How much does it cost to file a small claims application?
Short answer
As of April 2, 2026, the court fees for an application to the Small Claims Division of the Court of Quebec are $121 for a natural person for a claim of $0.01 to $5,000, $223 for $5,000.01 to $10,000 and $241 for $10,000.01 to $15,000; legal persons pay $191, $318 and $382 respectively.
In detail
The schedule is indexed on January 1 of each year. The same amounts apply to a contestation and to an application for revocation of judgment.
Two exemptions are provided for: a person who shows that they receive benefits under a last-resort financial assistance program under the Individual and Family Assistance Act, and a person who files a legal aid certificate, are exempt from paying the fees.
In Small Claims there are no lawyer's fees, since representation by a lawyer is not allowed at the hearing. The Government of Quebec notes as well that voluntarily reducing your claim to $15,000 in order to go to Small Claims “saves you from paying lawyer's fees”. Other costs may be added depending on the case, in particular the costs of enforcing the judgment ($52 for a natural person) and the indemnities owed to witnesses.
What to document
The receipt for the court fees you paid, the cost of sending the formal notice, expert reports' invoices, and the expenses incurred for your witnesses. Those amounts are part of what you will be able to claim or justify.
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
- Schedule of court fees — Small Claims (Government of Quebec)
- Costs of proceedings in a civil trial (Government of Quebec)
Related questions
- When do I have to file my evidence with the court?
- How do I identify and number my exhibits?
- Do I have to give my evidence to the other party before the hearing?
- How do I get a witness to come to the hearing?
- Do I have to pay my witness to come and testify?
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.