Can someone help me fill out the form for free?
Short answer
Yes. In Quebec, a clerk can check your small claims application form free of charge during a telephone interview of about 20 to 25 minutes, by appointment, at 1-866-536-5140.
In detail
The Gouvernement du Québec strongly recommends using this free service. The clerk checks the form, informs you of your obligations and answers your questions. You can also make an appointment in person at the courthouse.
There is a time constraint attached to it: your form is kept for 45 days. If you do not make an appointment within that time, it is destroyed and you have to start the process over from the beginning.
The Centres Info Justice also offer free information sessions on small claims, covering how to prepare your file, mediation, the formal notice, the claim, how the process unfolds, evidence, preparing for the hearing and the judgment. Virtual sessions are held on the third Tuesday of every month, and in-person sessions at certain courthouses.
What to document
The questions you want to ask the clerk, written down before the call — 20 to 25 minutes goes by quickly. Then note the answers you were given and the date of the interview.
Put your facts in writing, free. Writing your version down early, keeping your documents dated and preparing your questions for a lawyer: the tool is there to document, never to advise.
Open the application Up to 3 files, no card · see the plans
Official sources
Related questions
- When do I have to file my evidence in small claims?
- What evidence can I file in small claims?
- I received a small claims application how long do I have to respond?
- What happens if I don't respond to a small claims lawsuit?
- Can I sue back the person who is suing me?
See all the answers · the full guide collection · Lire en français
What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.