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Most court filings have fees associated with them. This page covers the various fees that filers will encounter, the sources of those fees, and how payment fits into the submission process.

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The fee breakdown

Filing fees are set by the court (or by statute) and typically depend on the type of document and the type of case at hand; a complaint might carry a different fee than a motion, and civil fees differ from family law fees. This is sometimes referred to as the statutory fee. Fees can also depend on factors specific to a case, like the dollar amount in controversy. Because fees are set per court, the same filing type can cost different amounts in different counties or states. The statutory fee is assessed even if you physically file the envelope; it is not specific to efiling. In addition to the statutory filing fee, the total cost of filing an envelope may include:
  • Service fees, if the efiling system charges separately for electronic service
  • Transaction fees, charged by the payment processor handling the transaction
  • Filing manager fees, charged by the efiling manager
  • Filing provider fees, charged by the efiling service provider
  • Court technology fees, to cover the court’s costs of supporting efiling

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Calculating fees

Because fees depend on the specific combination of court, case, and filing code, most efiling systems let a filer request a fee quote. This lets a filer confirm the total cost before submitting.

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Paying fees

Filers can pay for a filing using a credit card or bank account.

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Fee waivers

Courts generally allow a filer who cannot afford filing fees to request a fee waiver, based on financial need. A granted waiver exempts the filer from having to pay some or all fees for a given case. The efiling system typically allows a filer to indicate that they have a fee waiver.