Costs information – Debt recovery for businesses with debts up to the value of £100,000
In accordance with the SRA’s Price Transparency Rules, this document summarises costs information for businesses who are considering instructing us to advise on the recovery of debts up to £100,000.
Debt recovery matters are handled by our debt recovery team and are supervised by Andrew Mullen, Partner.
Court claims
Our illustrative costs for debt recovery via the County Court are set out below. These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed.
| Debt amount (£) | Our fee for sending a letter before action (£) | Court issue fee (£) | Our fee for issuing court proceedings (£) | Our fee for entering judgment (£) | Total (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 - 125 | 10 | 25 | 50 | 22 | 107 |
| 125 - 300 | 10 | 25 | 50 | 22 | 107 |
| 300 - 500 | 10 | 35 | 50 | 22 | 117 |
| 500 - 1,000 | 20 | 60 | 70 | 22 | 172 |
| 1,000 – 1,500 | 20 | 70 | 80 | 22 | 192 |
| 1,500 – 3,000 | 20 | 105 | 80 | 22 | 227 |
| 3,000 – 5,000 | 20 | 185 | 80 | 22 | 307 |
| 5,000 – 10,000 | 30 | 410 | 100 | 30 | 570 |
| 10,000 – 50,000 | 30 | 4.5% of Claim Value | 100 | 30 | TBC |
| 50,000 – 100,000 | 30 | 4.5% of Claim Value | 100 | 30 | TBC |
- All the above sums exclude VAT. VAT is payable on our fees but not on the Court issue fee.
- Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost.
- The costs quoted above exclude the cost of enforcement action, such as the instruction of the County Court bailiff, if this is needed to collect your debt.
- The court fees quoted above are correct as at 1 December 2018 and relate to the costs of issuing claims electronically. Court fees will be higher if the court issues the claim. The Ministry of Justice reviews court fees periodically. The current fees can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/court-fees-what-they-are.
Our fees include:
- Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation
- Undertaking appropriate searches
- Sending a letter before action
- Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing a claim
- Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter judgment in default
- When judgment in default in received, write to the other side to request payment
- If payment is not received, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs
Matters usually take 1 to 4 weeks from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of judgment in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.
If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with further advice about costs, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed. Our hourly rates range between £100 and £300 depending upon the experience of the team member who is working with you.
For further information about debt recovery services please contact us.
