Someone owes you money. Here is exactly how to get it back.
California small claims software that writes your demand letter, mails it with legal proof of delivery, fills the real court forms, and tells you which of the 58 county courts to walk into. No lawyer. No guessing.
Free to start, no account needed. We are not a law firm and cannot give legal advice.
Limit
$12,500
Maximum an individual can claim in California small claims. Entities: $6,250.
Filing fee
$30–$75
Set statewide by claim size. $100 if you have filed more than 12 in 12 months.
Counties
58
Every California county has its own Superior Court. We cover all of them.
Lawyers
None
California does not allow attorneys to represent either party at the hearing.
Most of these cases never reach a courtroom
People assume suing means court. In practice a large share of small claims disputes end the moment a dated, specific written demand arrives with a deadline attached — because until then, the other side has been treating payment as optional.
So that is where we start, and that part is free. Write the letter, download the PDF, send it yourself. If you want proof you can show a judge, we will print it and send it by USPS Certified Mail with an electronic return receipt for $29, and you never visit a post office.
If the letter does not work, the same answers roll into your SC-100, your service plan, your evidence list and a one-page script for the hearing.
What you get
A letter that sounds like it means it
Plain, firm, dated, with the right legal hook for your claim type — the 21-day deposit rule, the unlicensed-contractor rule, the bad check statute. Free to write and download.
Certified mail, handled
We print and mail it with tracking and an electronic return receipt, so you can prove delivery. $29, and it goes out on the next business day.
The real court forms
SC-100 to start, SC-104 to prove service, and the post-judgment forms that actually get you paid. Free public forms, filled correctly.
The right courthouse
All 58 county Superior Courts, each with its own site and procedures. We tell you which one and link you straight to it.
Deadlines you cannot afford to miss
Four years on a written contract, two on a verbal one, three on property damage. Our checker does the arithmetic from your dates.
Something to say at the hearing
A one-page script from your own facts: what to say first, what to hand up, what the judge will ask.
Honest pricing, next to the alternative
The nearest paid competitor, JusticeDirect, is a law firm and charges like one. The California courts offer a free form tool that stops at the form. We sit in the gap.
| What you want | JusticeDirect | Us |
|---|---|---|
| Letter written and mailed with proof | $600 attorney letter, or free tool + $29.50 mailing | Free + $29 mailing |
| One complete small claims case | $650 | $49 |
| Hearing preparation | $49.50 | Included |
| Filing 12 claims in a year | $7,800 | $390/yr |
JusticeDirect prices as published on their pricing page, checked 2026-10-10. They are a law firm; we are software. That difference is real and it cuts both ways — a law firm can advise you on your case, and we cannot.
Why trust a brand-new service
We are not going to show you invented testimonials or a five-star rating we have not earned. Here is what we offer instead:
- The main tool is free. Write the whole letter and download it before you pay anything.
- 30-day refund on software. No argument. Mailing is non-refundable once it is with USPS, because the postage is genuinely spent — we say so before you buy.
- Cancel in one click. Subscriptions cancel from your billing page, immediately, no email required.
- We tell you when not to use us. Unpaid wages usually belong with the Labor Commissioner, which is free and uncapped. Serious injuries belong with an injury attorney. Both are on this site.
- Every legal fact is cited. Code sections on the page, so you can check us.
Start with your situation
Most common claims
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.