Guide

Letter Before Claim vs Letter Before Action

Short answer: they are the same letter. The Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols — the rulebook English and Welsh courts apply — uses "Letter Before Claim". Solicitors and older textbooks often say "Letter Before Action". Both describe the formal pre-action letter you send before issuing a money claim.

Why two names?

"Letter Before Action" comes from earlier civil-procedure vocabulary, when court proceedings were called an "action". When the Civil Procedure Rules were introduced in 1999, "action" was replaced with "claim" throughout — including in the pre-action rules. The old name stuck in common usage.

Which should you use?

Either. What the court cares about is not the title of the letter but whether it contains the required information: parties, facts, sum claimed, interest, evidence relied on, and a reasonable response deadline. Our complete Letter Before Action guide lists everything the letter must contain.

Not to be confused with

• Statutory Demand — a specific insolvency-law document used against a debtor for £5,000+ (individuals) or £750+ (companies) that can lead to bankruptcy or winding-up. Different purpose, different consequences.
• Default Notice — used in regulated consumer credit disputes.
• Chaser email — an informal reminder. Doesn't satisfy the Practice Direction on its own.

General information for England & Wales. Not legal advice.