HM Courts & Tribunals Service launched its upgraded Online Civil Money Claims (OCMC) portal in October 2026. The service — previously limited to claims up to £10,000 — now handles claims up to £25,000 and introduces three significant new features.
Automatic interest calculation. Claimants no longer need to calculate statutory interest manually when drafting a claim. The portal calculates interest at 8% per year under County Courts Act 1984, s.69 from the date the debt fell due to the date of issue, and updates the running total to the date of any judgment automatically. For commercial debts, claimants can alternatively elect to claim interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
Document upload. Claimants can now upload supporting documents (invoices, contracts, correspondence) at the time of issue. These are served on the defendant alongside the claim form, reducing subsequent directions appointments. Documents must be in PDF format and the total upload per claim is limited to 50MB.
Settlement negotiation tool. The portal introduces a structured pre-hearing settlement negotiation stage. After a defence is filed, both parties can make and respond to settlement offers through the portal before a directions questionnaire is issued. Offers made through this tool are treated as without prejudice save as to costs — they are confidential during the hearing but can be disclosed on the costs question.
Court fees are unchanged. Claims are subject to the existing small claims track limit of £10,000 for most claims and the fast track for £10,001–£25,000. The county court money claim guide has been updated to reflect the new portal features. Citizens Advice has updated its small claims guidance.