When is a CPR costs budget due?
CPR 3.13 has two routes. A lower-value claim can require a budget with the directions questionnaire. In other applicable cases, the default is 21 days before the first case management conference. Check claim value, litigant-in-person status and any order before relying on either route.
Read the rule checklist
This page explains the cited rule. It does not generate an automated date. Check the trigger, service facts, time-counting treatment and any order before you use the period in your diary.
- Start point
- Date of the first case management conference
- Stated period
- 21 days before the first case management conference
Worked source check
- Example input
- 03/08/2026
- Expected result
- No automated date. Confirm which CPR 3.13 route applies first.
A case management conference is listed, but the claim value, directions-questionnaire route and litigant-in-person status are not yet confirmed.
The 21-day pre-conference period is not universal. The guide keeps the two CPR 3.13 routes separate and does not derive a date from the conference alone.
What this source guide covers
- Period
- 21 days before the first case management conference
- Trigger
- Date of the first case management conference
- Direction
- Backwards from the conference date
- Counting method
- 21 clear days; the conference date is excluded
The applicable route must be established before any count begins. This guide does not generate a date until the rule selection is corrected and regression-tested.
Civil Procedure Rules Part 3. CPR 3.13(1)(b). Civil Procedure Rules source checked 06/08/2026
Exceptions and matter facts
- A court order may set another date and takes priority over the default rule.
- For claims stated on the directions questionnaire to be valued at less than £50,000, CPR 3.13(1)(a) requires the budget to be filed and served with the directions questionnaire instead.
- A litigant in person is not required to file a budget unless the court orders otherwise.
Deadline Engine is calculation software, not legal advice. Check the current rule, any order and the facts before adding a date to your diary.