Recovering an unpaid invoice (Oxford Combined Court Centre)
An unpaid invoice is the most common small claim filed for hearings at Oxford Combined Court 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 Oxford Combined Court 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: Oxford Combined Court Centre
- Court code: 291
- Address: St Aldates, Oxford, Oxford, OX1 1TL
- Phone: 0300 123 5577; 0300 303 0642 (divorce); 01865 264200; 0330 808 4424 (FPL)
- Civil filing email: enquiries.oxford.countycourt@justice.gov.uk
- DX: DX 96450 Oxford 4
- Public counter hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 6pm
- 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, wheelchair lift, hearing loop, cafe, GovWifi
Source: https://www.find-court-tribunal.service.gov.uk/courts/oxford-combined-court-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.