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...

Small Claims Track costs (England and Wales): CPR 27.14 recovery, unreasonable behaviour, appeals, and allocation/re-allocation pre/post 1 October 2023

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Practice notes

This Practice Note considers Costs in the Small claims track (SCT)

Handled under Part 27 of the CPR, this Practice Note reviews how costs operate on the SCT. It explains the scope of CPR 27.14(2) and provides guidance on the way the courts have interpreted those provisions. It also addresses rare scenarios in which a successful Claimant may recover costs by relying on a contractual entitlement.

Note, this Practice Note considers:

The transitional CPR provisions for proceedings issued before 1 October 2023 (excluding personal injury and disease cases).
The position under the current rules for proceedings issued on or after 1 October 2023 (excluding personal injury and disease cases).
For personal injury, the transitional regime where the cause of action accrued prior to 1 October 2023.
For disease claims, the transitional regime where the letter of claim was sent to the defendant prior to 1 October 2023.
The current rules for personal injury where the cause of action accrues on or after 1 October 2023.
The current rules for disease claims where the letter of claim is sent...

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David Willink

Lamb Chambers

As a civil servant in the Lord Chancellor’s Department, now the Ministry of Justice, David gained extensive experience in government, including responsibility for civil law reform in the areas of contract, trusts and privacy & freedom of expression. He appeared before Select Committees in both Houses of Parliament, and represented the UK in Brussels, Luxembourg, Strasbourg and Salzburg. He was responsible for the defence of domestic libel law in Steel & Morris v United Kingdom [2005] ECHR 103 (‘McLibel’). He also held responsibility for advice on appointments to Queen's Counsel and senior judicial office.At the Bar, he has maintained a broad civil practice, acting for claimants and defendants across the areas in which chambers practise. He accepts Direct Access instructions in appropriate cases. In addition, he has developed a practice in all aspects of ecclesiastical law, and is the Deputy...

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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