Small Claims
Action Plan.
Owed money, been served, or won and still waiting to be paid? Answer a few quick questions and get your step-by-step plan for Ontario Small Claims Court — the deadlines to check, the right forms, and the free calculator for each move. No score, no sign-up, nothing leaves your browser. Updated for 2026.
· Reviewed by Jonathan Kleiman, J.D.
Ontario Bar
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What should I do next in my Small Claims case?
It depends on which seat you're in: a plaintiff's first job is confirming the two-year limitation deadline, a defendant's is counting the 20 days to file a Defence, and a judgment creditor's is turning the judgment into enforcement — everything else follows from there.
Tell the wizard where you are in the process and it builds your sequence: which deadline to check, which form comes next, what it costs, and which of the free tools on this site does the arithmetic for each step.
Small Claims Action Plan
No score, no verdict — just the procedure. Answer a few quick questions and get your next steps, the deadlines to check, the right forms, and the free tool for each move.
What does the action plan cover?
The three situations that bring almost everyone to Small Claims Court: claiming, defending, and collecting. If you're owed money — an unpaid invoice, a contractor job gone wrong, a broken deal — the plan runs from the limitation deadline through the demand letter to filing and serving the claim. If you've been served, it starts with the 20-day Defence clock and works through your response, including whether a counterclaim belongs in the case. And if you've already won, it maps enforcement — interest, garnishment, writs, and debtor examinations — because a judgment is a licence to collect, not a cheque.
Each step links to the free tool that does its arithmetic — the Limitation Period Calculator, the Defence Deadline Calculator, the Small Claims Court Calculator, the Demand Letter Generator, and the rest of the toolbox — so the plan isn't advice about what you might do; it's the sequence, with the machinery attached.
Why doesn't this tool score my case?
Because a questionnaire can't know whether you'll win — and a tool that pretends to is guessing with your money. Whether a claim succeeds turns on things no checkbox can weigh: what your documents actually say, how a witness holds up, whether the other side's version survives contact with the paper trail, and how the law applies to facts a form never asked about. Online "case scores" and "likelihood of winning" percentages manufacture confidence out of arbitrary point values — in both directions. A hopeless, out-of-time claim can score well; a strong claim held by someone who answered modestly can score badly. Neither number should decide what you do next.
What a tool can do honestly is procedure: the $50,000 limit is the $50,000 limit, a Defence is due in 20 days, postjudgment interest accrues at a published rate, and the sequence of steps is the same for everyone. That's what this wizard gives you — verified procedural fact, in order. The merits question is real, and it deserves a real answer: a free 30-minute consultation with your documents beats any score a website could print.
Want the plan executed, not just mapped?
Free 30-minute consultation. Bring your paperwork; leave knowing exactly where your matter stands, what it's worth, and what Jonathan would do next — with a flat-fee quote if you want it handled.
What if my dispute isn't a Small Claims matter?
Then the right move is knowing that early — before you spend a filing fee in the wrong forum. Ontario routes a few common disputes elsewhere: most disagreements between a current residential landlord and tenant belong at the Landlord and Tenant Board, unpaid employee wages often run through the Ministry of Labour, and claims over $50,000 belong in — or must be capped to avoid — the Superior Court of Justice. The wizard's dispute menu sticks to what Small Claims Court actually hears, and this guide covers the boundary lines in detail.
Small Claims Action Plan FAQ
What should I do first in an Ontario Small Claims Court case?
Confirm you're still in time. Ontario's basic limitation period is two years from when you knew — or ought to have known — about the claim; if that deadline has passed, nothing else matters. After that: price the claim (principal, interest, costs), send a written demand letter with a deadline, get the defendant's exact legal name, then file and serve the Plaintiff's Claim (Form 7A).
What are the steps to sue someone in Ontario Small Claims Court?
Six, in order: confirm the limitation deadline; calculate the claim's real value with the Small Claims Court Calculator; demand payment in writing; confirm the defendant's correct legal name; file the Plaintiff's Claim (Form 7A) at the right courthouse and serve it properly; then prepare for the mandatory settlement conference. Claims cap at $50,000, not counting interest and costs.
I've been served with a Small Claims claim — what do I do?
You generally have 20 days from service to file a Defence (Form 9A) — count your exact date with the Defence Deadline Calculator. Then build a specific Defence: admit what's true, deny what isn't, say why. If the plaintiff owes you money too, a Defendant's Claim (Form 10A) usually travels with the Defence — the Counterclaim Calculator shows your net position. If you owe the debt, respond anyway: proposing terms beats a default judgment.
I won my case but haven't been paid. What now?
Collect — the court won't do it for you. Put an updated total (with postjudgment interest) in front of the debtor with a deadline, then escalate to garnishment, a writ of seizure and sale, or a debtor examination if they still don't pay. The enforcement guide walks through each tool.
Will this tool tell me whether I'll win?
No — deliberately. Merits turn on evidence, documents, witnesses, and law applied to your specific facts; no questionnaire can weigh those, and tools that print a "case score" or "likelihood of winning" from checkbox answers are guessing. This wizard maps procedure — deadlines, forms, fees, sequence — and leaves the merits where they belong: with a professional reviewing your actual documents. That review is what the free consultation is for.
Is this legal advice?
No. The plan is general legal information about Ontario procedure, based only on the answers you select. It isn't tailored advice, and using it creates no lawyer–client relationship. Some disputes also belong in other forums entirely — the when-to-use guide covers the boundaries.
Prefer the plan with a lawyer attached?
Jonathan Kleiman handles Small Claims matters across Toronto and Ontario — claims, defences, and collection. Bring your situation to a free 30-minute consultation and leave with the same thing this tool gives you, plus the part it can't: a professional read on your actual position.
- Free 30-minute consultation
- Flat-fee demand letters, claims, and defences
- Deadlines confirmed before they become problems
- Honest advice if the claim isn't worth pursuing
- Available evenings and weekends
- Serving Toronto and all of Ontario
Request a free consultation
Describe your situation and Jonathan will contact you — usually the same day. If you ran the wizard, your action plan is attached automatically.
About this tool — please read
This page provides general legal information about Ontario Small Claims Court procedure for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice, does not account for the specific facts, evidence, or law that govern your matter, and creates no lawyer–client relationship. The action plan is assembled from the answers you select and deliberately does not assess liability, evidence, or the merits of any claim or defence — no online tool can. The steps describe the usual sequence; your matter may need different or additional steps, and some disputes belong in other forums entirely (for example, most disputes between a current residential landlord and tenant go to the Landlord and Tenant Board, and unpaid employee wages often run through the Ministry of Labour). Deadlines are stated in general terms — the two-year basic limitation period and the 20-day Defence deadline both have exceptions in both directions — so confirm your dates with the dedicated calculators and, for anything significant, a lawyer or licensed paralegal before you act or decide not to act. Figures such as the $50,000 Small Claims Court limit are current as of 2026 but can change. Nothing you enter here is transmitted or stored; the wizard runs entirely in your browser.
The plan is free. The execution can be too — for the other side to worry about.
Book a free 30-minute consultation with Jonathan. Bring your paperwork and your deadline; leave knowing exactly where you stand, what it's worth, and what happens next — with a flat-fee quote if you want it handled.