How to use the N252 builder
- Enter the claim. Enter the court, the claim number, the parties with their references, and whose costs are being assessed.
- Say where the right to costs comes from. Choose a judgment or order, a Part 36 acceptance or a discontinuance, and its date. The builder shows the last day for commencing (CPR 47.7).
- Enter the bill. Enter the bill total including VAT, and the VAT within it. The builder adds the assessment fee and the default costs certificate sum.
- Enter when and how you will serve. Enter the date and method of service, ticking 4.30pm or later where it applies. The points of dispute date is 21 days after deemed service.
- Add your address for service. Enter your firm’s name and address for service, with DX and reference, and anyone else you are serving.
- Sign and download. Add the name to print as the signature and the date, download the filled N252, check it and serve it with the bill and the documents PD 47 para 5.2 lists.
When to serve the notice of commencement
Detailed assessment proceedings are commenced by the receiving party serving the notice of commencement and a copy of the bill on the paying party (CPR 47.6(1)), within 3 months of the judgment or order giving the right to costs, or of the other events CPR 47.7 lists. The parties can agree, or the court can order, more time (PD 47 para 6.1). No permission is needed to commence late (PD 47 para 6.2), but the paying party can apply for an order requiring commencement by a set date, on pain of losing all or part of the costs, and even without that application the court may disallow interest on the costs (CPR 47.8). To work out every date in the process, use our detailed assessment deadline calculator.
What the N252 must show
The notice must show, as separate items, the total of the costs claimed in the bill and the extra sum payable by way of fixed costs and court fees if a default costs certificate is obtained (PD 47 para 5.3). The fixed costs are £80.00 plus the court fee on the certificate, now £82.00 (PD 47 para 10.7; fee 5.3), so the default costs certificate total is the bill plus £162.00. The certificate’s fixed costs and fee cannot exceed what the notice shows (PD 47 para 10.8). The form also gives the full amount payable if the paying party disputes the bill and its objections are not upheld, which includes the court fee for the assessment:
| Costs claimed | Assessment fee (fee 5.2) |
|---|---|
| Up to £15,000 | £398 |
| £15,000.01 to £50,000 | £801 |
| £50,000.01 to £100,000 | £1,192 |
| £100,000.01 to £150,000 | £1,595 |
| £150,000.01 to £200,000 | £1,992 |
| £200,000.01 to £300,000 | £2,988 |
| £300,000.01 to £500,000 | £4,980 |
| More than £500,000 | £6,640 |
The date for points of dispute is 21 days after the notice is served (CPR 47.9(2)), counted from its deemed date of service (CPR 6.26). Where the notice is served outside England and Wales, the date is worked out under Section IV of Part 6 instead (PD 47 para 5.4).
What to serve with it
With the notice, the receiving party must serve on the paying party and every other relevant person (PD 47 para 5.2):
- a copy of the bill of costs;
- copies of the fee notes of counsel and of any expert whose fees are claimed;
- written evidence of any other disbursement over £500;
- a statement giving the name and address for service of everyone on whom the notice is served; and
- where a costs management order was made, a breakdown of the costs claimed for each phase (Precedent Q), unless the electronic bill gives it.
In a Part 7 multi-track claim, the bill for work done after 6 April 2018 must be an electronic bill, unless the case is subject to fixed or scale costs, the receiving party is unrepresented or the court orders otherwise; it is served on paper or as a PDF, with the spreadsheet sent electronically at the same time (PD 47 paras 5.1 and 5.1A). Relevant persons include anyone directly liable under the costs order and anyone who has given written notice of a financial interest in the assessment (PD 47 para 5.5); each becomes a party to the assessment (CPR 47.6(3)).
What happens next
The paying party, and any other party, may serve points of dispute within the 21 days (CPR 47.9(1) and (2)); a party who serves them late may not be heard further without the court’s permission (CPR 47.9(3)). If none arrive in time, the receiving party can request a default costs certificate with our free N254 builder (CPR 47.9(4)). If points of dispute are served, the receiving party may serve replies within 21 days (CPR 47.13) and must request an assessment within 3 months of the end of the period for commencing, with our free N258 builder (CPR 47.14(1)).
Related guides
- Provisional assessment in housing disrepair costs: why the replies matter
- Points of dispute in housing disrepair costs: the 12 most common reductions
- Points of dispute in clinical negligence costs: the timetable, the budget and the usual challenges
- Ward v Rai [2026] EWCA Civ 816: when can defective points of dispute survive?
- The terms, defined: notice of commencement, points of dispute and default costs certificate
- Every costs form explained: our costs forms and precedents guide
Sources
- Form N252: notice of commencement of assessment of bill of costs (HMCTS, GOV.UK)
- CPR Part 47 (rules 47.6 to 47.9, 47.13 and 47.14)
- Practice Direction 47 (paras 5.1 to 5.5, 6, 10.7 and 10.8)
- CPR Part 6 (rule 6.26, deemed service) and CPR Part 5 (rule 5.3, signatures)
- Civil court fees (EX50) and the Civil Proceedings Fees Order 2008, Schedule 1 (fees 5.2 and 5.3)