Form N210A: Acknowledging a Part 8 Costs-Only Claim | England & Wales

At a glance

• What N210A is: the acknowledgment of service used when a defendant receives a Part 8 costs-only claim under CPR rule 46.14.
• When it arises: the parties have settled their underlying dispute in writing but cannot agree the amount of costs payable, so the paying party is formally served with a Part 8 claim.
• Deadline: file the completed form at the court not more than 14 days after service of the claim form (CPR rule 8.3).
• Section A: you do not intend to contest the claim — the court can proceed to make a costs order.
• Section B: you accept a costs order should be made but dispute the amount — the case proceeds to detailed assessment under CPR Part 47.
• Section C: you contest the making of any order, seek a different remedy, or dispute jurisdiction — any application must follow within 14 days of filing the acknowledgment.
• If you do nothing: once the acknowledgment period expires, the claimant may ask the court to make an order in the terms of the claim without further notice to you (Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.7).

What is a Part 8 costs-only claim?

When parties settle a dispute — whether before or during litigation — the settlement agreement usually provides for one side to pay the other's costs. Where those parties subsequently cannot agree on the amount of those costs, either side can apply to the court for an order enabling a formal detailed assessment of the bill.

The mechanism for doing this is a costs-only claim under CPR rule 46.14. The rule applies where:

1. the parties have reached an agreement on all issues, including which party is to pay costs;
2. that agreement was made or confirmed in writing; and
3. the parties have failed to agree the amount of those costs.

The claim is issued using the Part 8 procedure — the Civil Procedure Rules' alternative procedure for claims where there is no substantial dispute of fact. A Part 8 claim does not open up the underlying merits of the settled dispute; it exists solely so the court can make an order enabling the detailed assessment process to begin.

A costs judge or district judge has jurisdiction to hear and decide any issue arising under rule 46.14, irrespective of the amount of costs claimed or the value of the original dispute (Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.6).

If you are new to Part 8 claims generally, our guide to Form N208C explains the wider procedure and the options and deadlines that apply to any Part 8 claim, not just a costs-only one.

What the claim form contains

The claimant is required to issue the claim using Form N208 (the Part 8 claim form) — see our guide to Form N208 for what the claim form itself must set out. Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.3 requires the claim form to:

• identify the claim or dispute to which the agreement relates;
• state the date and terms of the agreement on which the claimant relies;
• set out or attach a draft of the order the claimant is seeking; and
• state the amount of the costs claimed.

The claimant must also file evidence including copies of the documents that prove the defendant agreed to pay costs. This is usually the settlement agreement, a Tomlin order, or a Calderbank letter in which costs liability was conceded.

When you receive the Part 8 claim form, you will also receive the supporting evidence and the draft costs order. Read all of these before you complete Form N210A — the basis for the costs claim is set out in the supporting documents, not just the claim form itself.

How to use Form N210A

Form N210A is published by HM Courts & Tribunals Service and is available from GOV.UK. The current version on file is dated October 2020, and its statement of truth wording was last amended in February 2021 — always download the current version from GOV.UK rather than reusing an old copy. It is three pages long. The form requires you to tick and complete Sections A to C as appropriate, and to complete Sections D and E in all cases.

Step 1 — Read before you tick

Before completing any section, read the claim form, the draft order, and any supporting evidence carefully. Check: are the parties correctly identified? Does the agreement match what you recall of the settlement terms? Is the sum claimed consistent with what was discussed? Small errors in the claim can sometimes be significant; they are better raised at this stage than after an order is made.

Step 2 — Decide your position

The form asks you to resolve two separate questions before you pick up a pen:

1. Should a costs order be made at all? This is a question of liability. If you agreed in writing to pay the claimant's costs, the answer is almost certainly yes, and Sections A or B are the appropriate response. If you believe no such agreement exists, or the agreement does not extend to the costs claimed, Section C may apply.

2. Is the amount claimed reasonable? This is a question of quantum. Even if you accept liability for costs, you may well dispute the figure. Detailed assessment under CPR Part 47 is the procedure for resolving that dispute.

You can accept liability but contest quantum (Section B). You cannot effectively contest liability by ticking Section A and then arguing about it later.

