How to File a Plaintiff's Claim (Form 7A) in Ontario

A customer never paid the invoice. A contractor took a deposit and did not finish the job. A former tenant left owing money, or a friend stopped answering calls about a loan. You have tried asking, and you are now thinking about court.

In Ontario, most disputes about money up to $50,000 go to Small Claims Court, and the document that starts the case is the Plaintiff's Claim, known as Form 7A. This guide explains what the claim is, whether your dispute fits, where to file, how to fill out the form, what it costs, how to serve it and what happens next. It is general information about the process, not advice about any particular case.

A few terms first

Plaintiff: the person or business that starts the case by suing.
Defendant: the person or business being sued.
Plaintiff's Claim (Form 7A): the court form that starts a Small Claims Court case. It sets out who is suing whom, what happened and how much is claimed.
Issued: dated, signed, sealed and given a court file number by the court clerk. An issued claim is the version you serve.
Served: formally given to the other party in a way the rules allow.
Limitation period: the deadline in law for starting a court case. If it passes, a claim can be barred.
Noted in default: the status a defendant is given when they do not file a defence in time.

Does your dispute belong in Small Claims Court?

The province's guide to making a claim in Small Claims Court says the court can handle any action for the payment of money or the recovery of personal property where the amount claimed does not exceed $50,000, excluding interest and costs such as court fees. The limit applies to the total you are claiming, no matter how many defendants there are.

That limit is recent. Ontario's page on suing someone in Small Claims Court says the court's monetary jurisdiction increased from $35,000 to $50,000 effective October 1, 2025, and the minimum amount that can be appealed increased from $3,500 to $5,000. If you looked into suing a year or two ago and were told your claim was too large, it may fit now.

The same page lists the kinds of claims the court hears. Claims for money owed under an agreement include goods or services sold and delivered that were not paid for, unpaid loans, unpaid rent and NSF (non-sufficient funds) cheques. Claims for damages include property damage, clothes damaged by a dry cleaner, personal injuries and breach of contract.

Two more points from that page are worth knowing before you start:

If you are owed more than $50,000, you can still file in Small Claims Court if you are willing to give up the amount over $50,000.
You do not need a lawyer or paralegal to sue someone, although you may choose to get help with the process.

What you cannot do is split one claim into pieces to fit under the limit. Rule 6.02 of the Rules of the Small Claims Court, O. Reg. 258/98 says a cause of action shall not be divided into two or more actions for the purpose of bringing it within the court's jurisdiction.

For landlords, one distinction matters. Small Claims Court can hear some claims about money owed under a tenancy, but many disputes between residential landlords and current tenants belong at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) instead. The LTB can also hear claims against former tenants. Under sections 87(1.1) and 89(1.1) of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, a landlord can apply to the LTB for rent arrears, or for the reasonable cost of repairing undue damage, while the tenant is in possession or no later than one year after the tenant or former tenant moved out. Our guide to rent arrears at the LTB covers that route. If you are unsure which forum fits your facts, that is worth settling before you file anything.

Check the deadline before anything else

Before you spend time on the form, make sure you are still within time. Section 4 of the Limitations Act, 2002 says that, unless the Act provides otherwise, a proceeding shall not be commenced in respect of a claim after the second anniversary of the day on which the claim was discovered.

"Discovered" has a specific meaning. Under section 5, a claim is discovered on the earlier of the day you first knew that the loss had occurred, that it was caused by an act or omission, that the act or omission was the other person's, and that a court case would be an appropriate way to remedy it, and the day a reasonable person in your circumstances ought to have known those things. Section 5(2) presumes you knew on the day the act or omission happened, unless the contrary is proved.

Most everyday claims therefore come down to two years from the event, such as the date the invoice went unpaid or the date the work should have been done. There are exceptions, including for minors and people who are not capable of starting a proceeding. If your dispute is close to two years old, treat the date as urgent and get advice on how the Act applies to your facts.

Try to resolve it first, and keep the evidence

Court is a tool, not the only one. A clear written request for payment, with the amount, how you calculated it and a date to pay by, sometimes resolves a dispute on its own. Whether or not it works, it creates a record of what you asked for and when.

Asking for payment or negotiating does not stop the two-year clock. Under section 11 of the Limitations Act, 2002, the limitation period stops running only while the parties have agreed to have an independent third party resolve the claim or help them resolve it, and it starts again when that process ends or a party withdraws. Keep an eye on the date while you talk.

While you decide, gather the documents that prove your claim: the contract or quote, invoices, receipts, cheques, bank records, texts and emails, photographs and anything else that shows what was agreed and what happened. You will need them for the claim itself, as the next section explains.

