Terms of service
Last updated 2026-10-10.
1. Who we are and what this is
These terms govern your use of filemysmallclaims.com and the software on it (the "Service"). The Service is self-help software. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Please read the legal disclaimer, which forms part of these terms.
2. Eligibility
You must be at least 18 and capable of entering a contract. The Service addresses California small claims procedure only, and is intended for people pursuing or responding to a claim in a California court.
3. What you agree to
- You will give accurate information. Documents are generated from what you type, and the court papers you sign are signed under penalty of perjury.
- You are responsible for reviewing every document before you sign, file or send it.
- You will not use the Service to harass anyone, to pursue a claim you know to be false, or for any unlawful purpose.
- You will not resell, scrape or republish our content or data, or use the Service to build a competing product.
- You will keep your login credentials to yourself and tell us promptly if you think your account has been compromised.
4. What we provide, and what we do not
We provide document generation and general procedural information. We do not give legal advice, review your case for merit, file documents with any court, serve process, appear on your behalf, or guarantee any outcome. You remain self-represented at all times.
5. Payment
Prices are shown on the pricing page in US dollars and exclude court fees, service of process fees and any other third-party charge.
Subscriptions renew automatically at the interval you chose until you cancel. You can cancel at any time in one click from your billing page, effective immediately, and you keep access for the remainder of the period you have paid for. We do not require you to email or call us to cancel.
One-time purchases, including the Single Case plan and certified mailings, are charged once at the time of purchase.
Payments are processed by Stripe. We never receive or store your card details.
6. Refunds
Software tiers carry a 30-day refund. Certified mailings are non-refundable once handed to USPS, because the postage has been spent. Full terms are in the refund policy.
7. The mailing service
If you buy a mailing, you authorize us to print the letter you approved and send it, in your name and over your signature, through a third-party print-and-mail provider using USPS Certified Mail. You remain the sender and the author. We do not add letterhead, we do not sign on your behalf, and no attorney is involved.
We are responsible for printing the letter you approved and submitting it for mailing. We are not responsible for USPS delivery times, for a recipient refusing or ignoring the letter, or for an address you supplied being wrong.
8. Your content
The facts and documents you enter remain yours. You grant us only the limited license needed to run the Service for you — to store your data, generate your documents, and transmit a letter you have asked us to mail. We do not sell your data and we do not use the contents of your case to train anything.
9. Our content
The site, its text, design, software and compiled datasets are ours and are protected by copyright. Judicial Council forms are public documents and are not ours. You may use our guides for your own case; you may not republish them.
10. Availability
We aim to keep the Service available but do not guarantee uninterrupted operation. We may change, suspend or discontinue features. If we discontinue the Service entirely, we will give notice and a way to export your data.
11. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability arising out of or relating to the Service is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or $100. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or for lost profits, lost recovery, or the outcome of any legal proceeding.
Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited.
12. No warranty
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". We disclaim all implied warranties, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement, to the extent the law allows.
13. Indemnity
You agree to indemnify us against claims arising from your misuse of the Service, from information you supplied being inaccurate, or from your conduct in any legal proceeding.
14. Changes
We may update these terms. Material changes will be announced on this page with a new "last updated" date, and where they affect a paid subscription we will email you before they take effect.
15. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California. The courts of California have jurisdiction, and you and we agree that the small claims court is an entirely acceptable venue for any dispute between us that fits within its limits.