Court Preparation
Small Claims Demand and Filing Preparation
Six documents that take a dispute from a written demand to an organised, filing-ready claim — without pretending to be a court form.
Available product levels
Complete Legal Packages
$99.99Multi-document workflows for complex legal matters.
When to use this document
- Money owed that informal requests have not recovered
- Property damage where the other side disputes responsibility
- A service paid for and not delivered
- A deposit or refund that has not been returned
Information you will need
- Your details and the correct legal name of who you are claiming against
- What happened, in dates and amounts
- The total claimed, itemised, with any credits subtracted
- Evidence and witnesses you can actually produce
- The limitation period that applies to your claim
- Your court's current requirements, taken from an official source
What you receive
- Claim evaluation worksheet
- Defendant identification worksheet
- Demand letter
- Damages calculation worksheet
- Evidence and exhibit organizer
- Filing and hearing preparation checklist
- All six as separate PDF or DOCX files
Special situations
- Naming the wrong party is the most common and most expensive mistake. A business trading name is frequently not the legal entity you can sue — check the state business registry.
- Limitation periods end claims regardless of merit, and they differ by state and by claim type. Confirm yours before anything else.
- Small claims courts cap the amount you can claim. Exceeding the cap can force you into a different court with different rules and costs.
- Claims against public bodies often require earlier notice under separate rules, with much shorter deadlines.
- Winning is not collecting. A judgment against someone with no assets or income may be difficult to enforce, and that is worth assessing before you file.
Jurisdiction
Small claims procedure, monetary caps, limitation periods, service requirements, and notice rules for claims against public bodies are all set by state and often county law. This package contains no court forms, states no deadline or cap, and directs you to obtain current requirements from the court where you will file.
Frequently asked questions
Is the demand letter required before I file?
Often expected and sometimes required, and it is worth sending either way. It creates a documented chance to resolve the matter, and some courts treat the absence of one unfavourably on costs.
How do I find out who to sue?
Start with the contract, receipt, or invoice, then check your state's business registry for the registered legal entity behind any trading name. The defendant identification worksheet walks through this, because getting it wrong wastes the filing fee.
What is a limitation period?
The deadline for bringing a claim. Once it passes the claim generally ends whatever its merits. Periods differ by state and by the type of claim, so confirm yours early rather than late.
Does this package include the court forms?
No, deliberately. Courts require their own current forms and reject substitutes. This organises everything you bring to those forms and tells you to obtain them from the court.
Should I sue if they have no money?
Consider it carefully. A judgment is not payment, and enforcing one against someone with no assets or income can cost more than it recovers. The claim evaluation worksheet raises this before you spend the fee.
Related documents and guides
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Last reviewed July 29, 2026.