Today the Ministry of the Attorney General announced an expansion of the small claims court online filing service. All small claims up to $25,000 can now be filed online through an around-the-clock service, including both liquidated and non-liquidated claims.
The online service allows individuals and businesses across Ontario to prepare and submit forms online, pay court fees securely using debit or credit cards, and receive court-issued documents by email without having to go to a courthouse. The fees charged to file online are the same as those charged to file in person.
There are two ways to file online:
- 'Filing Wizard' guides unfamiliar users through the process of creating and submitting small claims court documents and paying fees online.
- 'Quick File' allows legal professionals and regular users of small claims court to quickly and easily upload court documents that have already been completed offline.
The Ministry notes that since the small claims court online filing service was piloted in August 2014, almost 20,000 claims have been filed online - 15 per cent of which were filed outside regular court hours.