Finished the job, but the client keeps stalling? Or prepaid for a gym, beauty or course package that shut down? We'll help you choose the right recovery route, organise your evidence, and get what you're owed.
Four steps to understand your eligibility, recovery route and evidence readiness.
Assessment Result
Your claim does not exceed HK$75,000, so it falls within the Small Claims Tribunal's jurisdiction — the Tribunal accepts claims for debts and service fees; legal representation is not permitted, as the procedure is designed for litigants to handle themselves. The applicable statutory filing fee is shown in the table below.
A monetary claim above HK$75,000 is not accepted by the Small Claims Tribunal and generally falls under the District Court (HK$75,000 to HK$3,000,000); you may consider abandoning the excess to bring the claim within the limit — a claim cannot be split into smaller parts — or ask about the procedure separately.
Selected range:Recoverable Range
For a claim up to HK$5,000: the ceiling is the unpaid service fee or unreturned prepayment, after deducting anything already paid, services already used, or an adjustment both sides agree on. The statutory filing fee for this range is HK$20.
For a claim of HK$5,001 to HK$25,000: list the principal, any add-on items and payments already made separately — every add-on charge needs the other side's confirmation. The statutory filing fee for this range is HK$40.
For a claim of HK$25,001 to HK$50,000: check the quotation, delivery and invoice item by item; a consumer refund should also separate the used and unused portions. The statutory filing fee for this range is HK$70.
For a claim of HK$50,001 to HK$75,000, close to the Tribunal's ceiling — use a clear timeline and calculation table to explain each amount. The statutory filing fee for this range is HK$120.
The portion above HK$75,000 can be pursued through the District Court (HK$75,000 to HK$3,000,000); alternatively, you may consider abandoning the excess to bring the claim within HK$75,000 and use the Small Claims Tribunal instead.
Your Estimated Cost
The statutory filing fee follows the Small Claims Tribunal (Fees) Rules (Cap. 338B), tiered by claim amount; Form 1 and Form 2 must be filed in person at the Tribunal's registry — there is no online or postal filing.
The official filing fee is payable separately to the Tribunal. View filing-support pricing
Free Consumer Council mediation (optional)
For consumer disputes, you can first try the Consumer Council's free complaint and mediation service (hotline 2929 2222); mediation is voluntary, the business may decline to take part, and the outcome is not legally binding — you can still file a claim if mediation fails.
Evidence Readiness
Well prepared
You already have several core documents across contract, delivery and payment — organise them into an evidence index by date and claim item.
A foundation, but some key documents are still missing
You have some material; the checklist below lists what still needs to be completed and why.
Early stage
Start with your quotation or package receipt, then work through delivery, payment and demand records — don't rely on memory alone.
Evidence Gap Checklist
You don't need a lawyer-drafted formal contract — a quotation, email or WhatsApp confirmation, together with delivery records, can together form legally binding evidence of a service contract. The Tribunal will not reject your case just because there's 'no formal contract'.
Claiming in a company's name means verifying the defendant's details first — if the other side is a limited company, use its full company name and registered office address (checkable via a Companies Registry search); wrong details can mean documents fail to be properly served, delaying the whole process.
Business still open: try the Consumer Council's free mediation first (voluntary — the business can decline to respond), and check your card issuer's chargeback deadline if you paid by a one-off credit card payment; if mediation fails, claims under HK$75,000 can go to the Tribunal.
Business has closed: check your credit card chargeback deadline as soon as possible (instalment payments generally don't qualify); once the business enters liquidation, register as a creditor per the notice — consumers are unsecured creditors and may not recover the full amount, and a judgment doesn't automatically mean payment.
Next Step
Want someone to help you piece together an evidence timeline, item by item?
We'll help you organise the evidence, work out the claim amount and complete Form 2 — you can start on WhatsApp.
A service fee or refund claim is contractual in nature, with a general limitation period of 6 years from when the cause of action accrued (Limitation Ordinance, Cap. 347, s.4(1)(a)); the actual starting point depends on the case.
This assessment only reflects eligibility and document readiness, not an outcome prediction; whether a claim succeeds and how much can be recovered are decided by the adjudicator on the evidence.
Service Fee
FromHK$499
No formal contract doesn't mean no claim — what matters is whether both sides confirmed the scope, fee and payment terms in writing.
