File My Small Claims is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We are self-help software.

Help center

Answers about the software, mailings, forms, billing and the things that occasionally go wrong.

Filters the questions below as you type.

Getting started

Do I need an account?

Not to write and preview a demand letter, read any guide or use any calculator. You need an account only to save a case, buy a mailing or subscribe.

Where do I start?

With the demand letter builder. It is free, it satisfies California’s requirement that you ask for payment before filing, and a large share of disputes end there.

Is this only for California?

Yes. Every deadline, fee, form and court on this site is Californian. We cover all 58 county Superior Courts. We do not handle other states, because generic fifty-state content would be worse than useless in a courtroom.

Can you tell me if I should sue?

No — that is legal advice and we are software. Our free check walks you through the four factors that actually matter, but the decision is yours.

Demand letters and mailing

What does the $29 mailing include?

We print your letter and send it by USPS Certified Mail with an electronic return receipt and tracking. You get the tracking number and the delivery record, which is the proof a judge wants to see.

When does it go out?

Orders placed on a business day are handed to our print-and-mail partner the same day and enter the mail stream on the next business day. Weekend and holiday orders go out on the next business day.

Whose name is on the letter?

Yours. You sign it, it goes on plain paper, no attorney is named and there is no law firm letterhead — because no attorney is involved. That is what keeps this a printing and postage service rather than a legal one.

Can I edit the letter before it is sent?

Yes. You review and edit the full text, and you approve it before anything is printed. Once you approve and pay, it is committed.

Can I get a refund on a mailing?

Not once it is with USPS, because the postage is genuinely spent. If something has gone wrong on our side — a printing error, the wrong address used, a failure to send — tell us and we will fix it or refund it.

Forms and filing

Which form starts my case?

SC-100, the Plaintiff’s Claim. File the original plus at least two copies with the small claims division of the right county Superior Court.

Do you file it for me?

No. You file it. California small claims is designed for self-representation, and we prepare the paperwork rather than acting for you.

Are the forms free?

Yes. They are public documents published by the Judicial Council of California and every form page here links to the official PDF. Nobody should sell you the form itself.

What if I was the one sued?

There is no written answer to file in California — you appear on the hearing date. See responding to a small claims case. If you have your own claim arising from the same events, that is SC-120.

I cannot afford the filing fee.

FW-001 asks the court to waive it, based on income, household size or receipt of public benefits. It costs nothing to ask and does not delay your case.

Account and billing

How do I cancel?

One click on your billing page, effective immediately. No email, no phone call, no retention flow. You keep access until the end of the period you have already paid for.

What is the refund policy?

Full refund on software tiers within 30 days, no argument. Mailings are non-refundable once handed to USPS. See the refund policy.

Can I switch plans?

Yes, at any time, and Stripe prorates the difference automatically. Upgrades take effect immediately; downgrades at the end of the current period.

Do you store my card details?

No. Payments run through Stripe and card details never touch our servers. We store a Stripe customer reference and your plan status, nothing more.

My payment failed.

Stripe retries automatically and emails you. Update your card on the billing page. Access continues during the retry window, and we email you before anything is cut off.

Troubleshooting

My PDF will not download.

Check that your browser is not blocking pop-ups or downloads for this site, then try again. If it still fails, the PDF is also available from your case page, and we can email it to you — just tell us.

I did not get the verification email.

Check spam and promotions. It comes from [email protected]. You can resend it from the login page, and if it still does not arrive, contact us and we will verify the account manually.

I cannot log in.

Use the forgot-password link. If the reset email does not arrive, check spam first, then contact us.

A page looks broken.

Tell us the URL and what you were doing, via the contact form. We log server errors automatically and review them, but a note from you is faster.

Is the site down?

Check our status page, which reports live health checks against the database, storage and payment provider.

Still stuck?

Send us a message and a person will answer, usually within one business day. We can help with the software, your account, a mailing or billing — we cannot advise you on your case.

Contact us

No account needed to start. We are not a law firm and cannot give legal advice.