If you are owed money by an individual or business, there is a procedure you can use called making a court claim. This was more commonly referred to as taking someone to a 'small claims court'.

Before making a claim, you should try to contact the person or organisation to try and resolve the issue by discussion or by using a specialist mediation service.

If this is unsuccessful and you are making a court claim for a fixed amount, this can be done online or by paper. An online claim can be made at www.gov.uk/make-money-claim. If you are making a claim for an unspecified amount you must download and complete the N1 claim form.

Paper forms need to be sent to the following address:

County Court Money Claims Centre
PO Box 527
Salford
M5 0BY

There are court fees to pay when making a claim. The amount of the fee depends on the size of the claim and whether the claim is made online or by paper. The fees can range from £25 to £10,000.

You may be required to go to court if the person or business you are claiming from denies owing you the money. If you are successful in obtaining judgement, but do not get paid, there are further steps that can be taken including the use of bailiffs to try and get what you are owed.