Money Claim Online (MCOL): How to Claim Money You're Owed
Money Claim Online (MCOL) is HM Courts and Tribunals Service's online system for taking a county court claim for a fixed sum of money owed to you in England and Wales. It replaces going to court in person for many straightforward debt claims, from unpaid invoices to unreturned deposits.
What Is Money Claim Online?
Money Claim Online, usually shortened to MCOL, is the government's internet-based service for issuing and responding to county court claims for a fixed amount of money. It sits alongside the newer "Make a money claim" service, which offers a similar online route for straightforward debt claims. Both let you start a case without filling in a paper form or attending a court building, and both let a defendant respond, pay, or dispute the claim online too.
MCOL is only for a "fixed sum": an amount you can state precisely, such as an unpaid invoice, a loan you made to someone that has not been repaid, or an unreturned deposit. It is not designed for claims where the amount depends on the court's own assessment, such as most personal injury compensation.
Who Can Use MCOL
To use MCOL, your claim needs to meet all of the following:
- The amount you are claiming, including any interest, is a fixed sum under £100,000
- You are suing no more than 2 defendants
- Both you and the defendant (or defendants) have an address in England or Wales
If your claim is for more than £100,000, involves more than 2 defendants, or either party is outside England and Wales, you cannot use MCOL and instead need to start the claim on the paper form N1. Claims against a defendant based in Scotland or Northern Ireland also fall outside MCOL, since it is an England and Wales service; see our guides to small claims in Scotland and small claims in Northern Ireland for those systems.
Before You Claim: Send a Letter Before Action
Courts in England and Wales expect you to try to resolve a debt before issuing a claim, and which pre-action rules apply depends on who you are suing. If you are a business (including a sole trader) chasing an individual or sole trader for a debt, the specific Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims applies, in force since 1 October 2017: you must send a prescribed Letter of Claim, together with an Information Sheet, a Reply Form and a Financial Statement form, and give the debtor at least 30 days to respond, with a further pause if they ask for documents or propose instalments. In other cases, the general Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols applies instead, which expects a letter before action, also called a letter before claim, setting out what is owed, why, and a reasonable deadline to pay, often around 14 days, before you go to court.
Sending this letter is not just good practice. A court can take a failure to try to resolve a dispute first into account when it decides costs later, and a clear letter before action can also prompt payment without a claim ever being needed. Use our Letter Before Action generator to put one together.
Court Fees for Making a Claim
You pay a court issue fee when you start a claim through MCOL. Fees are set out in gov.uk's EX50 fee guidance and are reviewed periodically, so always check the current figure before you pay. As of 13 July 2026, the standard fee bands for a money claim are:
| Claim amount | Issue fee |
|---|---|
| Up to £300 | £35 |
| £300.01 to £500 | £50 |
| £500.01 to £1,000 | £70 |
| £1,000.01 to £1,500 | £80 |
| £1,500.01 to £3,000 | £115 |
| £3,000.01 to £5,000 | £205 |
| £5,000.01 to £10,000 | £455 |
| £10,000.01 to £200,000 | 5% of the value claimed |
| Over £200,000 | Capped at £10,000 |
If the claim is defended and goes to a small claims hearing, a separate hearing fee applies on top of the issue fee; see our guide to the small claims court for the hearing fee bands. You can normally add the issue fee, and any later hearing fee, to the amount you are claiming from the defendant.
How to Make a Claim on MCOL
- Register for an account on the MCOL website using the Government Gateway.
- Enter the defendant's name and an address for them in England or Wales.
- Set out what the claim is for, in plain terms, and state the fixed amount owed.
- Add any interest you are claiming and the court issue fee to the total.
- Pay the issue fee online by card.
- MCOL issues the claim and arranges for it to be served on the defendant.
- Wait for the defendant's response, or apply for a default judgment if none arrives.
What Happens After You Claim
Once the claim is served, the defendant has 14 days to respond. They can pay the claim in full, admit the whole or part of the debt, file a defence disputing it, or file an acknowledgment of service, which extends their time to respond to 28 days from the date of service. See our guide to county court judgments for what happens once a decision is reached.
If the Defendant Does Not Respond: Default Judgment
If the defendant does not reply at all within the deadline, you can ask the court for a default judgment, deciding the case in your favour without a hearing. A default judgment obtained this way becomes a County Court Judgment (CCJ), recorded on the public Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines for 6 years. Paying the CCJ in full within 1 calendar month of the judgment gets the entry removed entirely; paying later marks it "satisfied," but it still stays on the register for the full 6 years. See what is a CCJ for more on how this affects credit.
A defendant who did not know about the claim, or who has a genuine defence, can apply to have a default judgment set aside using form N244, currently at a fee of £321 (check the live gov.uk fee page, since reductions can apply with the claimant's consent).
If the Claim Is Defended: the Small Claims Track
If the defendant files a defence, the case is usually allocated to the small claims track, the standard route for money claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales. This involves a more structured, largely paper-based process, and if it does not settle, a relatively informal hearing before a judge. See our full guide to the small claims court for how allocation, directions, and the hearing itself work.
