Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Small claims track definition

What does Small claims track mean? In practice, the small claims track is the County Court route in England and Wales for straightforward, low-value civil disputes, with simplified procedure and tightly limited costs recovery. It is defined by the Civil Procedure Rules (principally CPR 26) as the normal track for claims valued at not more than £10,000, subject to exceptions. Personal injury claims are allocated to the small claims track only where the damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity do not exceed the relevant small-claims limit (generally £1,000 for non-road traffic PI; £5,000 for most RTA PI arising on or after 31 May 2021, subject...

CPR case allocation in England and Wales: key features, directions, costs and court guidance for small claims, fast track, intermediate and multi-track (pre/post 1 October 2023)

Published by a LexisNexis Dispute Resolution expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note considers allocation (by the court) of defended civil claims to one of the case management tracks: the small claims track, fast track, intermediate track or multi-track.

It explains what is meant by 'allocation' and summarises the principal features of each track. The Note focuses on defended civil claims and the court's role in placing them on the appropriate case management path.

The framework for allocating civil claims differs by the date proceedings are issued:

Issued before 1 October 2023: three case management tracks—the small claims track, fast track and multi-track.
Issued on or after 1 October 2023: four case management tracks—the small claims track, fast track, intermediate track and multi-track.

For personal injury matters, the applicable rules turn on when the cause of action arises; for disease claims, they depend on when the first letter of claim is sent (pre/post-1 October 2023). It also outlines the key characteristics of each track to aid understanding of the allocation process...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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