Court Services Online BC Small Claims — How to E-File Your Claim

What Is Court Services Online?

Court Services Online (CSO) is the BC government's electronic filing portal for provincial court documents. For small claims, it lets you file a Notice of Claim, a Reply, or other documents from your computer rather than travelling to a registry counter.

CSO is available at justice.gov.bc.ca/cso. To e-file, register using a Basic BCeID, Business BCeID, BC Services Card, or premium BC Registries and Online Services account.

The Filing Assistant

CSO includes an interactive Small Claims Filing Assistant specifically for the Notice of Claim (Form 1). Instead of downloading and filling out a blank PDF, the assistant walks you through guided questions:

• Who are you suing?
• What is the claim amount?
• What happened?
• Where did the event occur?

Based on your answers, it generates a completed Form 1 that you can review, edit, and submit electronically. The assistant handles formatting and section labels, but the information must still be accurate — especially the defendant's legal name and the claim amount.

Document Requirements for CSO

CSO accepts PDF files. Its current help says the PDFs must be readable and complete. The CSO e-Filing FAQ says OCR is not required or recommended. Keep company search records in the same filing package when suing a company.

• Format: PDF in portrait orientation
• Resolution: Scanned at 300 DPI or lower
• File size: Under 8 MB per file
• Attachments: Corporate search printouts (when suing a company) must be included in the same submission package

If you scan a paper document, check that the PDF is readable and complete before uploading it.

Fees and the 4:00 PM Rule

CSO charges the standard filing fees set by Schedule A of the Small Claims Rules — typically $156 for claims over $3,000. On top of that, CSO adds a non-refundable $7 transaction fee per submitted filing package.

Timing matters:

• Received at or before 4:00 PM on an open day: If accepted by the registrar, the document is deemed filed that day.
• Received after 4:00 PM, or on a closed day: If accepted by the registrar, the document is deemed filed on the next open day.

This matters when you are running up against the two-year limitation period. A package submitted at 4:01 PM on Friday is received after the cutoff, so if accepted its filing date is the next day the registry is open — Monday, or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday.

What Happens After You Submit

Your CSO package moves through defined stages:

1. Submitted — the system has received your documents and payment
2. Under Processing — registry staff are reviewing the package
3. Filed/Accepted — the filing is accepted, a file number is assigned
4. Rejected/Corrections Required — something is wrong and you need to resubmit

If your submission is rejected (missing corporate search, incorrect fee amount, formatting errors), the statutory filing fee is not charged, but the $7 CSO transaction fee is not refunded. Correcting and resubmitting costs another $7.

When CSO Is Not Available

A few situations still require in-person or mail filing:

• The specific registry you need may not support CSO for all document types
• Some interlocutory applications may require counter filing
• If you need an urgent same-day filing confirmation, in-person provides immediate stamped copies

For most small claims filings, CSO is faster and more convenient than visiting the registry in person. It also gives you a digital record of every submission, acceptance, and rejection.

Our BC Provincial Court Small Claims guide covers both online and in-person filing pathways, including what to do when a CSO submission is rejected and how to avoid common formatting mistakes.

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