You have filed a county court claim, the defendant has been served, and the deadline has passed — but they have not responded. What now? In most cases, you are entitled to request default judgment. This means the court enters judgment in your favour without a trial, simply because the defendant failed to engage with the proceedings. Form N225 is the document you use to make that request when your claim is for a specified (fixed) amount of money.
What Is a Default Judgment?
A default judgment is a court order made in the claimant's favour when the defendant fails to respond to a claim within the time allowed. It is governed by Part 12 of the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR).
The principle is straightforward: if a defendant is properly served with a claim and does nothing about it, the claimant should not be left in limbo. The court allows the claimant to obtain judgment without the need for a hearing, provided the procedural requirements are met.
Default judgment is one of the most common outcomes in county court money claims. Many defendants — whether individuals or businesses — simply do not respond to court papers, either because they accept they owe the money, because they are disorganised, or because they hope the problem will go away. In all of these situations, default judgment is the mechanism that allows you to move forward.
Key point: Default judgment is not a punishment — it is a procedural consequence of failing to engage with court proceedings. The defendant can later apply to have it set aside if they have a good reason (see below).
When Can You Request Default Judgment?
Under CPR Part 12, you can request default judgment if all of the following conditions are met:
- The defendant has been properly served with the claim form and particulars of claim
- The deadline for the defendant to respond has passed — this is 14 days from the deemed date of service for filing an acknowledgment of service, and a further 14 days after that (28 days total from service) for filing a defence
- The defendant has not filed an acknowledgment of service or a defence within the relevant time limit
- The defendant has not filed an admission (full or partial)
- The defendant has not applied for summary judgment against the claimant
- The claimant has not already been satisfied (i.e. the defendant has not paid the claim in full)
Important — deemed date of service: The 14-day period does not start from the date you posted the claim form. Under CPR Part 6, the deemed date of service depends on the method of service. For first-class post, it is the second business day after posting. For email, it is the second business day after sending. Make sure you count from the correct date — applying too early will result in your request being refused.
If the defendant filed an acknowledgment of service (indicating they intend to defend) but then failed to file a defence, the deadline extends to 28 days from service of the particulars of claim. You can only request default judgment after that 28-day period has expired.
What Is Form N225?
Form N225 is titled “Request for judgment and reply to admission (specified amount)”. It is the form you use to ask the court to enter default judgment when your claim is for a fixed, specified sum of money — for example, £3,500 for unpaid invoices, or £8,000 for building work that was paid for but not completed.
The form serves two purposes. First, it is your formal request for the court to enter judgment. Second, it specifies how you want the defendant to pay — whether immediately, by a set date, or in instalments.
N225 vs N225A: Form N225 is for specified amounts (you know exactly how much is owed). Form N225A is for unspecified amounts — for example, a claim for damages where the exact figure needs to be assessed by the court. If you used N225A, the court would typically list a disposal hearing to decide the amount. Most straightforward money claims use the N225.
How to Fill In Form N225
The N225 form is available to download from the gov.uk website as a PDF. You can complete it digitally or print it and fill it in by hand. Below is a section-by-section guide.
Section 1: Case Details
At the top of the form, enter:
- The claimant's name (including title and surname)
- The defendant's name
- The claim number — this is the reference number assigned by the court when your claim was issued. It appears on all court correspondence and on the sealed claim form you received back from the court
If there are multiple defendants, you must specify which defendant you are requesting judgment against. You can request default judgment against one defendant while proceedings continue against others.
Section 2: Type of Judgment
You must tell the court how you want the defendant to pay. There are three options:
- Payment immediately — the defendant must pay the full amount straight away. This is the most common choice and is usually appropriate if the defendant has simply ignored the claim
- Payment by a specific date — you can request that the defendant pay the full amount by a particular date. This is less common but may be appropriate if you have reason to believe the defendant needs a short period to arrange payment
- Payment by instalments — you can request that the defendant pay in regular instalments (for example, £200 per month). You will need to specify the amount and frequency of each instalment and the date of the first payment
Practical tip: Unless you have a specific reason to offer instalments, choose “payment immediately”. This gives you the strongest position for enforcement if the defendant does not pay voluntarily. You can always negotiate a payment plan informally after judgment is entered.