Step 3 — Complete the correct section

| Section | You are saying | What happens next | |---|---|---| | A | You do not intend to contest the claim. | Once the acknowledgment period expires, the claimant can ask the court to make an order in the terms of the claim (Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.7). | | B | You accept a costs order should be made but dispute the amount. | The court makes a costs order; the case proceeds to detailed assessment under CPR Part 47. | | C | You contest the making of any order, seek a different remedy, or dispute jurisdiction. | You must file a witness statement under CPR rule 8.5(3); any jurisdiction application must follow within 14 days of filing the acknowledgment (Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.10). |

Section A — I do not intend to contest this claim

Tick Section A if you accept that a costs order should be made and do not dispute the amount claimed. Once the acknowledgment period expires and the court receives a request, it can make an order in the terms of the claim under Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.7. This is the fastest route to resolution if you have no real basis to dispute either liability or quantum.

Section B — I intend to contest the amount of costs claimed but not the making of an order for costs

Tick Section B if you accept that costs are payable under the settlement agreement but dispute the figure. This is the most common response in costs-only proceedings. The court will make a costs order, after which the receiving party must commence detailed assessment proceedings under CPR Part 47 by serving a notice of commencement and a copy of the bill. You then have the opportunity to serve points of dispute, and the matter proceeds to a detailed assessment hearing if it cannot be agreed.

Note the important rule in Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.10: a claim is not treated as opposed merely because the defendant disputes the amount of the claim for costs. Disputing quantum alone does not entitle you to a full contested hearing on the merits of the claim.

Section C — I intend to contest the making of an order / seek a different remedy / dispute jurisdiction

Section C covers three distinct grounds, each of which leads to a contested hearing:

• Contesting the making of an order for costs — you deny that you agreed to pay costs, or argue the agreement does not cover the costs claimed.
• Seeking a different remedy — you accept there is a dispute about costs but seek an order different from the one the claimant has drafted.
• Disputing the court's jurisdiction — you argue the claim should have been issued in a different court (for example, in the High Court rather than the County Court, or at a different hearing centre).

The form itself carries an important notice: any application must be filed within 14 days of the date on which you file this acknowledgment of service. If you tick Section C and intend to challenge jurisdiction or contest the order, you must act quickly. Under Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.10, a defendant who opposes the claim must file a witness statement in accordance with CPR rule 8.5(3). The court will then give directions, which may include directing the claim to continue as if it were a Part 7 claim.

Step 4 — Complete Sections D and E in all cases

Section D requires your full name as the defendant filing the acknowledgment.

Section E is the statement of truth. You confirm that the facts stated in the form are true and that you understand that proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against anyone who makes, or causes to be made, a false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth without an honest belief in its truth. The statement of truth may be signed by the defendant personally, by a litigation friend (where the defendant is a child or patient), or by the defendant's legal representative. If a legal representative signs, the form requires their full name, firm name, and position or office held.

The statement of truth is not a formality. Sign it only when you have read and understood what you are asserting.

Step 5 — Add your address for service and file within 14 days

Page 3 of the form asks for the address to which documents should be sent — building and street, town, postcode, and optionally a phone number, DX number, your reference, and email. This is the address the court and claimant will use for all future correspondence and directions.

File the completed form at the court named on the claim form before the 14-day deadline expires. Under CPR rule 8.3(1)(b) you must also serve the acknowledgment on the claimant and any other party, not just file it at court. Retain a dated copy.

The 14-day deadline: how it is calculated

The 14-day period runs from the date of service of the claim form, not the date it was issued or the date you actually received it. Under CPR rule 6.14, a claim form served by first class post is deemed served on the second business day after posting — that "business day" excludes weekends and bank holidays. The practical risk is that this deemed date can fall before you actually open the letter, particularly if you are away or post is delayed at your end; the clock does not wait for you to read it.

The rules on counting time are set out in CPR rule 2.8. The day of service itself is not counted (rule 2.8(3)). Because the acknowledgment period is 14 days — longer than 5 days — the shorter-period exclusion in rule 2.8(4), which disregards weekends and bank holidays, does not apply. Every calendar day within the 14-day count counts, weekends and bank holidays included. The only adjustment comes from rule 2.8(5): if the final day of the 14-day period itself falls on a day the court office is closed, the deadline moves to the next day the office is open.

