What kinds of claims are accepted in small claims?
Short answer
In Quebec, the Small Claims Division hears, among other things, claims for debts, personal and material damage (including the non-consensual sharing of intimate images), the annulment or resiliation of a verbal or written contract, the revendication (recovery) of property, lawsuits against the Gouvernement du Québec and certain tax appeals.
In detail
The official list is short but broad: it covers most everyday money disputes — an unpaid invoice, work done badly, damaged property, a contract you want annulled, an item you want back.
Some matters are excluded: residential leases (Tribunal administratif du logement), child support (Superior Court), defamation, class actions (Superior Court), claims bought from another person, claims split to get around the ceiling, and lawsuits against the Government of Canada.
You can also ask for the return of property at the same time as your claim for money, where the revendication is connected to the debt. If you are unsure whether your claim is admissible, the clerk’s free verification service lets you find out before you pay any fees.
What to document
Whatever connects your claim to one of these categories: the contract, the invoice, the proof of the damage, the proof that you own the property being claimed. Also note the date of the event the claim is based on, so you can check the limitation period.
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
- Applications admissible and not admissible in small claims — Gouvernement du Québec
- Suing in small claims — Gouvernement du Québec
Related questions
- How much can I claim in small claims court?
- Can my business sue in small claims court?
- Can I have a lawyer in small claims court?
- Is a formal notice mandatory before small claims?
- What do I have to write in a formal notice?
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.