Court Filing Fee Estimator

Court filing fees vary a lot by jurisdiction, court level, and case type. Treat everything here as general guidance. Fees change, and they differ by state, by county, and by federal district, so verify the current schedule with the clerk of the court you are filing in before you pay.

Total Filing Cost formula: Total Cost = Filing Fee + Service of Process Fee + Other Fees

What each variable means:

• Filing Fee: paid to the court clerk to open the case. Set by case type and, in small claims and civil court, by how much you are claiming.
• Service of Process Fee: the cost of having the defendant formally handed the papers. Sheriff service runs $20 to $75; a private process server charges $50 to $150 and is usually faster.
• Other Fees: jury demand, motion filings, subpoenas, certified copies, and appeal fees. None of these apply at filing, but they arrive later if the case runs.

US Filing Fee Reference (approximate, 2024):

Two things set a filing fee, and they are easy to confuse. How much you are claiming puts you in a bracket. Which state you file in decides where inside that bracket you land. The ranges below are national, so a cheap state sits near the bottom and an expensive one near the top of the same row.

Small Claims Court (most states):

• Claims up to $1,000: $30–$75
• Claims $1,001–$5,000: $50–$100
• Claims over $5,000: $75–$150

State Civil Court (General Jurisdiction):

• Claims under $50,000: $100–$300
• Claims $50,000–$250,000: $200–$500
• Claims over $250,000: $300–$900+

Family Court (divorce or custody petition): $100–$450, set per case rather than by any amount in dispute.

US Federal District Court:

• Civil complaint: $405 (standard)
• Small claim / IFP (in forma pauperis, for low-income filers): waivable

Bankruptcy Court (2024):

• Chapter 7: $338 | Chapter 11: $1,738 | Chapter 13: $313

Worked example: Landlord-tenant dispute: $8,500 security deposit claim, filed in small claims court in a state whose limit covers it, at typical rates.

$8,500 falls in the over-$5,000 bracket: $75–$150 Typical state, so the middle of that: $113 Service of process (sheriff): $55 Total to file and serve: $168

Note what happens if the same $8,500 goes to civil court instead. It lands in the under-$50,000 civil bracket at $100–$300, so roughly $200 at typical rates, nearly double. Small claims is the cheaper door whenever your claim fits under the limit, which runs from $2,500 in Kentucky to $25,000 in Tennessee.

If you win, the judge may order the defendant to reimburse your court costs. If you lose, you absorb those costs.

Fee waivers: Courts waive fees for filers who cannot afford them, under a request called In Forma Pauperis (IFP). You complete a financial disclosure form and the court decides. Ask the clerk for it rather than abandoning a claim you cannot afford to file.