Northern Ireland court fees could be hiked nine per cent over three years
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Northern Ireland’s Department of Justice has launched a public consultation on a proposed nine per cent increase in civil court fees, spread over the next three years.
The majority of court fees were raised by nine per cent in November 2023 and by a further nine per cent in October 2024 in response to inflationary pressures.
The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) aims to achieve full cost recovery in respect of civil and family court services from the fees charged, though the cost recovery rate is currently less than 80 per cent.
NICTS is proposing to increase court fees by five per cent from 1 April 2026, and then by a further two per cent in both of the two following years.
The overall financial impact to NICTS of the proposed general uplifts is estimated at around £4.5 million over the three years.
In future, NICTS intends that inflationary uplifts should take effect on a three-year rolling cycle, with the next consultation in 2028.
The consultation is currently open and will run until midnight on 1 August 2025.
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