Where to file your claim

You cannot file in just any courthouse. Rule 6.01(1) says an action shall be commenced:

in the territorial division where the cause of action arose, meaning where the event took place or the problem occurred;
in the territorial division where the defendant, or any one of several defendants, lives or carries on business; or
at the court's place of sitting nearest to where the defendant, or any one of them, lives or carries on business.

The province's guide gives an example: a leaky roof in Barrie, installed by a roofing company with its head office in Whitby. The plaintiff could file in Barrie, where the problem occurred, or in Whitby, where the defendant carries on business.

If you file in a location because that is where the problem happened, and you then serve every defendant outside that court's territorial division, the guide explains that you may need an Affidavit for Jurisdiction (Form 11A) later, for example when you ask for a defendant to be noted in default. If you are unsure, the guide suggests calling the court office where you plan to file and asking the clerk.

How to fill out the Plaintiff's Claim (Form 7A)

You can download the current Plaintiff's Claim (Form 7A) from Ontario Court Forms. Rule 7.01(2) sets out what it must contain, in concise and non-technical language:

the full names of the parties and, if relevant, the capacity in which they sue or are sued;
the nature of the claim, with reasonable certainty and detail, including the date, place and nature of the events it is based on;
the amount of the claim and what you are asking the court to order;
your address, telephone number and email address if you are representing yourself, or your representative's details and Law Society of Ontario registration number if you have one; and
the address where you believe each defendant can be served.

Name the defendant exactly

This is where many claims go wrong. The province's guide warns that if the name on your claim is not exactly right, you may obtain judgment and then be unable to enforce it. Its rules of thumb:

Use the person's full name, not initials, and no titles such as Mr. or Dr.
List each defendant separately. The guide's example: write RONALD SIMMONS on the claim form and LORRAINE SIMMONS on the Additional Parties form, not "RONALD AND LORRAINE SIMMONS" on the claim.
For an incorporated company, use the exact corporate name, which usually ends in Limited, Ltd., Corporation, Corp., Incorporated or Inc. The guide points to the Ontario Business Registry for searching a corporate or registered business name.
For a business that is not incorporated, such as a sole proprietorship, you can name the owner "carrying on business as" the business name, so that a judgment can be enforced against them personally.

The guide's example is a homeowner who sued "Zoro Carey Roofing" because that name was on the invoice, obtained judgment, and then discovered the company's registered name was "ZC Roofing Ltd." The judgment was against the wrong party. A few minutes on a business name search before filing can prevent that.

If there is more than one plaintiff or defendant, or a defendant uses other names, list the extra parties on an Additional Parties form (Form 1A) and attach it as page 2 of the claim.

Explain what happened in plain language

The "Reasons for Claim and Details" section is your chance to tell the story. The guide says you do not need legal language. Set out what happened, in the order it happened, with dates and places, in separately numbered paragraphs. The defendant should know exactly what the claim is about.

Then show how you calculated the amount. The guide suggests a simple breakdown, for example the cost of each item or repair, with a total, and attaching the invoices that support each figure.

Attach your supporting documents

Rule 7.01(2) says that if your claim is based in whole or in part on a document, a copy of the document must be attached to each copy of the claim. If a document is unavailable, the claim must say why it is not attached. Keep the originals. The guide notes you will likely need them if the case goes to trial.

Ask for interest if you want it

Interest has to be claimed in the form; it is not added automatically. If you and the defendant agreed on an interest rate in writing, state that rate. If not, the guide says you can ask for pre-judgment and post-judgment interest at the rates set under the Courts of Justice Act. Interest must be stated as an annual rate, for example 24% per year rather than 2% per month. The guide shows the calculation: the amount claimed, times the annual rate, divided by 365, times the number of days from when the claim arose to the date of judgment.

If you would like guided help completing the form, the province's guide points to CLEO's Small Claims Court Guided Pathways, a free online tool that asks questions and puts your answers into the court forms.

Filing the claim and paying the fee

You can file in person or by mail at the court office, or online. Ontario's page on filing Small Claims Court documents online explains that, since October 14, 2025, online filings for the Toronto region go through the Ontario Courts Public Portal, while the Small Claims Court Submissions Online portal continues to serve other regions. Online filing needs an Ontario.ca login, your documents saved as PDF or Word files, and a Visa, Mastercard or debit card for any fees. Court staff review online submissions within three business days and email you when the claim is issued or explain why it was rejected.

The same page sets an important limit: you cannot file online if you need to meet a deadline set by legislation, court rules or a court order that is 3 business days or less away. A claim close to the end of its two-year limitation period should be filed by another method the page lists, such as in person at the courthouse.

If you file in person or by mail, the guide says to bring or send the claim and supporting documents, plus copies for yourself and each defendant. Rule 7.01(1.1) says the extra copies for each defendant are not required when the claim is filed electronically.