Lining everything up from quote to delivery, in date order, makes it far easier for the case to be understood.
Send one clear demand notice before filing — it gives the other side a final chance to pay, and leaves a written record.
If negotiation fails, Form 2 lets you set out in order how the engagement was formed and how the amount owed is calculated.
Form 1 and Form 2 must be filed in person at the Small Claims Tribunal registry — there is no online, postal or email filing. You can appoint someone else to deliver the documents, but representing you at the hearing requires the Tribunal's prior approval. Prefer not to complete it yourself? Review our filing-support service and pricing from HK$499.
Service fees, freelance invoices, goods payments and agency commission disputes have all seen claimants recover what they were owed using contracts, delivery and payment records — here are real outcomes from similar cases.
Unpaid Service FeeHK$22,000
Won — Full Amount Recovered
Design Agency Completes Project — Client Refuses Final Payment, Full Fee Recovered
Debt RecoveryHK$16,800
Won — Full Amount Recovered
Freelance Designer Recovers Unpaid Project Fee in Full
Trade PaymentHK$31,500
Won — Full Amount Recovered
Three Deliveries, All Signed — Restaurant Refused to Pay Anyway
Agent CommissionHK$19,800
Won — Full Amount Recovered
Agent Secured the Tenancy — Landlord Refused to Pay Commission
A consumer refund isn't a single road — check mediation, a card chargeback, the Tribunal or a liquidation registration in order, based on the business's status, how you paid and the amount. Each station carries different force and limits, so the earlier you preserve evidence, the better.
Consumer Council Mediation
Free · VoluntaryConsumer Council mediation is voluntary — if the business doesn't respond, your case simply goes nowhere, but that's not a dead end: next, try a credit card chargeback depending on how you paid, or file directly with the Small Claims Tribunal (under HK$75,000, filing fee from HK$20).
Mediation Didn't Work — So Why Try It At All?
Consumer Council complaint and mediation is free, and lets you first put the contract, payment, undelivered service and the business's response into one clear record; even if the business refuses to take part, that same material carries over to a card chargeback request or a Tribunal claim.
The Consumer Legal Action Fund only supports cases with significant public interest and a reasonable chance of success — the bar for eligibility is fairly high and isn't guaranteed. So most individual claims still come down to choosing a chargeback or the Small Claims Tribunal, based on how you paid, the amount, and the business's status.
Honest limit: which route suits you best depends on how you paid, the amount and the business's status; whether a Tribunal claim succeeds is for the adjudicator to decide on the evidence.
Credit Card Chargeback
Time-limited · One-off payments onlySmall Claims Tribunal
Legally binding · Under HK$75,000Business Closure / Liquidation
Worst case · Still worth acting onPossibly, but be prepared for your chances of success — and the amount — to drop significantly: check your card chargeback deadline first (instalment plans generally don't qualify), then register as a creditor per the liquidation notice — consumers are unsecured creditors and may not recover the full amount; even a winning judgment may be hard to enforce if the business has no assets left.
Four Things to Do Once a Business Shuts Down
First, keep your contract, proof of payment and any record of unused sessions or treatments. Second, if you paid by a one-off credit card payment, contact your card issuer as soon as possible to check the chargeback deadline — instalment payments generally don't qualify. Third, watch for the liquidation notice and register as a creditor with the provisional liquidator as instructed.
Fourth, if there's evidence the business kept taking prepayments while knowing it couldn't or wouldn't deliver, you can report it to Customs as suspected wrongful acceptance of payment. Customs handles the criminal investigation; recovering your money still goes through a chargeback, creditor registration or a civil claim.
Honest limit: how much you can recover after a business enters liquidation depends on its remaining assets and the order of creditors; a judgment doesn't automatically mean you get paid.
Common items to prepare:
Before filing, number your documents like an evidence index and lay them out in date order — the more connected your quote, confirmation, delivery and demand records, the easier your case is to explain.
Service Contract / Quotation
Keep the original wording on scope, fee and payment terms; without a formal contract, keep the email or WhatsApp message where the other side accepted the quote.
Proof of Service Completion
Delivery emails, cloud links, completion photos, reports, or a message where the other side confirms 'received / OK' — keep the original files, dated.
