Debt Recovery Fees

Charges for pre-action work, issuing proceedings and enforcement.

Letters before action

Our fixed fees depend on the debt value:

Below £1,000: £50 plus VAT (£60 including VAT at 20%).
£1,000–£10,000: £125 plus VAT (£150 including VAT).
Above £10,000: £200 plus VAT (£240 including VAT).

The response period depends on the applicable procedure and the debtor. We assess this before issuing proceedings.

Issuing a County Court claim

Debt below £1,000: our fee £100 plus VAT (£120 including VAT).
£1,000–£10,000: our fee £200 plus VAT (£240 including VAT).
Above £10,000 up to £100,000: our fee £500 plus VAT (£600 including VAT).
Above £100,000 up to £200,000: our fee £1,000 plus VAT (£1,200 including VAT).

Court fees are additional and do not attract VAT. Current issue fees are £35 up to £300; £50 for £300.01–£500; £70 for £500.01–£1,000; £80 for £1,000.01–£1,500; £115 for £1,500.01–£3,000; £205 for £3,000.01–£5,000; £455 for £5,000.01–£10,000; and 5% for £10,000.01–£200,000. The amount claimed includes interest. See GOV.UK court fees.

Statutory demands

Our fixed fee for issuing a statutory demand is £300 plus VAT (£360 including VAT). We assess whether insolvency action is an appropriate and available route. A demand does not itself make a person bankrupt or wind up a company; a petition and further costs may follow.

Enforcement

Our fees for an application to obtain information, a warrant of control, an attachment of earnings order or a third-party debt order are £100 plus VAT (£120 including VAT) for each application. Court fees, process-server charges and enforcement-agent fees are additional. Representation at court, where required, is estimated at £300 before any applicable VAT.

Charging-order work is charged by time spent, with an estimate based on the debt and circumstances. Registration fees may also apply. Current court application and enforcement fees are set out in HMCTS civil court fees.

Current court fees include £69 for an order to obtain information, £96 for a warrant of control, and £139 for an attachment of earnings order, third-party debt order or charging order. Bailiff service of an information order costs £139. These court fees do not attract VAT. Other provider and enforcement-agent charges may apply.

Scope and progress

The stages are pre-action correspondence, issuing proceedings and, if needed, enforcement. A defended claim, an unsuccessful application, a hearing or additional work can change the cost and timescale. Recovering a judgment does not guarantee payment, and the amount of legal costs recoverable from the debtor may differ from what you pay us. We discuss the next step and its costs before proceeding.