Worked example: calculating the deadline

Suppose the Part 8 claim form is served on 2 October. The day of service is not counted, so the count starts on 3 October. Fourteen clear days later, the last day for filing Form N210A is 16 October — this mirrors the Civil Procedure Rules' own worked example for a 14-day service period under rule 2.8. If any of those 14 days happen to fall on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday, they still count towards the total. Only if 16 October itself were a day the court office was closed would the deadline move to the next working day.

If you are approaching the 14-day deadline and cannot complete the form in time, contact the claimant or their solicitors as soon as possible and ask for an agreed extension. Courts expect parties to communicate. A short agreed extension is far preferable to missing the deadline and then making an application to the court.

What happens after you file

If you ticked Section A, the claimant may write to the court requesting an order in the terms of the claim. The court can make the order by consent under CPR rule 40.6 without a hearing. Unless the court orders otherwise, or fixed costs apply under CPR Part 45, costs will be assessed on the standard basis (Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.4).

If you ticked Section B, the court will make an order for costs to be assessed. Detailed assessment proceedings are then commenced under CPR Part 47. The receiving party serves a notice of commencement and a copy of the bill; you serve points of dispute; and if the matter cannot be agreed it proceeds to a detailed assessment hearing before a costs judge or district judge. At that hearing, the judge examines the bill item by item and decides what is reasonable and proportionate.

If you ticked Section C, the court will give directions after receiving your witness statement. Depending on the nature of your challenge, it may direct the claim to continue as a Part 7 claim, list a hearing, or make other case management orders. If you dispute jurisdiction, you must act promptly: file your application within 14 days of filing the acknowledgment.

If you do nothing, Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.7 enables the claimant to request in writing that the court make an order in the terms of the claim. The court may do so. You then face a costs order at the level claimed, plus interest and the costs of the costs-only application itself. An application to set aside is possible but involves delay, further cost, and no guarantee of success.

Costs of the costs-only proceedings themselves

Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.9 states that where costs are ordered to be assessed, the general rule is that this should be by detailed assessment. However, where an order is made following a hearing and the court is in a position to summarily assess, it should generally do so. The costs of the costs-only claim itself are typically costs in the assessment.

A note on jurisdiction: High Court or County Court?

Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.1 provides that a claim form under rule 46.14 should not be issued in the High Court unless the dispute to which the agreement relates was of such a value or type that proceedings would have been commenced in the High Court. A High Court claim form issued at the Royal Courts of Justice is issued in the Costs Office (the Senior Courts Costs Office). Most costs-only claims arising from ordinary personal injury or commercial settlements are issued in the County Court. If you receive a claim form issued in the SCCO or the High Court and believe this is wrong, Section C is the appropriate response.

Common mistakes when completing Form N210A

• Ticking more than one section. Sections A, B and C reflect three distinct positions. Tick only the one that matches your actual stance — accepting liability but disputing quantum is Section B alone, not Section B combined with Section C.
• Assuming the 14 days runs from the day you opened the envelope. The clock runs from the deemed date of service under CPR rule 6.14, which can fall before you actually read the letter. Check the deemed service date, not the date you happened to open the post.
• Missing the witness statement deadline after ticking Section C. Ticking Section C is not the end of the process. CPR rule 8.5(3) and Practice Direction 46, paragraph 9.10 require a witness statement — and, for a jurisdiction challenge, a formal application — within 14 days of filing the acknowledgment. Treat that as a second deadline, not an afterthought.
• Not reading the supporting evidence before deciding. The basis for the costs claim sits in the documents served alongside the claim form, not the claim form alone. Skimming only the form can lead to ticking Section A when the underlying settlement agreement doesn't actually support the sum claimed.
• Forgetting to serve the claimant as well as filing at court. CPR rule 8.3(1)(b) requires you to serve the acknowledgment of service on the claimant, and any other party, in addition to filing it at court.
• Leaving Sections D and E incomplete. Every acknowledgment needs your name and a signed statement of truth, regardless of which of Sections A, B or C applies.

If any of the terminology on this page is unfamiliar, our County Court terminology glossary explains the terms in plain English, and our broader guide to County Court forms covers the other forms you're likely to encounter alongside N210A.

This guide provides general information about Form N210A and the Part 8 costs-only claims procedure in England and Wales. It is not a substitute for legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The rules and practice directions described were accurate as at August 2026 and are subject to change.

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