Form N226 Notice of Admission (Unspecified Amount): Guide

At a glance

• Who completes it: the claimant, not the defendant. The court sends Form N226 to you together with a copy of the defendant's admission, Form N9C.
• When it's used: only where an unspecified money claim, non-money claim, or return-of-goods claim has drawn an admission of liability from the defendant under CPR rule 14.2(2)(b) or (c).
• The three boxes: Box A (reject the defendant's payment offer, ask the court to decide the amount), Box B (accept the amount admitted, with or without the defendant's payment terms), Box C (defendant admitted liability but made no payment offer at all).
• Miss the deadline and the claim is stayed: the form itself warns that the court takes no further action until it is returned; lifting a stay normally means an application under CPR Part 23.
• Where the court decides the amount: this is usually dealt with at a short "disposal hearing" under Practice Direction 26, paragraphs 20-24 — normally no longer than 30 minutes and normally without oral evidence.
• Time-to-pay disputes up to £50,000: a court officer can set the payment rate without a hearing under CPR rule 14.6(4); either side can ask for a judge to re-determine it within 14 days.
• CPR Part 14 is current law, not the old version: the whole of Part 14 (admissions) was substituted by the Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 3) Rules 2023 (SI 2023/788), in force from 1 October 2023.
• Withdrawing an admission needs the court's permission under CPR rule 14.2(11) — it is not automatic once made.

What Form N226 is and when you'll receive it

Form N226 only arrives after the defendant has already responded to your claim by admitting it, at least in part, on Form N9C — the form HM Courts & Tribunals Service describes as being used to "tell the court if you admit liability for a money claim." Where the claim is for an unspecified amount, or is a non-money or return-of-goods claim, CPR rule 14.2(2) lets the defendant admit the whole or part of the claim for an unspecified amount, or admit liability for an unspecified amount still to be determined, and they may separately offer a sum in satisfaction of it under rule 14.2(3).

Because there is no agreed figure at that point, the court cannot simply enter judgment for a fixed sum. Instead, it sends you Form N226 along with a copy of the defendant's N9C, and asks you to choose how you want to proceed. This is the direct unspecified-claim counterpart to Form N225, which performs a similar role for specified (fixed-sum) claims.

The legal basis: CPR Part 14 admissions

The whole of CPR Part 14 was replaced with a new, restructured version by the Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 3) Rules 2023, in force from 1 October 2023. If you have seen older guidance referring to different rule numbers within Part 14, it may be describing the pre-October-2023 version — always check the current CPR Part 14 text on Justice UK.

Under the current rule 14.2(4), once a defendant admits liability to pay the whole of a claim for an unspecified amount, or admits it and offers a sum in satisfaction, the claimant may file a request for judgment. What judgment follows depends on which admission the defendant made and what you decide to do with it:

• Defendant admitted the whole claim but made no offer (rule 14.2(4)(b)): the judgment is for an amount decided by the court, plus costs (rule 14.2(7)). This is Box C on Form N226.
• Defendant admitted liability and offered a sum, and you accept it (rule 14.2(4)(c) and 14.2(6)): judgment is entered in accordance with the admission, less any payments already made, plus costs, with the payment terms following any agreement between you or, failing that, the court's directions. This is Box B on Form N226.
• Defendant admitted liability and offered a sum, but you do not accept it (rule 14.2(9)): judgment is for an amount decided by the court, plus costs. This is Box A on Form N226.

The court's permission is required to withdraw an admission once made, under rule 14.2(11); rule 14.5 sets out the factors the court weighs, including the grounds given, any new evidence, and prejudice to either side.

