Form N180: Small Claims Directions Questionnaire UK

At a glance

• What it is: Form N180 is the small claims track directions questionnaire, sent by the court under CPR 26.4 to the claimant and defendant once a defence has been filed, if they are not using a legal representative.
• Deadline: the notice of proposed allocation sent with the form must give at least 14 days from deemed service for small claims track cases (CPR 26.4(6)) — but always check the actual date stated, which can be longer and cannot be changed by agreement between the parties (CPR 26.4(7)).
• Missed deadline: for most money claims, the court serves a further 7-day notice (CPR 26.4(9)) before your statement of case is struck out without a further order — but do not rely on that safety net.
• Mediation: since 22 May 2024, most small claims money disputes (excluding road traffic accident and personal injury claims) are automatically referred to the free Small Claims Mediation Service once all parties have filed their questionnaires — a pilot running under Practice Direction 51ZE until 6 April 2027.
• Track threshold: the small claims track is normally used for claims worth £10,000 or less (CPR 26.9), with lower limits for the personal injury element of a claim and for tenants' repair claims.
• N180 vs N181: N180 is for the small claims track; N181 is the equivalent form for the fast track, intermediate track and multi-track, with a longer minimum 28-day deadline.

What Form N180 is and who completes it

Form N180 is a County Court document used in England and Wales after a defence has been filed to a money claim. Under CPR 26.4, judges use it to give case management instructions ("directions") to the parties, and the court sends it to the claimant and the defendant where they are not using a legal representative. It usually arrives with a notice of proposed allocation, which tells you the court's provisional view on which track the claim should go on. GOV.UK publishes the official Form N180 alongside guidance notes.

Each party — the claimant, the defendant, and any Part 20 claimant (a defendant bringing a counterclaim or other additional claim of their own, as defined in Part 20 of the Civil Procedure Rules) — completes and returns their own copy. You answer from your own point of view: your own availability, your own witnesses, and your own position on whether the small claims track is the right fit.

When you receive it: the notice of proposed allocation

Once a defendant files a defence, a court officer provisionally decides which track looks most suitable and serves a notice of proposed allocation on every party (CPR 26.4(1)). That notice must specify the deadline for filing and serving a completed directions questionnaire, state the court address the form should be returned to, and explain how to obtain it. Where there is more than one defendant, the court waits until either all defendants have filed a defence or the time for the last defence to be filed has expired, whichever comes first, before sending the notice (CPR 26.4(3)).

The deadline to file and serve Form N180

The date on the notice is set by the court, and under CPR 26.4(6) it must allow at least 14 days from the date the notice is deemed served, where the claim is heading for the small claims track. (Notices proposing the fast track, intermediate track or multi-track — where Form N181 is used instead — must allow at least 28 days, which reflects the greater complexity of those cases.) Fourteen days is a statutory minimum, not a fixed rule: courts frequently allow longer, so always work from the specific date printed on your own notice rather than assuming it is exactly two weeks away.

Crucially, that date cannot be varied by agreement between the parties under CPR 26.4(7) — you and the other side cannot simply agree between yourselves to give each other more time. If you genuinely cannot meet the deadline, contact the court office named on the notice as soon as possible and explain why, rather than letting the date pass.

What happens if you don't return it on time

The consequence depends on the type of claim, but for the overwhelming majority of small claims — specified or unspecified money claims proceeding in the County Court, to which CPR 26.3 applies — the process has two stages under CPR 26.4(9). If you miss the deadline on the original notice, the court must serve a further notice giving you 7 more days to comply. Only if you still fail to file and serve the questionnaire after that second notice does your statement of case get struck out without any further order of the court. Under CPR 26.4(11), a party who was in default this way can also be ordered to pay the costs that the default caused the other side, unless the court thinks that would be unjust.

This is a meaningful safety net, but it is not one to rely on deliberately — a struck-out claim or defence can end your case, or leave a default judgment standing against you, before you have had the chance to argue it. If you are close to the deadline, file what you can and tell the court what is missing, rather than filing nothing at all.

