How long do you have to serve a claim form?

How the four month period actually works

The clock starts on the date of issue, which the Court of Appeal confirmed in 2025 means the date the court seals the claim form, not the date the sealed form is sent back to the claimant’s solicitors. CPR 7.5 then requires the claimant to complete the relevant step before midnight on the calendar day four months later: leaving the form with the defendant for personal service, posting it for first class post, or transmitting it where electronic service is permitted. Completing the step in time is what matters; the deemed date of service, covered in our answer on when a claim form is deemed served, is calculated separately.

Why leaving service late is dangerous

Claims issued near the end of a limitation period leave no room for error: if the four months expire without valid service, the claim dies and a fresh claim may be statute barred. The courts have repeatedly refused to rescue claimants who held onto claim forms, attempted an invalid method, or waited for a response from the defendant’s solicitors. The safe practice is to instruct service well inside the window, using a method that generates evidence, and to treat the final weeks as a buffer for problems rather than the plan.

Where professional service fits

A process server converts a deadline problem into a completed step with proof: personal service effected on an identified defendant, a same day report, and a certificate of service ready for filing. Where the defendant’s address is uncertain, resolving it before the deadline is part of the job; see our answer on reasonable steps to find a defendant’s address. The rules themselves are in CPR Part 7.