What form you submit depends on whether you agree with the creditor’s assessment that you owe the money.
I agree that the amount on the claim form is right (N9A)
To ask for a payment plan, you must complete the N9A form and make a monthly offer to clear the debt. You must then return the form to your creditor within 14 days. They will respond by either accepting the offer, after which they will instruct the court to set the claim aside, or take you to court and let the judge decide what is fair.
While you only have 14 days to return the form, the court is usually lenient and allows an extra day or two for postage delays. If you are disputing the creditor’s claim and thus need more time, you can complete the N9B form. This form is all online and must be completed alongside an N9A form. This gives you an extra 14 days to prepare a defence against the court’s jurisdiction. If the revised deadline is missed, the court will assume that you have accepted the debt, and your creditors will get an immediate judgment in their favour.
The amount on the claim form is wrong, or I don’t owe the money (N9B)
If you do not agree with the amount claimed, you can counter it by returning the ‘Defence and counterclaim’ N9B form. Sometimes, the creditor claim is incorrect, or you do not have the money to cover it. Therefore, you will need to ensure that your dispute is robust, as it will be presented to the courts rather than your creditor.
How we can help
On occasion these forms can be confusing and we strongly suggest that rather than try and “muddle through” your best course of action would be to try and get them correct. Rather than commission ourselves initially we would simply suggest that you ask court staff, their advice is usually excellent, and free. Should you have difficulty, or feel you need additional support then we would be delighted to assist, simply click on the “Create a case” link at the top of this page.
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