Section 3: Amount
This section requires you to calculate the total amount of the judgment. You will need to enter:
- Amount of claim — the principal sum you are claiming, as stated on the original claim form (N1)
- Court fee — the fee you paid to issue the claim. You are entitled to recover this from the defendant
- Interest to date of judgment — if you claimed interest (contractual interest or statutory interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, or interest under section 69 of the County Courts Act 1984), you need to calculate the total interest accrued from the date it started running up to the date of your request
- Solicitor's costs — if applicable. If you are a litigant in person, this will usually be zero or a small fixed amount for commencement costs under CPR Part 45
- Sub-total and total amount
Interest calculation: Getting the interest figure right is important. If you claimed interest at 8% per annum under the County Courts Act, the daily rate is the claim amount multiplied by 0.08 divided by 365. For example, on a £5,000 claim, the daily interest is £1.10 (5000 x 0.08 / 365). Multiply by the number of days from the date interest started accruing to the date of your request.
Statement of Truth
You must sign the statement of truth at the bottom of the form. This confirms that the information you have provided is true to the best of your knowledge. The statement of truth is a legal requirement — an unsigned form will be rejected. If you are acting on behalf of a company, the person signing must be authorised to do so and must state their position within the company.
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File My N225 OnlineN225 Form Fees
There is no additional court fee to file form N225. The right to request default judgment is included in the court fee you already paid when you issued the original claim using form N1.
This is one of the advantages of the default judgment process — it does not cost you anything extra to obtain judgment if the defendant fails to respond. The court fee you paid at the outset covers both the issue of the claim and the entry of any default judgment.
If you use JustClaim's online filing tool, there is a flat £59 service fee which covers form preparation, checking, and digital submission on your behalf.
Recovering costs: You can include the original court fee you paid to issue the claim as part of the judgment amount. The defendant will be ordered to pay this back to you along with the principal sum and any interest.
Where to Send Form N225
Where you send the completed N225 depends on how your claim was issued:
- Claims issued through the County Court Money Claims Centre (CCMCC) — most money claims for specified amounts are processed centrally by the CCMCC in Salford. Send your N225 to: County Court Money Claims Centre, PO Box 527, Salford, M5 0BY
- Claims issued through Money Claim Online (MCOL) — if you used the online service, you can request default judgment through the MCOL portal without needing to post a paper form
- Claims issued at a local county court — if your claim was issued at a specific county court (for example, because it included a non-money claim), send the N225 to that court
You should send the original completed form. There is no need to send copies to the defendant at this stage — the court will notify the defendant once judgment has been entered.
What Happens After You File
Once the court receives your N225 and is satisfied that the conditions for default judgment are met, the following happens:
- Judgment is entered — the court records the judgment on its system. This is usually done administratively (by a court officer, not a judge) and does not require a hearing
- Both parties are notified — you and the defendant will each receive a copy of the judgment order, which states the amount owed, the date by which it must be paid, and how it should be paid
- The judgment appears on the Register of Judgments — unless the defendant pays the full amount within 14 days of the judgment, a CCJ (County Court Judgment) will be recorded on their credit file for six years. This can significantly affect their ability to obtain credit, mortgages, and other financial products
- Enforcement becomes available — if the defendant does not pay, you can use various enforcement methods to collect the money
Enforcement options: If the defendant does not pay after judgment, you can apply for a warrant of control (form N323) to send bailiffs, an attachment of earnings order to deduct money from their wages, a third-party debt order to freeze their bank account, or a charging order to secure the debt against their property.
Default Judgment in Small Claims Court
Default judgment is available in all county court tracks, including the small claims track. The process is exactly the same regardless of which track your claim falls into.
The small claims track generally covers claims up to £10,000 (or £1,000 for personal injury and £27,500 for certain housing disrepair claims). However, the track is only formally allocated after the defendant files a defence and directions questionnaires are submitted. If the defendant never responds, there is no allocation — you simply proceed to default judgment using form N225.
This means that for many small claims, the case never reaches a hearing at all. The defendant ignores the claim, you request default judgment, and the court enters judgment in your favour. It is one of the simplest and most effective ways to resolve a debt dispute.
Small claims costs: Even though your claim may be within the small claims limit, the costs rules for default judgment are slightly different from those at trial. You can recover the court issue fee and fixed commencement costs under CPR Part 45, regardless of the track. However, you generally cannot recover solicitor's fees or the cost of legal advice.
