Court Fees
UK Court Fees 2026
Current UK court fees from the HMCTS Fees Order. Updated October 2026. These are statutory fees paid to the court, separate from your solicitor's charge.
Court fee calculator
England and Wales. Fees in force from 13 July 2026 (SI 2026/642), read 15 October 2026. Each line shows its fee number in the Fees Order.
Your court fees
| Issue fee, claim £5,000.01 to £10,000CPFO 1.1(g) | £455 |
| Hearing fee, small claims over £3,000CPFO 2.1(c)(vi) Due 28 days before trial; not payable if the case settles before then; not refundable after | £346 |
| If it runs all the way | £801 |
Same issue fee online (Money Claim Online, Online Civil Money Claims) or on paper since 18 May 2021. Claims up to £10,000 are usually allocated to the small claims track, £10,001 to £25,000 fast track, £25,001 to £100,000 intermediate track; the court decides. Usual track for £7,500: small claims.
Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008 and Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008 as amended by SI 2026/642; EX50, updated 13 July 2026; gov.uk/applying-for-probate/fees; gov.uk/employment-tribunals. Read 15 October 2026.
Help with Fees (EX160)
| Capital test (fee £455: limit £4,250) | passed |
| Income threshold, single, no children | £1,420 |
| Income above the threshold | £800 |
| Your contribution (50% of the first £1,000 over, 70% of the next £1,000, 90% of the next £1,000) | £400 |
| You would pay towards the £455 fee | £400 |
Partial remission. Passporting benefits: income-based Jobseeker's Allowance; income-related Employment and Support Allowance; Income Support; Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit); Universal Credit with gross annual earnings under £6,000. Thresholds from CPFO 2008 Schedule 2, unchanged since 27 November 2023; EX160A guidance, 19 January 2026. Apply per fee, before or after paying (refund within three months).
Indicative only. The court allocates the track and decides fee remission. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own fee orders. We are not a law firm.
Court fees rose on 13 July 2026
HMCTS uprated most court and tribunal fees on 13 July 2026. The probate application fee rose the most: from £300 to £526 for estates over £5,000, a 75% increase. The figures in the tables below are the fees now in force.
- Probate (estate over £5,000): £300 → £526
- Divorce / dissolution application: £612 → £628
- Financial order (Form A): £313 → £321
- Children Act application (C100): £263 → £270
- Copy of a probate document requested with the application: £16 → £2
Headline UK court fees 2026
| Service | Fee | Statutory source |
|---|---|---|
| Divorce application | £628 | Family Proceedings Fees Order (13 Jul 2026 uplift) |
| Financial order by consent (consent order) | £62 | Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008, fee 5.1 (13 Jul 2026 uplift) |
| Financial order, contested (Form A) | £321 | Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008, fee 5.4 (13 Jul 2026 uplift) |
| Children Act application (private, C100) | £270 | Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008, fee 2.1 (13 Jul 2026 uplift) |
| Non-molestation or occupation order | Free | Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008, article 3 exemption |
| Probate (estate over £5,000) | £526 | Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2004, fee 1 (13 Jul 2026 uplift) |
| Probate (estate £5,000 and under) | Free | Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2004, fee 1 |
| Copy of grant with application | £2 each | Non-Contentious Probate Fees Order 2004, fee 8(a) (later copies £16 each) |
| Civil claim issue fee | £35 to £10,000 | Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008, fee 1.1 |
| Possession claim (County Court, paper or online) | £415 | Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008, fee 1.4(b) |
| Court of Protection application | £432 | Court of Protection Fees Order 2007 (21 Jul 2026 COP44) |
| Employment tribunal claim fee | £0 (abolished by Unison 2017) | R (Unison) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51 |
| Employment Appeal Tribunal | £0 (fees quashed by Unison 2017, not reintroduced) | R (Unison) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51 |
| Lasting Power of Attorney registration | £92 per LPA | OPG fee schedule |
Civil money claim issue fees
Fees to issue a money claim in the County Court or High Court (Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008, as amended):
| Claim value | 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 value |
| Over £200,000 | £10,000 |
Claims of £10,000.01 to £200,000 pay 5% of the value; above £200,000 (or unlimited) the fee is £10,000. Money Claim Online (claims under £100,000) and Online Civil Money Claims charge the same issue fee as a paper claim: the online discount ended on 18 May 2021 (SI 2021/588).
