What is the Court Fee to File a Claim?

In California, you will have to pay a fee to file a claim in small claims court. The fee is based on the amount of your claim and the number of claims you have filed in the past 12 months. (See California Code of Civil Procedure, Section 116.230)

If you have filed 12 or fewer claims in the past 12 months:

Amount of your claim:       Filing Fee:
$0 to $1500                          $30
$1500.01 to $5,000              $50
$5000.01 to $7,500              $75

If you have filed more than 12 claims in the past 12 months, the filing fee is $100, beginning with the 13th claim -- for any claim amount.

For example, if on March 1, 2009, you began filing claims for your business, and by October 1, 2009, you filed the 12th claim, then you would have to pay a $100 filing fee for any other claims filed through February 28, 2010.

NOTE: If you are on public assistance or suffering hardship the court may excuse your having to pay the costs of filing a case. This is called a fee waiver. To learn how to do this, click here.

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