What each section of the form covers

Agreeing to the small claims track

You are asked whether you agree the case belongs on the small claims track. If you think it is too complex, too high in value, or otherwise unsuitable, say so and explain why — under CPR 26.13, the court weighs the parties' views alongside the financial value, the nature of the remedy sought, the likely complexity, the number of parties, and the amount of oral evidence likely to be needed when it decides allocation.

Mediation and the Small Claims Mediation Service

This is the section that has changed most significantly. Under Practice Direction 51ZE, a pilot scheme that started on 22 May 2024 and is now extended to run until 6 April 2027, CPR 26.6 is modified so that most small claims money disputes are automatically referred to the free Small Claims Mediation Service once every party has filed their directions questionnaire — you no longer need to separately opt in. The modified rule only applies where the sole remedy claimed is a specified sum of money, so a tenant's claim for repair works (rather than just money) falls outside it, and it does not apply in any event to road traffic accident claims or personal injury claims, which follow the ordinary voluntary process under the unmodified CPR 26.6 instead.

The appointment itself is free, is held by phone, and usually lasts up to an hour. You can bring someone with you — a friend, relative, or solicitor. If you reach an agreement, it becomes a legally binding settlement and the case is stayed; if you do not settle, the claim proceeds to a hearing and nothing said in mediation can be used there. If the claim does reach a final hearing, the court must consider whether a sanction is appropriate given whether each party took part in mediation — this can affect costs under the modified CPR 27.14, and the modified CPR 27.8 requires the court to weigh it at the hearing itself.

Witnesses, hearing location and dates to avoid

You are asked how many witnesses will give evidence, including yourself, and to name any dates within the coming months when you or your witnesses cannot attend a hearing — the court uses this to list the case sensibly. You will also be asked to state a preferred hearing centre. Under CPR 26.3, if you are an individual defendant, the claim will usually be sent to your home County Court hearing centre by default unless you specify otherwise; claimants can state their own preference, but the court has the final say.

Expert evidence

Small claims are designed to keep costs proportionate, so under CPR 27.5 no expert may give written or oral evidence at the hearing without the court's permission first. If you want to rely on an expert — a surveyor in a building dispute, for example — explain clearly on the form why the assistance is genuinely needed. Most of the usual expert-evidence rules in Part 35 are disapplied on the small claims track, but the provisions on single joint experts still apply, which is why courts frequently expect the parties to share one expert rather than instructing separate ones.

Support needs and vulnerability

The final section asks whether you, or anyone else involved, is vulnerable or needs support to take part fairly. This gives effect to CPR 1.6 and Practice Direction 1A, which require the court to identify vulnerability at the earliest possible stage and consider adjustments where a party's or witness's ability to participate, or to give their best evidence, may be diminished — this can include a disability, a health condition, language needs, age-related difficulties, or a history of domestic abuse. Being open here allows the court to consider adjustments such as an interpreter, a remote hearing, extra breaks, or a more accessible venue.

How allocation to a track works

Under CPR 26.1 there are four case management tracks: the small claims track, the fast track, the intermediate track, and the multi-track. CPR 26.9 sets out the normal financial scope of each:

| Type of claim | Small claims track normal limit | |---|---| | General claim (no personal injury or housing repair element) | £10,000 or less | | Personal injury element — most claims | £1,500 or less | | Personal injury element — road traffic accident, standard circumstances | £5,000 or less | | Personal injury element — road traffic accident, specified circumstances (e.g. pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists) | £1,000 or less | | Tenant's claim against a landlord for repairs | Cost of repairs £1,000 or less, and any other damages claimed £1,000 or less |

A claim by a residential tenant against a landlord for harassment or unlawful eviction must never be allocated to the small claims track, whatever the financial value (CPR 26.12(2)).