Hearing fees by track
Payable by the claimant once the case is listed for trial, 28 days before the trial date (7 days where the court gave less than 36 days' notice). Not payable if the case settles before it falls due; not refundable after (the refund scale was abolished on 6 March 2017). There has been no allocation or directions questionnaire fee since 22 April 2014.
| Track and value | Hearing fee | Fee number |
|---|---|---|
| Small claims, up to £300 | £27 | CPFO 2.1(c)(i) |
| Small claims, £300.01 to £500 | £59 | CPFO 2.1(c)(ii) |
| Small claims, £500.01 to £1,000 | £85 | CPFO 2.1(c)(iii) |
| Small claims, £1,000.01 to £1,500 | £123 | CPFO 2.1(c)(iv) |
| Small claims, £1,500.01 to £3,000 | £181 | CPFO 2.1(c)(v) |
| Small claims, over £3,000 | £346 | CPFO 2.1(c)(vi) |
| Fast track (usually £10,001 to £25,000) | £619 | CPFO 2.1(b) |
| Intermediate track (usually £25,001 to £100,000) or multi-track | £1,334 | CPFO 2.1(a) |
Enforcing a judgment
| Step | Fee | Fee number |
|---|---|---|
| Warrant of control (County Court bailiff takes goods) | £96 | CPFO 8.1 |
| Writ of control (High Court enforcement officer) | £82 | CPFO 7.1 |
| Charging order (per order) | £139 | CPFO 8.4(b) |
| Third-party debt order (per third party, for example a bank) | £139 | CPFO 8.4(a) |
| Attachment of earnings order (per defendant) | £139 | CPFO 8.7 |
| Order to attend court for questioning | £69 | CPFO 8.3 |
| Warrant of possession or delivery | £152 | CPFO 8.6 |
Family court fees in full
| Application | Fee | Fee number |
|---|---|---|
| Divorce, dissolution or nullity application (sole or joint) | £628 | FPFO 1.2 |
| Financial order by consent (consent order) | £62 | FPFO 5.1 |
| Financial order, contested (Form A) | £321 | FPFO 5.4 |
| Child arrangements, prohibited steps, specific issue or parental responsibility (C100 and similar) | £270 | FPFO 2.1 |
| Enforce a child arrangements order | £270 | FPFO 2.1(e) |
| Non-molestation or occupation order | No fee | FPFO art. 3 exemption |
| Answer to a divorce application | £240 | FPFO 1.6 |
| Amended or second matrimonial application | £61 | FPFO 1.5 |
| Adoption application | £212 | FPFO 3.1 |
| Declaration of parentage, marital status or legitimacy | £426 | FPFO 1.3 |
| Parental order (surrogacy) | £270 | FPFO 1.8 |
| Family appeal notice | £146 | FPFO 6.1 |
Help with Fees: who qualifies for remission
Court and tribunal fees can be waived in whole or in part under the Help with Fees scheme. The test is in Schedule 2 to the Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008 and its thresholds have not moved since 27 November 2023, while the fees themselves rose in July 2026. Apply per fee through form EX160 or online at gov.uk/get-help-with-court-fees, before or after paying (a refund is available within three months of paying). The calculator above applies the test.
- Savings and investments (yours and your partner's) must be under £4,250 for a fee up to £1,420, under three times the fee for a fee of £1,421 to £5,000, and under £16,000 for a fee above £5,000 or if you or your partner are 66 or over. Your home, wages, benefits and pensions are not counted.
- Passporting benefits give full remission once the savings test is passed: income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit), and Universal Credit only where gross annual earnings are under £6,000.
- Gross monthly income at or below £1,420 (single) or £2,130 (couple), plus £425 for each child aged 13 or under and £710 for each child aged 14 or over, gives full remission.
- Partial remission: above the threshold you pay 50% of the first £1,000 of excess income, 70% of the next £1,000 and 90% of the next £1,000, never more than the fee. No remission once income is more than £3,000 over the threshold.
The means test for Help with Fees is separate from the Legal Aid Agency means test. You can qualify for one without the other. Probate copies and other third-party charges are not covered.
Employment tribunals: the Unison position
Employment tribunal claim fees were abolished by the Supreme Court in R (on the application of Unison) v Lord Chancellor [2017] UKSC 51, which quashed the Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal Fees Order 2013 on grounds of access to justice. No replacement claim fee has been introduced. As at 2026, you can lodge an unfair dismissal, discrimination, whistleblowing, or other employment tribunal claim without paying a fee.
The same Supreme Court ruling quashed the Employment Appeal Tribunal fees in the 2013 Order, and they have not been reintroduced. There is currently no fee to lodge an appeal in the Employment Appeal Tribunal against a first-tier Employment Tribunal decision. The Ministry of Justice consulted in January 2024 on a £55 issue fee for claims and appeals; that consultation has no published outcome, and on 8 and 9 October 2025 the Justice Secretary said it "will remain free to bring a case to an employment tribunal". The July 2026 fees package did not touch employment tribunals.
Related guides
- Solicitor disbursements explained
- Divorce solicitor cost (includes £628 court fee)
- Probate cost (includes £526 court fee)
- Employment tribunal cost
- Legal aid eligibility
Primary sources, read 15 October 2026: EX50, civil and family court fees (updated 13 July 2026); SI 2026/642; CPFO 2008 Schedule 2 (Help with Fees); gov.uk probate fees; Help with Fees.