Payment-Chasing Correspondence
Export the complete WhatsApp, email and demand-notice history, showing you chased payment after it fell due, how the other side responded, and when documents were delivered.
Invoice / Receipt
Use the invoice, bank record or credit card statement to check what's due, paid and outstanding; for a consumer refund, list the used and unused portions separately.
With all four document types in hand, you can organise them into one complete evidence timeline; whichever you're still missing, the Evidence Gap Checklist above will point it out.
57,454 claims
Claims filed in 2024
Average 41 days
Filing to first hearing
Service target 60 days
Judiciary target
HK$20 and up
Filing fee
HK$75,000
Claim limit
Figures are from the Judiciary Annual Report 2024, the Judiciary fee schedule and the Hong Kong Government's claim-limit material; 57,454 is the number of claims received during the year, and 41 days is only the average wait from filing to first hearing, not the time to judgment.
Data verified:
Statutory Disclosure
Under the Legal Practitioners Ordinance (Cap. 159), we are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice or lawyer representation services. Our role is limited to filing support, form assistance, evidence organisation, procedural information and hearing preparation; a Hong Kong practising lawyer should be consulted where legal liability or complex litigation strategy needs to be assessed.
The other side may raise a defence or counterclaim that the work fell short of standard — check that against the originally agreed scope and your delivery confirmation, item by item; if a business has closed or entered liquidation, even a winning judgment may be hard to enforce if there are no assets left. We help you organise the evidence and procedural material, but we do not promise a claim's outcome or the amount actually recovered.
EasyDebt is a filing support consultant, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. All content is for general reference only.
Here's what we can actually help with:
Here's what we won't do:
Tribunal accepts debt and service-fee claims · Community Legal Information Centre (CLIC)
Verified 2026-07-24
Small Claims Tribunal Ordinance (Cap. 338) · Hong Kong e-Legislation
Verified 2026-07-24
Small Claims Tribunal services and locations · Hong Kong Judiciary
Verified 2026-07-24
Small Claims Tribunal FAQ · Hong Kong Judiciary
Verified 2026-07-24
Complaint and enquiry channels · Consumer Council
Verified 2026-07-24
Tips on fitness centre closures · Consumer Council
Verified 2026-07-24
Tips on beauty salon closures · Consumer Council
Verified 2026-07-24
Unfair trade practices and wrongful acceptance of payment · Hong Kong Customs
Verified 2026-07-24
No statutory cooling-off period yet · June 2026 consultation press release
Verified 2026-07-24
Limitation Ordinance (Cap. 347) · Hong Kong e-Legislation
Verified 2026-07-24
Unconscionable Contracts Ordinance (Cap. 458) · Hong Kong e-Legislation
Verified 2026-07-24
Equal access to legal remedies for everyone.
Legal recourse shouldn't only be available to those who can afford lawyers. The Small Claims Tribunal was designed for ordinary people — our job is to help you use it effectively.
EasyDebt sets out, based on the Hong Kong Judiciary and the Small Claims Tribunal Ordinance: freelancers, designers, photographers and consultants left unpaid by a client can recover fees of up to HK$75,000 through the Small Claims Tribunal — even without a formal contract, and without a lawyer. For general procedural reference only; this is not legal advice.
Gym or beauty salon refusing to refund you? Prepared by EasyDebt using publicly available information from the Consumer Council, the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (Hong Kong Customs), and the Hong Kong Judiciary: free mediation, credit card chargebacks, the evidence you need, and how to file at the Small Claims Tribunal. For general procedural reference only — not legal advice.
EasyDebt breaks down the demand letter based on the Hong Kong Judiciary and the Small Claims Tribunal Ordinance: what to include, how to get the tone right, how to send it, and what to do next if the other side ignores it and you need to file at the Small Claims Tribunal. General procedural information only, not legal advice.
A Small Claims Tribunal judgment doesn't collect the money for you — the only enforcement method the Tribunal officially publishes is a Writ of Fieri Facias (seizure of goods). EasyDebt sets out the application steps, fees and limits based on the Hong Kong Judiciary's 'How to Enforce a Judgment' leaflet and the Small Claims Tribunal Ordinance, and clears up why a charging order or attachment of income order is NOT a Small Claims Tribunal procedure.
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