Recovering an unpaid invoice (Ipswich County Court and Family Hearing Centre)
An unpaid invoice is the most common small claim filed for hearings at Ipswich County Court and Family Hearing Centre: freelancers, tradespeople and small businesses owed £500–£10,000. The claim is usually straightforward - the work is the dispute, not the debt - so process discipline decides it.
Before you issue
Send a letter before claim: invoice copy, statement of what was supplied, a 14-day deadline, and your intention to claim interest. Most invoices pay at this stage. Keep proof of delivery of the goods or completion of the work - signed delivery notes, completion certificates, the client's own emails accepting the work.
The claim and the interest
Issue online for a fixed-sum debt; include statutory interest in the amount (8% per year under s.69, or the commercial-debts regime for B2B). Your witness statement at Ipswich County Court and Family Hearing Centre then ties the invoice to the delivery evidence, exhibits the chasing correspondence, and shows the interest arithmetic.
Checklist
- Invoice + purchase order + delivery/completion proof exhibited
- Pre-claim letter sent with 14-day deadline
- Interest calculated and shown as a formula
- Chase emails exhibited to show the debt was disputed late, if at all
Official sources and related pages
Court details (verified register data)
- Court: Ipswich County Court and Family Hearing Centre
- Court code: 233
- Address: 8 Arcade Street, Ipswich, Ipswich, IP1 1EJ
- Phone: 0300 123 5577; 0300 303 0642; 0330 808 4424
- Civil filing email: enquiries.norwich.countycourt@justice.gov.uk
- DX: DX 97385 Norwich 5 -Civil
- Public counter hours: Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 4pm
- Document drop-box: Not published in the register - confirm with the court directly
- Hearing format: Not published in the register - confirm with the court directly
- Facilities: disabled access, hearing loop, interview rooms, baby changing, GovWiFi
Source: https://www.find-court-tribunal.service.gov.uk/courts/ipswich-county-court-and-family-hearing-centre. Verified 2026-09-04. Always confirm against the official court finder before travelling.
Free national support
- Support Through Court: 0300 081 0000 - free, independent support for litigants without a lawyer
- Citizens Advice consumer service: 0808 223 1133 - consumer disputes, pre-claim guidance
- HMCTS general enquiries: 0300 123 7050 - finding the right court or money claim centre
Filing a witness statement? The Casewright CPR Part 32 Witness Statement & Bundle Builder structures your statement into CPR 32-compliant numbered paragraphs with a correct statement of truth and indexed exhibits - flat £79. This site is independent of Casewright; link is a sponsored referral.
This page is general information about County Court procedure, not legal advice, and it is not provided by HMCTS or any court. Procedures and fees change - always confirm against the official sources linked here before you act.
>Small Claims Court Help is an independent information directory. It is not affiliated with HMCTS, the Ministry of Justice, or any court.
Reviewed by Sean McNamara, 2026-09-04.