County court Summons

Received a County Court Summons?

A County Court Summons is a document you receive from the court (usually printed on blue paper), as a debtor when a creditor has started legal proceedings against you.

If you have received a County Court Summons the most important thing to do is respond straight away. You shouldn't delay as you only have a short period of time to respond.

County Court Summons pack

In the pack with the County Court Summons you should receive:

• A Claim form which details the creditors claim.
• An Admission form if you agree with the claim.
• A Defence or Counter Claim form if you don't agree with the claim.
• An Acknowledgement of Service form, for if you need more time.
• Guidance for completing these forms.

You will need to have these forms returned within 14 days so you can avoid any further court action.

Filling in a County Court Admission Form

You must fill the Admission Form in with care as it is used to determine your payment level to the creditor. Follow these steps to filling in the form.

1. The first section is where you fill in the court name for the hearing, the case number, your details and the creditor details.
2. If you don't dispute the amount owed then tick the box stating so. If you dispute the amount owed, then tick this box instead.
3. insert and tick accordingly for your personal details.
4. State ny dependants including children (in the relevant age bracket) and people who are dependant on your income.
5. Fill in the Employment section, stating your employment status.
6. Provide Bank account details including any savings accounts. You can estimate the figures if you need to.
7. Fill in your Property details. Only tick own, if you own the property in just your name and not joint. If it is joint ownership, tick the relevant box.
8. Complete the income and expenses section with care. The income figures should be your monthly net income (take home pay). Include all benefits, if any and include your Partners details if applicable. You should put their details in the "other people who live with me section". Also include any renters.
   Your expenses should also be monthly. Group them under main categories so you have enough room. i.e. car tax, mot, insurance, petrol etc could go under a "TRANSPORT" section. It is advisable not to state luxuries as these will not be accepted... i.e. Gym membership, satellite TV etc...
9. The credit debt box is also very important. If you have a few creditors, list them in separately. If you have a lot you may want to simply list the total debt level instead. You might want to state that you are behind with contractual payments in the box underneath, if you are really struggling with your debts.
10. In the last box you need to put what you can afford to pay each month. You can calculate this by:

The amount owed to the claimant creditor * Your monthly surplus income after your living expenses are taken out, but before your creditor payments.

Divide this amount by your total debts and you should get a realistic affordable offer. This is known as a Pro-Rata Offer and shows that the monthly surplus has been fairly and justly proportioned between all creditors. Therefore, you will need to negotiate a similar pro-rata offer to remaining creditors - even if they have not commenced legal action.

11. Finally, be sure to sign and date the form and return it to the supplied address. Always keep a copy of any forms like this that you send.