Free tools
Five calculators that answer the questions people get wrong. No account, no email, nothing to pay.
These exist because four specific questions decide whether a California small claims case works, and people routinely get all four wrong: how much the filing fee is, whether the deadline has passed, when the defendant has to be served by, and what a judgment is actually worth once interest is added.
None of them needs an account or an email address, and none of them is a lead-capture form with a calculator attached. The arithmetic runs in your browser; we never see what you type.
Filing fee calculator
Enter what you are claiming. We will tell you the exact California filing fee and whether the amount fits the small claims limit.
Statute of limitations checker
Pick your claim type and the date it arose. We will work out your California filing deadline and how long is left.
Service deadline calculator
Serving late is the most common way a winnable case gets postponed or thrown out. Enter your hearing date to see the date you have to beat.
Judgment interest calculator
A California money judgment earns 10% simple interest a year from the day it is entered. Nobody calculates it for you, so here is what you are actually owed.
Should I sue?
Being right is not the same as being worth it. Four questions, answered honestly, that decide whether filing makes sense.
Why each one matters
Filing fee calculator. California sets small claims fees statewide by claim size — $30, $50 or $75, or $100 once you have filed more than 12 claims in 12 months. It also tells you whether your amount fits the limit at all, which depends on whether you are suing as an individual (under $12,500) or through a company (under $6,250).
Statute of limitations checker. California has no single filing deadline. Four years on a written contract, two on an oral one, three on property damage, two on personal injury, one on a statutory penalty. Miss it and the claim is barred however strong it is, and negotiating does not stop the clock — only filing does.
Service deadline calculator. Defective service is the most common way a winnable case gets postponed or dismissed. The defendant must be served at least 15 days before the hearing if they are in the same county, 20 if outside it, and the proof has to be filed beforehand rather than carried in on the day.
Judgment interest calculator. A California judgment earns 10% simple interest a year and stays enforceable for 10 years. Nobody at the court computes it for you, so a creditor who does not track it quietly collects less than they are owed.
Should I sue? The honest one. Being right is not the same as being worth it, and the question people skip — whether the defendant has anything to collect from — matters more than the merits.
Start with a demand letter
Most California small claims cases settle before anyone sees a courtroom. The letter is free to write, and you can have us print and certified-mail it for $29.
No account needed to start. We are not a law firm and cannot give legal advice.