Make and Serve a Statutory Demand, or Challenge One

When you can Make a Statutory Demand 

You can make a statutory demand to ask for payment of a debt from an individual or company. 

Anyone who is owed money (the ‘creditor’) can make a statutory demand. You do not need a lawyer. 

If the debt is over 6 years old, you cannot usually make a statutory demand. You can get legal advice (external link) instead. 

There may be faster ways of getting smaller debts paid (external link) than making a statutory demand. 

When the individual or company that owes you money (the ‘debtor’) receives a statutory demand, they have 21 days to either: 

  • pay the debt  
  • reach an agreement to pay  

You can apply to bankrupt your debtor or close (‘wind up’) their company (external link) if they do not respond to the statutory demand within 21 days. 

See also: