Northern Ireland civil procedure
When must a respondent dispute a Northern Ireland small claim?
21 days after receipt. Lodge Form 126A and the required fee in the small claims office. Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process.
- Period
- 21 days after receipt
- Trigger
- Actual receipt of Form 125
- Rule
- County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 26, rule 10
Current official revised XML accessed October 9, 2026, with retained amendment comparison. The June 2021 and February 2021 court PDFs are historical consolidation aids.
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When must a respondent dispute a Northern Ireland small claim?
21 days after receipt. Lodge Form 126A and the required fee in the small claims office. Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process.
Responsible actor. The small-claims respondent intending a defence or counterclaim.
Actual receipt of Form 125.
Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process.
Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process. The result must identify court office form and fee for the small-claims respondent intending a defence or counterclaim. Confirm every actual event and completion before selecting the ordinary branch.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 26, rule 10How does this provision count time?
- Establish actual receipt of Form 125.
- Lodge Form 126A and the required fee in the small claims office.
- 21 days after receipt. Order 43 rule 17 excludes the triggering event day for this 21-day interval. Intermediate weekends remain in periods exceeding three days.
- Lodge Form 126A and the required fee in the small claims office. Order 43 rule 17 carries a final Saturday, Sunday or actual Office-closed day to the next qualifying day. Identify actual closure and satisfy every paired recipient or filing duty.
21 days after receipt. Order 43 rule 17 excludes the triggering event day for this 21-day interval. Intermediate weekends remain in periods exceeding three days.
Lodge Form 126A and the required fee in the small claims office. Order 43 rule 17 carries a final Saturday, Sunday or actual Office-closed day to the next qualifying day. Identify actual closure and satisfy every paired recipient or filing duty.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 26, rule 10What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Fictitious established event on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. 21 days after receipt. Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Fictitious established event on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. 21 days after receipt. Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process. 21 days after receipt. Order 43 rule 17 excludes the triggering event day for this 21-day interval. Intermediate weekends remain in periods exceeding three days. The independent ordinary endpoint is Tuesday, February 3, 2026 for court-office-form-and-fee, not a different filing, service or entitlement date. | Tuesday, February 3, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Fictitious boundary event on Friday, March 13, 2026. The source-specific completion is lodge Form 126A and the required fee in the small claims office. Lodge Form 126A and the required fee in the small claims office. Order 43 rule 17 carries a final Saturday, Sunday or actual Office-closed day to the next qualifying day. Identify actual closure and satisfy every paired recipient or filing duty. | Wednesday, April 8, 2026 |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Actual receipt of Form 125 is not established. Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process. The selected period cannot replace that missing source fact. Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process. | Actual receipt of Form 125 is not established. Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process. The selected period cannot replace that missing source fact. |
Fictitious established facts. These examples do not establish eligibility, effective service, relief or a direction.
Try these dates in the calculatorWhich conditions and exceptions apply?
- Applicable event and branch
- Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process.
- Counting and boundary
- 21 days after receipt. Order 43 rule 17 excludes the triggering event day for this 21-day interval. Intermediate weekends remain in periods exceeding three days.
- Required completion
- Lodge Form 126A and the required fee in the small claims office. Order 43 rule 17 carries a final Saturday, Sunday or actual Office-closed day to the next qualifying day. Identify actual closure and satisfy every paired recipient or filing duty.
- Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process. The result must identify court office form and fee for the small-claims respondent intending a defence or counterclaim. Confirm every actual event and completion before selecting the ordinary branch.
- This procedure concerns the small-claims respondent intending a defence or counterclaim. Its controlling event is actual receipt of Form 125. Use the current £5,000 limit and the 2022 amendment's transition for pending claims. Posting and receipt differ. A late response requires actual permission or other applicable process.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
When must a respondent dispute a Northern Ireland small claim?
Does posting of Form 125 start twenty-one days?
The source uses actual receipt of Form 125. Dispatch and receipt must not be interchanged.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 26, rule 10Which response form is required?
Lodge Form 126A and the required fee in the small claims office for the intended defence or counterclaim.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 26, rule 10Is the current ordinary small-claims limit £5,000?
The retained 2022 amendment changes the ordinary limit to £5,000. Its transition preserves the stated treatment of pending earlier applications.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 26, rule 10Does an ordinary civil-bill defence notice complete this response?
No. The small-claims forms and office procedure differ from ordinary civil-bill litigation.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 26, rule 10Can a counterclaim be raised through the response procedure?
The source addresses an intended defence or counterclaim through Form 126A and the required fee.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 26, rule 10Does receipt by a different unrelated person establish the anchor?
Establish the respondent's legally relevant receipt under the actual notice and service facts.
County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 26, rule 10Official sources and review
Provisions used (3)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 26, rule 10 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| County Court Rules (Northern Ireland) 1981, Order 43 rule 17 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954, section 39 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |