File Small Claims Online in Idaho — iCourt Guide & File and E-Filing Rules

Two Online Filing Systems

Idaho runs two electronic filing platforms through its iCourt system, and they serve different purposes:

Guide & File (guideandfile.idaho.gov) is an interactive interview tool. It asks you a series of questions about your case, then auto-populates the correct CAO forms based on your answers. It's designed for self-represented filers who aren't sure which forms they need or how to fill them out.

File & Serve is the formal electronic filing system. You upload completed court documents, pay the filing fee online, and submit them to the clerk for review. Attorneys and business entities use this portal for documents that must be filed electronically; businesses may use Guide & File for Court Assistance Office forms when available.

Both accomplish the same end result — getting your claim filed with the magistrate court — but Guide & File adds a layer of hand-holding that's useful for first-time filers.

When E-Filing Is Mandatory

Individual plaintiffs have a choice: file on paper at the clerk's window, mail in your forms, or use iCourt online.

Business entities don't get that choice. Under Idaho Supreme Court Rule 4 of the Idaho Rules for Electronic Filing and Service, business entities filing small claims must file electronically. They may use Guide & File for Court Assistance Office forms when available; other documents must be filed through File & Serve.

Business filers using File & Serve must designate an email service contact for the case. Businesses using Guide & File to file Court Assistance Office forms are not required to exchange service through the electronic filing system.

What E-Filing Costs

The court filing fee is the same $69 whether you file on paper or electronically. E-filing adds a small convenience fee charged by the filing system provider, typically a few dollars.

Common E-Filing Mistakes

Submission doesn't equal filing. When you submit documents through iCourt, they go into a queue. The filing date of record is the date the clerk reviews and accepts your submission — not the date you uploaded it. If the clerk rejects your filing for errors (missing signatures, fee deficiencies, formatting problems), you get it back unfiled.

This matters critically if you're close to a statute of limitations deadline. A rejected submission on the last day of your limitations period does not count as a timely filing. You cannot rely on resubmission relating back to the original attempt.

Document formatting: uploaded PDFs must be legible and properly oriented. Scanned documents that are blurry, sideways, or have cut-off margins get rejected.

Signatures: the clerk checks for signatures on every form that requires one. An unsigned complaint is returned without filing.

Filing on Paper Still Works

If you're an individual (not a business), you can walk into the magistrate clerk's office in the proper county, hand over your completed forms (CAO SC 1-2 and CAO SC 1-1), pay $69, and walk out with a stamped, filed complaint and an issued summons. Same result, no technology required.

For rural counties with limited clerk hours or one-day-a-month Court Assistance Office visits, checking the clerk's schedule before making the trip is worth the phone call.

After Filing (Paper or Electronic)

Once the clerk accepts your filing — whether paper or electronic — they stamp the documents with the court seal and case number, issue the summons, and return service copies to you. From there, the process is identical: serve the defendant through sheriff, process server, or certified mail, and the case proceeds to hearing.

Our Idaho Small Claims Filing Guide covers both paper and electronic filing paths step by step, including which forms Guide & File generates automatically and which you'll need to prepare on your own.

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