Small Claims Coach - Small Claims Coach (Page 2)

Illustration of a claim form with the words The name on the sign isn't always the legal name, on a navy background with the Small Claims Coach shield

Before You File

How to Fill Out and File a Small Claims Form (With a Worked Example)

What to know before you fill out a small claims form: the exact legal name, the amount, where to file, fees and fee waivers, plus a fictional worked example.

Illustration of an envelope with the words Filed? The other side still has to be told, on a navy background with the Small Claims Coach shield

Before You File

How to Serve Small Claims Papers (and What to Do If Service Fails)

Filed your small claim? Next the other side must be served. Who can serve, common methods, proof of service, serving a business, and what to do if service fails.

Illustration of a court judgment with the words You won, now what? on a navy background with the Small Claims Coach shield

After the Hearing

You Won Small Claims Court. Now How Do You Actually Get Paid?

Won in small claims but haven't been paid? The usual 5-step path to collecting a judgment: written demand, debtor exam, garnishment, bank levies and liens.

How to tell your story in a small claims complaint statement

Before You File

How to Tell Your Story on a Small Claims Form: Who, What, When, How Much, and Why

The space on the form is small for a reason. Here's how to tell your story in a few clear sentences: who, what, when, how much, and why they owe it.

How much can I sue for in small claims court: estimating damages that count

Before You File

How Much Can I Sue For in Small Claims? What's Recoverable and What's Not

The number that matters isn't how much it hurt. It's how much you can show it cost you. Here's how to build a number you can stand behind.

Illustration of a phone photographing a wall stain next to a tape measure with the words Photos That Prove It

Before You File

How to Take Photos and Video as Evidence for Small Claims Court

A photo can be your strongest evidence or almost useless. The difference is whether someone who wasn't there can tell what, where, how big and when.

Illustration of a phone and a locked evidence folder with the words Preserve It Before It's Gone

Before You File

How to Preserve Evidence for Small Claims Court

The text that proves your point is the one you didn't delete. Here's how to preserve evidence, ask others to keep theirs, and label exhibits for court.

If You're Sued

Sued in Small Claims Court? What to Do Next (Step by Step)

Been sued in small claims court? Don't panic. Read the papers, calendar the hearing, gather your proof and prepare calmly, one step at a time.

Illustration of a phone text thread beside a printed, labeled exhibit page with the words Texts as Evidence

Before You File

Text Messages as Evidence: How to Save Texts for Small Claims Court

"I have the texts" isn't the same as "I can show the texts." Here's how to save them so a judge who wasn't there can follow along.

Illustration of a white clipboard with ten orange check marks on a navy gradient, with the words 10 Things to Do Before You Sue

Before You File

10 Things to Do Before You Sue in Small Claims Court (Checklist)

Filing is built to be simple. Getting paid is the hard part. Ten calm checks before you file help you decide whether filing makes sense.