When a commercial debt goes unpaid, the cost of recovering it matters almost as much as the debt itself. Court is often assumed to be the standard route — but for most commercial debts under £150,000, the numbers tell a very different story.
The table below compares illustrative county court costs against Dispute Neutral fees across a range of claim values, based on April 2026 court fees including the 5% increase that came into effect that month. The figures are net of VAT.
| Claim value | Court issue fee | Likely hearing fee | Court total | Dispute Neutral | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £4,000 | £215 | £363 | £578 | £600 | Court cheaper by £22 |
| £10,000 | £478 | £363 | £841 | £850 | Court cheaper by £9 |
| £17,500 | £875 | £650 | £1,525 | £1,200 | DN cheaper by £325 |
| £25,000 | £1,250 | £650 | £1,900 | £1,200 | DN cheaper by £700 |
| £50,000 | £2,500 | £1,401 | £3,901 | £1,200 | DN cheaper by £2,701 |
| £75,000 | £3,750 | £1,401 | £5,151 | £1,200 | DN cheaper by £3,951 |
| £150,000 | £7,500 | £1,401 | £8,901 | £1,200 | DN cheaper by £7,701 |
Small claims hearing fee for claims up to £10,000; fast track hearing fee for claims above £10,000 up to £25,000; intermediate and multi-track hearing fee for claims above £25,000. Allocation can vary by complexity so the table is illustrative only. Court fees based on England and Wales figures including the April 2026 increase. Dispute Neutral fees shown net of VAT.
The table above compares court fees — issue fee plus likely hearing fee — against the Dispute Neutral fixed fee. For claims under £10,000, court is marginally cheaper on that narrow basis: £22 cheaper for a £4,000 claim, £9 cheaper for a £10,000 claim.
But the court issue fee and hearing fee are only the starting point. They do not include:
Once those factors are included, the economic case for Dispute Neutral over court is compelling at every claim level — including the smaller ones where the headline court fee appears marginally cheaper.
For claims above £10,000 — where the small claims track is unavailable and the matter moves to the fast track or multi-track — Dispute Neutral is cheaper on court fees alone, before any other costs are considered.
At £17,500, Dispute Neutral saves £325 on court fees alone. At £25,000, £700. At £50,000, £2,701. At £75,000, £3,951. And at £150,000, the court fees alone are £7,701 higher than the Dispute Neutral fixed fee — before a single solicitor has been instructed on either side.
For disputes in this range, the question is not whether Dispute Neutral is cheaper than court. It clearly is. The question is whether the fixed fee represents good value for a binding decision in 10 business days — and for most businesses dealing with a commercial debt dispute, the answer is straightforwardly yes.
Court fees are a visible, upfront cost. Court time is a less visible but equally real one.
Many commercial court claims are now running for multiple years before resolution. A small claims hearing typically takes 9 to 18 months from issue. Fast track and multi-track matters commonly take 12 months to five years or more. During that entire period, the debt remains unresolved, the cash flow impact continues, and management attention is consumed by a process that has no certain end date.
Dispute Neutral issues a binding decision within 10 business days of the matter being ready. The cash flow impact stops. The management distraction ends. And the outcome is known. Against years of uncertainty, 10 business days is not just faster — it is a fundamentally different proposition.
The party on the receiving end of a court claim faces exactly the same cost problem. They need to instruct a solicitor to defend. They face their own legal costs throughout the proceedings. If they lose, they risk an adverse costs order — paying a proportion of the other side's legal costs on top of the debt itself. If they win, their own irrecoverable legal fees remain.
For commercial disputes under £150,000 — the sub-legal band where the economics of litigation rarely make sense for either party — court is frequently the worst outcome for both sides, win or lose.
Dispute Neutral costs the same fixed fee regardless of which party initiates the process. Both sides know what it will cost before they agree to it. There are no adverse costs orders, no escalating legal bills, and no years of uncertainty. For the party receiving a claim, agreeing to a neutral decision process is not a concession — it is the rational commercial choice.
The Dispute Neutral fees in the comparison table are shown net of VAT, to allow a like-for-like comparison with court fees which are not subject to VAT. VAT will be applicable to Dispute Neutral fees in the usual way. For businesses that are VAT registered and can reclaim input VAT, the net figure is the relevant cost for comparison purposes.
Track allocation depends on the value and complexity of the claim, and the court has discretion. The table uses the most likely allocation for each claim value range, but a complex £15,000 claim could be allocated to the multi-track rather than the fast track, increasing court costs further. The Dispute Neutral fixed fee does not vary by complexity — it is the same regardless of how straightforward or involved the dispute turns out to be.
The fixed fee structure covers the neutral decision process itself. Both parties participate in the same process. Details of how the fee is structured between the parties are set out in the Dispute Neutral service terms. The key point for cost comparison purposes is that neither party needs to instruct a solicitor, which removes the largest variable cost element that makes court proceedings so expensive for both sides.
On court fees alone, court is marginally cheaper for claims under £10,000 — by £22 at £4,000 and £9 at £10,000. But that comparison excludes the time cost of a 9 to 18 month small claims process, the management time involved in preparing for a hearing, and the stress of an unresolved dispute over that period. For many businesses, a binding decision in 10 business days is worth more than the marginal saving on court fees — particularly when the cost of the debt remaining unresolved for over a year is factored in.
If you have a commercial debt under £150,000 and want to understand whether Dispute Neutral makes sense for your situation, the starting point is simple.
Start a matter →Private • Fixed-fee • Binding decision in 10 business days