HMCTS Issues Professional Guidance on Responding to Online Civil Money Claims Under PD 51R

On 15 September 2025, <span class="news-text_medium">HMCTS</span> released updated guidance for legal professionals on the use of the Online Civil Money Claims Pilot (“<span class="news-text_medium">OCMC</span>”), established under Practice Direction 51R. The guidance supplements earlier material published in March 2025 on issuing claims and follows the July 2025 update that made use of the OCMC mandatory for professional users in eligible money claims.

The new guidance focuses on responses to claims up to £25,000 and sets out how practitioners can use MyHMCTS, the online case management platform, once registered. It covers three key areas:

• <span class="news-text_medium">Defending or rejecting claims:</span> Guidance explains the registration process, submission of a notice of change and the steps involved in requesting extensions of time, filing a defence, rejecting claims and issuing counterclaims (the latter resulting in the claim being transferred out of the OCMC Pilot).
• <span class="news-text_medium">Admitting or part-admitting claims:</span> The guidance provides a walkthrough of the process when a defendant admits all or part of a claim online.

• <span class="news-text_medium">Managing a defence:</span> Detailed instructions are given on uploading evidence, accessing case files, managing attendees and availability, receiving orders and notices and preparing for trial. In fast-track cases, readiness can be confirmed online, while in intermediate and multi-track cases, trial bundles may also be uploaded directly through MyHMCTS.

In addition, the guidance provides contact information for support with case management and technical issues. The publication represents part of HMCTS’s continuing effort to expand and modernise online civil procedure through the OCMC Pilot, with the aim of making claim handling more efficient and accessible for legal professionals.

<span class="news-text_medium">Source:</span> <span class="news-text_italic-underline">HMCTS, Professional Guidance on Responding to Online Civil Money Claims</span> (15 September 2025).