Interest and Costs You Can Claim
You can normally ask the court to add interest to the amount you are owed under section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984, which gives the court discretion to award simple interest at whatever rate it thinks fit, rather than a rate HM Courts and Tribunals Service applies automatically. In practice, claimants commonly ask for 8% a year, a conventional rate mirroring the High Court judgment-debt rate that is often claimed and awarded under this discretion, calculated from the date the debt became due to the date you issue the claim, and then on to judgment or payment. If a written contract sets its own interest rate, or the debt is a commercial one covered by the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, that rate applies instead. You can also normally recover your court fees, and a fixed amount towards your costs of preparing the claim, from the defendant if you win.
If You Owe the Money: Free Help Before You Ignore a Claim
If you are the person being sued and cannot pay, ignoring the claim is usually the worst option, since it is likely to lead to a default judgment and a CCJ that stays on your record for years. Free, independent debt advice is available from StepChange, National Debtline, Citizens Advice, and MoneyHelper (gov.uk/debt-advice), all of which can help you work out a response, whether that is disputing the claim, admitting it and offering to pay by instalments, or looking at a wider debt solution. None of them charge for this advice, and getting it before your response deadline passes matters more than getting it eventually.
Scotland and Northern Ireland: Different Systems
MCOL is an England and Wales service only. Scotland has its own online and paper process for money claims, called Simple Procedure, run through the Sheriff Court, with a lower limit of £5,000 and a decision called a "decree" rather than a judgment; see our guide to small claims in Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own small claims system, also capped at £5,000, with enforcement handled by the Enforcement of Judgments Office rather than county court bailiffs; see our guide to small claims in Northern Ireland. Do not assume any figure, form, or term from MCOL applies in Scotland or Northern Ireland; each nation runs its own system.
For the full small claims process once a claim is defended, see our guide to the small claims court. If you already have a judgment against you, or are looking at getting one, see what is a CCJ and county court judgments. For the wider picture of money claims and debt solutions across the UK, see our UK debt and money hub, part of our wider guide to United Kingdom law.
This article is general information about making a money claim in England and Wales, not legal or financial advice. Court fees, time limits, and forms change, so always check the current position on gov.uk before you claim or respond. If you are struggling with debt, free advice is available from StepChange, National Debtline, Citizens Advice, or MoneyHelper before you take any step based on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Money Claim Online?
Money Claim Online (MCOL) is HM Courts and Tribunals Service's online system for making or responding to a county court claim for a fixed sum of money owed in England and Wales, without needing to attend court in person.
How much can I claim through MCOL?
MCOL is for fixed-sum claims under £100,000, against no more than 2 defendants, where both you and the defendant have an address in England or Wales. Larger or more complex claims use the paper form N1 instead.
Do I have to send a letter before action first?
It depends who you are suing. If a business or sole trader is chasing an individual or sole trader debtor, the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims requires a formal Letter of Claim with supporting forms and at least 30 days before you claim. Otherwise, the general Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct expects a letter before action with a reasonable deadline, often around 14 days, and a court can take a failure to try to resolve the dispute first into account on costs either way, so sending the right letter is strongly advisable.
How much does it cost to make a claim on MCOL?
The court issue fee depends on the amount you are claiming, from £35 for claims up to £300 to 5% of the value for claims between £10,000 and £200,000. Check gov.uk's EX50 fee guidance for the current figures, since fees are reviewed periodically.
What happens if the defendant does not respond?
You can apply for a default judgment, which becomes a County Court Judgment (CCJ) without a hearing. It is recorded on the public register for 6 years unless paid in full within 1 month, when it is removed entirely.
What if the defendant disputes the claim?
A defended claim is usually allocated to the small claims track for amounts up to £10,000, which involves a more structured paper process and, if it does not settle, a relatively informal court hearing.
Can I claim interest on the money I am owed?
Yes, section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984 gives the court discretion to award simple interest at whatever rate it thinks fit. Claimants commonly ask for 8% a year, a conventional rate often claimed and awarded under that discretion, unless a contract or the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 sets a different rate.
Does MCOL work for claims in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
No. MCOL only covers England and Wales. Scotland uses Simple Procedure through the Sheriff Court, with a limit of £5,000, and Northern Ireland has its own small claims system, also £5,000, each with its own rules and forms.
Sources and References
- gov.uk: Make a court claim for money(gov.uk).gov
- gov.uk: Money Claim Online (MCOL) user guide for claimants(gov.uk).gov
- gov.uk: Civil court fees (EX50)(gov.uk).gov
- Ministry of Justice: Practice Direction, Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols(justice.gov.uk).gov
- gov.uk: Respond to a court claim for money(gov.uk).gov
- gov.uk: County Court Judgments (CCJ) for debt(gov.uk).gov
- County Courts Act 1984, section 69 (interest on claims)(legislation.gov.uk).gov