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

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, and you serve it on each defendant.

What to do

1. Get the current Form 7A, or use our free interview: /build/7a.
2. Write your full legal name, address, and contact information.
3. Write each defendant's full legal name and address for service. For a business, find and use its exact legal name.
4. Choose the court location: where the events happened, or where a defendant lives or does business.
5. State what happened: the dates, the places, and the events, in order.
6. State the amount you claim, up to $50,000. Interest and costs do not count in the limit.
7. Claim interest: your contract rate if you have one, or the Courts of Justice Act rate.
8. Attach a copy of each document you rely on. If you cannot, say why in the claim.
9. Tell the full story on an attached page, marked Schedule A, if you need more space.
10. Check every name, date, and amount. Then sign the form.
11. File the claim and pay $108. Outside Toronto, file on Submissions Online. In Toronto, file on the Ontario Courts Public Portal.

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.

Common mistakes

• A wrong business name. A numbered company can trade under a different name. Search 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 guess the court location. A wrong location can delay your case.

When to get a lawyer

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

Free tools

• Check if your claim is worth it: /check
• Write a demand letter: /demand-letter
• Fill in your court forms: /build/7a
• Calculate your deadlines: /calculators/deadlines