Court fees increase
Court fees in civil and family cases, and those in the Upper Tribunal, are due to rise on 8 April 2025. These fee increases will be an average of 3.2% in line with the increase in CPI between March 2023 and March 2024, but some will increase by a much larger 13.5% to reflect backdated inflation to March 2022. The additional funding raised will help to support the running of the court and tribunal service as well as subsidising those services for which a fee is not charged. (If you have a client who cannot afford court or tribunal fees, then the Help with Fees remissions schemes are available – more details are available here.)
It’s not all bad news – some fees will actually be reduced to ensure that they remain aligned with their underlying cost. It does not apply to many fees though…
We are periodically instructed in cases where a trial fee has not been paid, and so the matter has been struck out without notice to the parties. Sometimes the first time this is realised is when the hearing does not appear in the court list on the date of trial. An application for relief from sanctions then follows which carries some risk, so it is worth checking and double checking the wording of directions orders and the applicable dates.
Full details of all new charges are available here . Some of the fees most likely to be relevant are as follows (please note that this list is not exhaustive):
Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008
|
SI Reference ID |
Description |
Current |
New |
|
1.4a |
Recovery of Land (High Court) |
£528 |
£545 |
|
1.4b |
Recovery of Land (County Court) |
£391 |
£404 |
|
1.5 |
Any other remedy (County Court) |
£365 |
£377 |
|
1.5 |
Any other remedy (High Court) |
£626 |
£646 |
|
1.8b |
Assessment of costs (under Part 3, Solicitors Act 1974) |
£65 |
£67 |
|
1.9a |
For permission to apply for judicial review |
£169 |
£174 |
|
2.1a |
Hearing fee: Multi track case |
£1,175 |
£1,334 |
|
2.1b |
Hearing fee: Fast track case |
£545 |
£619 |
|
3.1b |
Petition for bankruptcy (presented by creditor/other person) |
£332 |
£343 |
|
3.7 |
Voluntary winding up fee |
£50 |
£16 |
|
3.2 |
Petition for an administration order |
£332 |
£343 |
|
3.8 |
Notice of intention to appoint administrator |
£55 |
£57 |
|
5.3 |
Issue of default costs certificate – Civil |
£78 |
£80 |
|
6.1 |
On the filing of a request for detailed assessment for Court of Protection |
£96 |
£99 |
Magistrates’ Court Fees Order 2008
|
SI Reference ID |
Description |
Current |
New |
|
8.1 |
Commencing proceedings where no other fee is specified |
£249 |
£284 |
|
8.2a |
Application for leave/permission to commence proceedings (no other fee specified) |
£138 |
£142 |
|
8.2b |
Commencing proceedings where leave/permission has been granted |
£138 |
£142 |
|
8.3 |
Contested hearing |
£567 |
£644 |
Family Proceedings Fees Order 2008
|
SI Reference ID |
Description |
Current |
New |
|
1.1 |
Originating proceedings where no other fee is specified |
£270 |
£279 |
|
1.2 |
Application for a divorce, nullity or civil partnership dissolution |
£593 |
£612 |
|
1.3 |
Application for matrimonial or civil partnership order |
£402 |
£415 |
|
1.6 |
Answer to application for matrimonial/civil partnership order |
£245 |
£234 |
|
1.7 |
On application for an order of assessment of costs |
£55 |
£57 |
|
1.8 |
Application for parental order |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1a |
Parental responsibility (section 4(1)(c) or (3), 4A(1)(b) or(3) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1b |
Parental responsibility (section 4ZA(1)(c) or (6) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1c |
Guardians (section 5(1) or 6(7) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1d |
Section 8 orders (section 10(1) or (2) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1e |
Enforcement orders (section 11J(2) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1f |
Compensation for financial loss (section 11O(2) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1g |
Change of child’s surname or removal from jurisdiction while residence order in force (section 13(1) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1h |
Special guardianship orders (section 14A(3) or (6)(a), 14C(3) or 14D(1) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1i |
Secure accommodation order (section 25 of the Children Act 1989) - England |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1ia |
Secure accommodation order (section 25 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1j |
Change of child’s surname or removal from jurisdiction while care order in force (section 33(7) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1k |
Contact with child in care (section 34(2), (3), (4) or (9) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1l |
Education supervision order (section 36(1) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1m |
Variation or discharge etc of care and supervision orders (section 39 of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1n |
Child assessment order (section 43(1) of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1o |
Emergency protection orders (sections 44, 45 and 46 of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1p |
Warrant to assist person exercising powers under emergency protection order (section 48 of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1q |
Recovery order (section 50 of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1s |
Warrant to assist person exercising powers to search for children or inspect premises (section 102 of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1t |
Applications in respect of enforcement orders (under Schedule A1 of the Children Act 1989) |
£112 |
£116 |
|
2.1u |
Amendment of enforcement order by reason of change of address (under Schedule A1 of the Children Act 1989) |
£77 |
£79 |
|
2.1v |
Financial provision for children (paragraph 1(1) or (4), 2(1) or (5), 5(6), 6(5), (7) or (8), 8(2), 10(2), 11 or 14(1) of Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989) |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.1w |
Approval of court for child in care of local authority to live abroad (paragraph 19(1) of Schedule 2 of the Children Act 1989) - England |
£255 |
£263 |
|
2.2 |
Care and supervision order (Section 31 of the Children Act 1989) |
£2,437 |
£2,515 |
|
3.1 |
Application/permission to apply for adoption |
£201 |
£207 |
|
3.2 |
Application for a placement order (under Section 22 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002) |
£539 |
£556 |
|
3.3 |
Application to the High Court with regards to inherent jurisdiction with respect to children |
£201 |
£207 |
Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) Fees Order 2009
|
SI Reference ID |
Description |
Current |
New |
|
1 |
Permission to appeal r21 |
£242 |
£250 |
|
2 |
Notice of reference r28 / appeal r24 |
£303 |
£313 |
First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Fees Order 2013
|
SI Reference ID |
Description |
Current |
New |
|
1.1 |
Commence proceedings (application or appeal) in a leasehold or residential property case, where no other fees applies |
£110 |
£114 |
Court of Protection Fees Order 2007
|
SI Reference ID |
Description |
Current |
New |
|
4 |
Application fee (Article 4) |
£408 |
£421 |
|
5 |
Appeal fee (Article 5) |
£257 |
£265 |
|
6 |
Hearing fee (Article 6) |
£494 |
£259 |
|
And some of those which are actually decreasing: Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008 |
|
|
|
|
3.13 |
Search of bankruptcy and company records (County Court) |
£45 |
£11 |
Magistrates Court orders fees
|
4.2 |
Application for Child Support Liability Order |
£25 |
£14 |