HMCTS Fee Account Application UK: PBA Guide

Overview

The HMCTS Fee Account application form is the document organisations use to request a credit-based billing account with HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Once approved, the account allows you to pay court and tribunal fees on credit, with HMCTS invoicing you on a regular cycle rather than taking payment at the point each claim or application is issued.

The account is generally aimed at solicitors' firms, in-house legal teams, barristers' chambers, local authorities, government departments and other bodies that file court applications often enough to make individual payments impractical. The form itself gathers standard onboarding information: the legal name of the applying organisation, the type of entity, the credit limit you want, trading details if different from the registered position, the primary and backup contacts, and the billing address and invoicing preferences.

An authorised signatory must sign off on the application before it's submitted, confirming the organisation agrees to the account terms.

Key steps

1. Check whether a Fee Account suits your organisation. A PBA works best where you pay court fees frequently enough that individual card payments become a drag on your team. If you only issue the occasional claim, paying per transaction may be simpler. Think about volume, who handles the payments, and whether monthly invoicing fits your accounting cycle.
2. Gather your organisation's details. You'll need the full registered legal name, your entity type (limited company, LLP, public body, partnership and so on), company number where applicable, registered office address, and details of shareholders or key officers. Have your proposed credit limit in mind too, based on a realistic view of your monthly court fee spend.
3. Nominate your contacts and billing setup. The form asks for a primary contact, a secondary contact as backup, and full billing details including the email address invoices should go to. Decide in advance whether you want electronic invoices in XML format, which can make reconciliation easier for larger finance teams using accounting software.
4. Get the form signed by an authorised representative. The application must be signed and dated by someone with authority to commit the organisation to a credit agreement. For a company that's typically a director or finance officer; for a public body it may be a designated budget holder. Double check internal sign-off requirements before sending.
5. Submit and wait for activation. Once HMCTS receives the form, they carry out their checks and set up the account if approved. You'll receive an account number that can then be used when issuing claims through the relevant court portals or paper processes. Keep a record of the account details and share them with staff who will be filing on the account.

Common questions