Write your demand letter — free
Answer plain questions about what happened. We produce a dated, specific letter with the right legal hook for your claim type. Download it free, or we will print and certified-mail it for $29.
No account needed to write and preview your letter. We are not a law firm and cannot give legal advice.
Why the letter is the most valuable step
A large share of small claims disputes end here, before anyone pays a filing fee. Until a dated written demand arrives, the other side has been treating payment as optional — something to deal with eventually, if you keep pushing. A letter with a deadline and a specific legal reference changes that arithmetic, because it signals that the next step is real.
It is also a procedural requirement. California expects you to have asked before you file, and SC-100 asks you to confirm it.
What your letter will contain
- The date, which starts the clock on your deadline and fixes the record.
- Who the parties are, named correctly — for a business, the registered entity name, because that is who you would have to sue.
- What happened, factually and briefly.
- The exact amount, broken down, not rounded up hopefully.
- The rule that applies, where there is one — the 21-day security deposit rule, the unlicensed contractor rule, the bad check statute. Citing the actual code section is what makes people pay.
- A deadline, and what happens when it passes.
We generate it, you sign it, it is your letter
The letter goes out in your name, signed by you, on plain paper. It is not on law firm letterhead and no attorney is named, because no attorney is involved — we are software, not a law firm. That is also what keeps our mailing service a straightforward print-and-post service rather than a legal one.
Sending it: three options
Download and send it yourself
Free
PDF, ready to print and sign. Mail it however you like. Costs you a stamp.
We print and certified-mail it
$29
USPS Certified Mail with an electronic return receipt and tracking. You get the tracking number and the delivery record — the proof a judge wants. Goes out the next business day.
Unlimited letters
$19/mo
For people who chase payment every month. Unlimited cases and saved templates. Mailings still $29, or $24 on Pro.
If the letter does not work
Your answers carry straight through into your SC-100, a service plan with the real deadline, an evidence checklist for your claim type, and a one-page script for the hearing. Nothing has to be re-typed.
Common questions
Is the demand letter builder really free?
Yes. You answer the questions, we generate the letter, and you download the PDF at no cost and with no account. We charge only if you want us to print and certified-mail it for you, which is $29.
Do I have to send a demand letter before suing in California?
You must have asked the defendant to pay before you file, and the SC-100 asks you to confirm you did. A written demand is the cleanest way to satisfy that requirement, and it also creates a dated record a judge can see.
Should I send it by certified mail?
If there is any chance you will need to prove the other side received it, yes. Certified Mail with an electronic return receipt gives you a mailing record and a delivery record. Some statutes, such as California’s bad check provision, specifically require certified mail before you can claim the extra damages.
What goes in a good demand letter?
The date, who you are, what the agreement or event was, exactly what you are owed, the specific rule that applies if there is one, a clear deadline, and what you will do if the deadline passes. Short and factual beats long and angry — a judge may read it later.