rates can change; confirm anything you rely on before sending it to a client or a court.

Filing a claim costs money before you've recovered a penny. This works out the Money Claim Online court fee for your debt, adds the statutory interest and compensation you're entitled to, and gives you an honest net recovery estimate, so you know whether it's actually worth it before you pay.

The debt
The numbers
Statutory interest£0.00
Fixed compensation£0.00
Court issue feeon debt + interest of £0.00, recoverable if you win£0.00
Hearing feenot included: untick above assumes no hearing£0.00
You pay upfront to file£0.00
Net recovery if they pay in full£0.00
If you win and the debtor pays, court fees are normally added to the judgment and repaid too: your net position is the debt, interest, and compensation (£0.00), a total claim value of £0.00. The £0.00 you pay upfront is only really at risk if the debtor doesn't pay even after judgment.
Winning isn't the same as getting paid
A judgment confirms the debt; it doesn't collect it for you. If the debtor still doesn't pay voluntarily, you need a separate enforcement step (a warrant of control, a third-party debt order, or similar), each with its own fee and process. Most disputes never need to reach this stage at all: a correctly escalated chase, clear reminders, statutory interest stated, a compliant letter before action, resolves the large majority of invoices before a claim is ever filed. Court is the last resort, not the first move.
Most disputes settle before court if you escalate properly

Start with a compliant letter before action: it's the step courts expect to see, and it's often the one that actually gets you paid.

How this is calculated

Statutory interest and compensation follow the same rules as our late payment interest calculator and guide to statutory interest and compensation on late payments: simple interest on the original debt, plus £40 to £100 fixed compensation depending on the size of the debt.

The Money Claim Online court fee is banded on the debt plus interest (not compensation), from £35 for claims up to £300 to 5% of the claim for anything over £10,000.01.

Read the full process, including realistic timelines and what enforcement actually involves, in our small claims court guide, or the complete escalation path in our complete guide to chasing an unpaid invoice in the UK and our letter before action guide.

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