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Start My N225 RequestCommon Mistakes to Avoid
Filing an N225 incorrectly can result in delays or your request being returned. Here are the most common mistakes:
- Applying too early — the most frequent error. You must wait until the full 14-day period (or 28 days if an acknowledgment of service was filed) has expired. Count from the deemed date of service, not the date you sent the claim form. If you apply even one day early, the court will reject your request
- Using the wrong form — use N225 for specified amounts only. If your claim is for an unspecified amount (damages to be assessed), you need form N225A. If the defendant has made a partial admission, different procedures apply
- Incorrect interest calculation — calculate interest carefully. An incorrect figure may lead to the court querying your request or entering judgment for the wrong amount. Double-check the daily rate, the start date, and the number of days
- Forgetting to include the court fee — you are entitled to add the court issue fee to the judgment amount. Many claimants forget this and end up with a judgment for less than they are owed
- Not signing the statement of truth — an unsigned form will be returned to you, causing unnecessary delay
- Wrong claim number — double-check the claim number against your court correspondence. A wrong number will cause confusion and delay
- Sending to the wrong court — if your claim was issued through the CCMCC, send the N225 there, not to your local county court
What If the Defendant Applies to Set Aside?
A default judgment is not necessarily final. Under CPR Part 13 (rule 13.3), the defendant can apply to have the judgment set aside. This is done using form N244 (application notice).
The court must set aside a default judgment if it was entered wrongly — for example, if the defendant had in fact filed a defence on time, or if the claim was not properly served.
The court may set aside a default judgment if:
- The defendant has a real prospect of successfully defending the claim — this is a relatively low threshold. The defendant does not have to prove they will win, only that they have a realistic (not fanciful) chance of doing so
- There is some other good reason why the judgment should be set aside or the defendant should be allowed to defend the claim
In deciding whether to set aside, the court will also consider whether the defendant applied promptly after learning of the judgment. Significant delays without a good explanation may count against the defendant.
What this means for you: If the defendant applies to set aside, you will be notified and given the opportunity to oppose the application. Even if the judgment is set aside, the case continues — it does not mean you lose. It simply means the case will proceed to a defence and potentially a hearing. You should keep all your evidence and be prepared to argue why the judgment should stand.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is form N225 used for?
Form N225 is used to request default judgment for a specified amount of money in county court proceedings in England and Wales. You file it when the defendant has failed to respond to your claim within the required time limit — typically 14 days after service of the claim form.
How long do I have to wait before requesting default judgment?
You must wait at least 14 days from the deemed date of service of the claim form. If the defendant filed an acknowledgment of service but no defence, you must wait 28 days from service of the particulars of claim. The deemed date of service depends on the method of service — for first-class post, it is the second business day after posting.
Is there a fee to file form N225?
No. There is no additional court fee to request default judgment. The fee you paid when you issued the original claim (the N1 form) covers the default judgment process. If you use JustClaim's online tool, there is a £59 service fee for form preparation and filing.
Can I request default judgment online?
Yes. If your claim was issued through Money Claim Online (MCOL), you can request default judgment through that portal. You can also use JustClaim's online N225 tool to complete the form digitally and have it filed on your behalf, without downloading or printing anything.
What is the difference between N225 and N225A?
Form N225 is for claims for a specified amount — a fixed sum of money that you have calculated. Form N225A is for claims for an unspecified amount — typically damages where the court needs to assess how much is owed. With an N225A, the court will usually hold a disposal hearing to determine the amount.
Can a default judgment be set aside?
Yes. Under CPR rule 13.3, the defendant can apply to set aside a default judgment if they have a real prospect of successfully defending the claim or if there is some other good reason for it to be set aside. The court must set aside a judgment that was entered wrongly. The defendant uses form N244 to make this application.
What happens after default judgment is entered?
The court sends both parties a copy of the judgment order. The defendant must pay the amount stated within the time specified (usually 14 days for immediate payment). If they do not pay, a CCJ is recorded on their credit file for six years, and you can use enforcement methods such as bailiffs, attachment of earnings, or charging orders to collect the money.
Can I get default judgment in small claims court?
Yes. Default judgment is available regardless of the track. Since track allocation only happens after the defendant files a defence, claims where the defendant does not respond are never formally allocated to the small claims track — you simply proceed to default judgment using form N225. The process is the same for claims of any value.