Debt recovery fees
These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one-off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.
| Debt value | Court fee | Hourly rates (ex VAT) | Estimated hours to complete | Average costs (ex VAT) | ||||
| Engage plan | Enable plan | Extend plan | Enagage plan | Enable plan | Extend plan | |||
| Up to £5,000 | £35 - £205 depending on the value of claim | £298 | £149 | £190 - £210* | 6 hours | £1,788 | £894 | £1260* |
| £5001 - £50,000 | 5% value of the claim | £298 | £149 | £190 - £210* | 6 hours | £1,788 | £894 | £1260* |
*Extend rates vary depending on the annual hours package purchased. Average costs shown above use the highest hourly rate of £210.
Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:
• The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor if you are registered for VAT
• Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher court fee
• The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt
Our fee includes:
• Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation
• Undertaking appropriate searches
• Sending a letter before action
• Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing the claim form
• Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgement in default
• When Judgement in default in received, write to the debtor to request payment
• If payment is not received, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs
Matters usually take 4-6 weeks from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgement in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.
Our senior dispute resolution partner, Ian Carson, leads our business dispute team and has over 30 years’ experience leading some of our most high-profile cases to a successful conclusion. Regardless of which member of our business dispute team works on your matter, they will be supervised by Ian.
Our solicitors have experience in all aspects of business disputes and we dedicate ourselves to ensuring our knowledge stays up to date, in order to give you the best service possible. They each have more than 10 years of experience in the area. We always make sure that all our solicitors and members of staff are supported and supervised appropriately so that the quality of advice is not affected, regardless of who is working on your case.
