Defendant User Guide

Acknowledgment of ServiceAcknowledgment of Service

Responses should be filed within 14 days of service of the claim. However, if you need more time than this, filing an Acknowledgement of Service extends this total time for filing a response to 28 days from the date of service.

If you wish to file an Acknowledgement of Service, you should do so within 14 days of service of the claim form otherwise judgment may be entered against you. You may still be able to file an Acknowledgement of Service between 14 and 28 days from the date of service, if judgment has not already been entered against you, within this period.

You can also use this form to tell the court that you intend to contest the court’s jurisdiction. This means that you believe that the court does not have legal authority to hear the claim that has been made against you. Jurisdiction in this context does not refer to geographical location. For example, if you live in London and the claim was issued through Northampton, this cannot be considered as grounds to contest the court’s jurisdiction.

You can complete and submit an acknowledgement of service online or by filling out the acknowledgement of service form in the claim pack and faxing or posting it to the court.