Guides · reviewed 2026-09-04

How to fill in a Plaintiff's Claim (Form 7A), step by step

Legal information, not legal advice. Results depend on the facts of your case.

Legal information, not legal advice. This guide and our free tools give legal information. They do not give advice about your case. A licensed lawyer can give legal advice.

The answer

The Plaintiff's Claim (Form 7A) is the form that starts your court case. You fill it in, you file it with the $108 fee, the clerk issues it, and you serve the issued copy on each defendant.

What the form must contain

The rules set the contents of the claim:

  • the full names of the parties and, if relevant, the capacity in which they sue or are sued;
  • the nature of the claim, with the date, the place, and the events, in concise non-technical language;
  • the amount of the claim and the relief you ask for;
  • your address, phone number, and email, or your representative's details and LSO number;
  • the address where you believe the defendant can be served; and
  • a copy of each document the claim is based on, or the reason a document is not available.

What to do

  1. Get the current Form 7A (version dated January 30, 2023), or use our free interview: /build/7a.
  2. Write your full legal name. A business must use its registered name. A business that trades under an unregistered name can need leave of the court to sue.
  3. Write each defendant's full legal name and address for service. Read: name the right defendant.
  4. More than one defendant? List the extra parties on Form 1A, attached after the first page.
  5. Choose the court location: where the events happened, or where a defendant lives or does business. Read: which court location.
  6. State what happened: the dates, the places, and the events, in order. Use short numbered sentences.
  7. State the amount you claim, up to $50,000. Interest and costs do not count in the limit.
  8. Claim interest: your contract rate if the other side agreed to one, or the Courts of Justice Act rate. Give the date the claim arose.
  9. Attach a copy of each document you rely on. If you cannot, say why in the claim.
  10. Tell the full story on an attached page, marked Schedule A, if you need more space. Tick the box for extra pages.
  11. Under 18? A litigation guardian must file the claim and a consent (Form 4A), unless the claim is $500 or less.
  12. Check every name, date, and amount. Then sign the form.

How to file: Toronto or the rest of Ontario

  • Outside Toronto: file online with Small Claims Court Submissions Online, or on paper at the court office. Court staff review online filings within 3 business days.
  • In Toronto: file in the Ontario Courts Public Portal. Submissions Online does not apply to Toronto cases.
  • Online, your claim counts as filed and issued only when the clerk confirms it, on the date in the confirmation.
  • You cannot file online when a court date or a legal deadline is 3 business days away or less. File in person, or ask the court office about email filing.
  • Pay the fee online by Visa, Mastercard, or debit card. A fee waiver is possible for low incomes. Read: court fees and fee waivers.

Issued means issued

The clerk issues the claim by dating, signing, and sealing it, and gives it a court file number. A claim filed online is issued online and comes back to you as a PDF. Serve the issued copy. Do not serve your draft. The 6-month service clock starts on the issue date.

Deadlines and fees

  • File a claim: $108, or $228 for a frequent claimant.
  • Serve the claim within 6 months after the court issues it.
  • Start within 2 years of discovery, in most cases.
  • Near the deadline? An online claim is issued on the confirmation date, and staff can take up to 3 business days. Ask the court office how to file the same day.

Common mistakes

  • A wrong business name. A numbered company can trade under a different name. Search the Ontario Business Registry before you file.
  • Do not split one cause into 2 claims to fit under $50,000. The rules do not allow this.
  • Do not skip the documents. Attach them, or say why you cannot.
  • Do not leave the interest section empty. Interest runs from the day the claim arose.
  • Do not use Submissions Online for a Toronto case.

When to get a lawyer

Get legal advice if the facts are in dispute, the correct defendant is not clear, or a party is under 18. Legal services provided by Mithril Law — Jonathan Kleiman, licensed Ontario lawyer.

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