The fee depends on how often you file. Ontario's Small Claims Court fees page lists:

Step	Infrequent claimant	Frequent claimant
Filing a claim	$108	$228
Filing a request for default judgment	$94	$128
Fixing a date for a trial or assessment hearing	$308	$403

The fee page says you are a frequent claimant if you have already filed 10 or more claims in the calendar year at the same court location. If you cannot afford court fees, the same page explains that you may request a fee waiver, which applies to most fees in the proceeding from that point forward.

Rule 7.02 says the clerk issues the claim by dating, signing and sealing it and giving it a court file number. That issued claim is what you serve.

Serving the claim on the defendant

Filing the claim does not tell the defendant about it. You have to serve it. Rule 8.01 sets two requirements: the claim must be served personally or by an approved alternative to personal service, and it must be served within six months after the date it is issued. The court may extend that time, before or after the six months have passed.

Under rule 8.02, personal service on an individual means leaving a copy with them. For a corporation, it means leaving a copy with an officer, a director or another person authorized to act for it, or with a person at a place of business who appears to be in control or management of it.

Rule 8.03 allows alternatives, including:

if personal service at an individual's home fails, leaving a copy in a sealed envelope with an apparent adult member of the household and mailing or couriering another copy to the home on the same day or the next day, with service effective on the fifth day after mailing;
sending the claim to an individual's home by registered mail or courier, if the signature of the individual or an apparent member of the household verifies receipt; and
for a corporation that cannot be found at its address on record with the Ministry, mailing or couriering copies to that address and to each director at their recorded address.

The guide confirms you can serve the claim yourself or have a friend, business associate or private process server do it. Whoever serves it, record the details. One Affidavit of Service (Form 8A) is needed for each person served, and you will file it when you take the next step, such as asking for a defendant to be noted in default.

What happens after you serve the claim

Rule 9.01 gives the defendant 20 days after being served to serve a defence on every other party and file it with the court. From there, the case can go a few ways.

If a defence is filed

The province's guide says the court will send a Notice of Settlement Conference to all parties, unless the defence proposes terms of payment for the full amount claimed, and that the settlement conference should take place within 90 days after the first defence is filed. Our guide to what happens at a Small Claims Court settlement conference explains that step. For the defendant's side of the 20-day deadline, see our guide on how to file a defence in Small Claims Court.

If no defence is filed

Once at least 20 days have passed since service and no defence has been filed, the guide says you can file a Request to Clerk (Form 9B) asking the clerk to note the defendant in default, together with an Affidavit of Service for each defendant. A defendant who has been noted in default generally cannot file a defence or take other steps without the court's permission or your consent. You can then ask for default judgment. Ontario's page on suing someone explains that default judgment is an order that the defendant pay what you are asking for, though some claims need an assessment of the amount by a judge first.

If the case settles

The guide notes that a case can be settled at any time before final judgment. Settling does not mean you were wrong to file.

Common mistakes that cost plaintiffs time

Waiting too long. The two-year limitation period is not flexible because you were busy or hoping the other side would pay.
Naming the wrong defendant. A judgment against the wrong name can be very hard to enforce.
Filing in the wrong place. Check rule 6.01 before you file.
Leaving out documents. Attach what your claim relies on, or explain why it is unavailable.
Forgetting interest. If you want it, claim it in the form at an annual rate.
Missing the six-month service window. An unserved claim does not move.

Getting help with your claim

You can file and run a Small Claims case on your own, and many people do. Others prefer help with naming the defendant, organizing evidence or presenting the case. Our guide on who can represent you in Small Claims Court explains the choices.

AI Paralegal Services is a licensed paralegal practice led by Lisa Duchene. Small Claims claims and defences are among the services we provide across Ontario.

In summary

A Small Claims case in Ontario starts with the Plaintiff's Claim (Form 7A). Check that your claim is within $50,000 and within the two-year limitation period, file in a proper court location, name every defendant exactly, explain what happened in plain language, attach your documents and claim interest if you want it. Then pay the fee, serve the issued claim within six months and keep proof of service. The defendant has 20 days to respond, and the case moves to a settlement conference, default proceedings or settlement from there.

If you are preparing to sue in Small Claims Court and want help getting the claim right before you file, AI Paralegal Services can review the details with you. Contact us to arrange a consultation.

This article is general information about Ontario Small Claims Court procedure as of October 2026. It is not legal advice about your situation, and reading it does not create a paralegal-client relationship. Rules and procedures change, so check the current official sources, and speak with a licensed legal professional about your own matter.

How to File a Plaintiff's Claim (Form 7A) in Ontario Small Claims Court