Once all parties have filed their directions questionnaires — or, where the claim has been referred to mediation under the PD 51ZE pilot and does not settle, once that process has run its course — the court allocates the claim to a track. Where a claim has been referred to mediation, CPR 26.7(3) requires the court to allocate it no later than four weeks after the last directions questionnaire was filed. The court can order a party to provide more information before deciding, and can hold a short allocation hearing if it thinks that is necessary. Every party is then served with a notice confirming the track the claim has been allocated to (CPR 26.17).

Worked example: a straightforward money claim and the mediation referral

Priya, a fictional claimant, sues a trader for £3,200 over faulty goods. The trader files a defence on 1 September. Because there is only one defendant, the court serves the notice of proposed allocation with Form N180 shortly afterwards, giving both parties until 22 September — 14 days from deemed service — to return the questionnaire (CPR 26.4(6)). Both file on time.

Because the only remedy Priya is claiming is a specified sum of money, and the claim is not a road traffic accident or personal injury claim, it is automatically referred to the Small Claims Mediation Service once both questionnaires are filed (CPR 26.6, as modified by PD 51ZE). If mediation does not resolve it, the court must allocate the claim to a track within four weeks of the last questionnaire being filed (CPR 26.7(3)) — here, that is the small claims track, since the claim is for £10,000 or less and has no personal injury element.

Worked example: missing the deadline

Tom, a fictional defendant, is served with the notice of proposed allocation on 3 June, giving him until 17 June to return his N180. He misses the date. Under CPR 26.4(9), because his is an ordinary County Court money claim, the court does not strike out his defence immediately — it must first serve a further notice giving him 7 more days, to 24 June. Tom files his questionnaire on 22 June, within the extended period, and his defence stands. Had he still not filed by 24 June, his defence would have been struck out without any further order of the court, and he could also have been ordered to pay the costs his delay caused the claimant (CPR 26.4(11)).

Form N180 versus Form N181

Form N180 is used only for cases heading to the small claims track. Where a claim looks more suited to the fast track, the intermediate track, or the multi-track — generally because it is worth more than £10,000, or is more complex — the court instead sends Form N181, and under CPR 26.4(6) the notice must allow at least 28 days (rather than 14) for it to be returned, along with proposed directions on disclosure and evidence. GOV.UK publishes the official Form N181, which since October 2023 also covers the intermediate track. If your claim's value or complexity is genuinely borderline, it is worth explaining your view clearly in the track-agreement section of whichever form you receive, since the court weighs the parties' submissions when it decides.

Practical steps for completing and returning Form N180

1. Read the notice of proposed allocation first. Check the exact deadline stated, where the form must be sent, and which track the court is proposing. Diarise the date immediately.
2. Decide your position on the small claims track. If you agree, say so. If you think the claim is too complex or too valuable, explain your reasoning clearly.
3. Expect the mediation referral. For most money claims, you do not need to separately agree to mediation any more — it happens automatically once all questionnaires are filed, unless your claim is for road traffic accident or personal injury, or seeks a non-monetary remedy. Think ahead about what a realistic settlement might look like.
4. List witnesses, dates to avoid, and your hearing centre preference. Be realistic about availability over the next few months so the court can list the case without a clash.
5. Only request an expert if it is genuinely necessary, and explain briefly why on the form — unsupported requests are unlikely to be granted.
6. Flag any support needs or vulnerability honestly. This is what triggers reasonable adjustments later in the process.
7. File and serve the form by the stated deadline, and keep proof you did so. If something will make you late, contact the court before the deadline passes rather than after — and if you do miss it, respond to any further 7-day notice immediately rather than assuming it is a second chance to be casual about.

This guide provides general information about Form N180 and the small claims track directions questionnaire process in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances — court procedure can turn on the detail of your own notice and claim. The law and procedure described was accurate as at July 2026 and is subject to change, including the mediation pilot scheme; always check GOV.UK, justice.gov.uk and the notice sent by your own court for the current position.

Last reviewed: July 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: July 2027 or on legislative change.