How to complete and return Form N226

1. Read the defendant's N9C carefully. Check exactly what has been admitted — the whole claim or only part of it — and whether any payment figure or proposal has been offered. This governs which box you tick.
2. Tick Box A, Box B, or Box C. Tick A if you reject an offered amount and want the court to decide the figure. Tick B if you accept the amount admitted (then say, in the space provided, whether you also accept the proposed payment terms). Tick C if the defendant admitted liability but made no payment offer at all.
3. Complete Box D — the defendant's date of birth. State it if you know it (even if it was not given in the N9C), or confirm it is not known. This detail matters if enforcement becomes necessary later.
4. Complete Box E if you ticked B, or if you are proposing payment terms under A or C. Set out whether you want payment immediately, by monthly instalments, or in full by a specified date, and total the amount of the offer, court fees already paid, and any solicitor's costs, less any payments already received.
5. Sign, date, and return the form by the deadline shown, sending a copy to the defendant at the same time. Keep copies of everything you send.

What happens after you return the form

Where you have asked the court to decide the amount (Boxes A or C), Practice Direction 26 treats a judgment on an admission under Part 14 as a "relevant order," and the court will normally give directions that may include listing the claim for a disposal hearing (PD26, paragraphs 20-21). A disposal hearing does not normally last longer than 30 minutes, and the court will not normally hear oral evidence — but except on the small claims track, any written evidence you rely on must be served on the defendant at least 3 days before the hearing (PD26, paragraph 23). The court may instead decide the dispute is not suitable for a disposal hearing, for example because the amount payable is genuinely disputed on substantial grounds, and give different directions (PD26, paragraph 22).

Where you have accepted the amount but not the defendant's proposed payment terms, the rate of payment can be set by a court officer without a hearing under CPR rule 14.6(4), provided the outstanding amount — including interest and costs — is £50,000 or less. If either side is unhappy with that determination, a written request for a judge to re-determine it must be made within 14 days (rule 14.6(5)).

Form N226 compared with other admission and judgment forms

| Form | Used by | Claim type | When it applies | |------|---------|------------|------------------| | N9C | Defendant | Unspecified, non-money, or return-of-goods claim | To admit liability, and optionally offer a payment sum | | N226 | Claimant | Unspecified, non-money, or return-of-goods claim | To respond once the defendant has admitted on N9C | | N9A | Defendant | Specified (fixed) claim | To admit liability, and optionally offer a payment sum | | N225 | Claimant | Specified (fixed) claim | Request for judgment — covers an admission, an undefended claim, or no response | | N227 | Claimant | Unspecified claim | Request for judgment by default, where the defendant has not responded at all |

The recurring point of confusion is that Form N225 does more than its unspecified counterpart: it is used across several scenarios for specified claims (admission, no defence, or no response), whereas N226 exists for exactly one scenario — an admission on an unspecified claim. If the defendant in an unspecified claim never responds at all, the request you file is N227, not N226.

If you miss the deadline, or need to withdraw an admission

Form N226 itself is explicit: if you do not return it by the date shown, your claim will be stayed and the court takes no further action until the form is received. To get the case moving again, you would normally need to make an application to the court — under the general rules governing applications in CPR Part 23 — asking for the stay to be lifted.

Separately, if the defendant later wants to withdraw the admission they made on N9C, they need the court's permission under CPR rule 14.2(11). The court considers, among other things, the grounds given for withdrawing, whether there is new evidence, the conduct of both parties, any prejudice caused, what stage the case has reached, the prospects of success, and the interests of justice (rule 14.5). An admission is not something the defendant can simply take back once you have relied on it.

What to do next

1. Read the defendant's N9C in full before deciding which box to tick — do not rely on a summary from the defendant.
2. Diary the return deadline printed on Form N226 as soon as you receive it; missing it stays the whole claim.
3. Decide realistically whether the amount admitted, and any payment terms offered, reflect what you are actually owed and what the defendant can plausibly pay.
4. Keep a copy of everything you send to the court and to the defendant, including the completed form and any covering evidence.
5. If the court is going to decide the amount, start gathering the evidence — invoices, valuations, medical reports, or witness statements — you will need to support the figure you are asking for.
6. Take advice early if the case is not straightforward, particularly if the sums involved are significant or the defendant's financial position is unclear.

This guide provides general information about Form N226 and the CPR Part 14 admissions process in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The law described was accurate as at August 2026 and is subject to change — always check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the most current position.

Last reviewed: August 2026 · Next review due: August 2027 or on legislative change.