Minnesota Guide and File for Conciliation Court: How the Online Filing Tool Works

Minnesota's Guide & File is a free online tool from the Judicial Branch that helps people fill out court forms without a lawyer. For Conciliation Court, it generates Form CCT102 — the Plaintiff's Statement of Claim and Summons — through a question-and-answer interview instead of making you fill in a blank PDF yourself.

It's useful, but it has limits that catch people off guard.

How It Works

Guide & File asks you a series of plain-language questions: who you're suing, where they're located, how much they owe, and a description of the dispute. Based on your answers, it fills in the fields on Form CCT102 and formats the document for submission.

You can access it through the Minnesota Judicial Branch website (mncourts.gov). To file the completed form, you must complete the final submission step and pay the filing fee ($70–$80).

What Guide & File Does Well

• Eliminates formatting mistakes: the tool enforces the correct form layout, so you won't get rejected for using a non-standard template
• Venue: the interview collects facts for Form CCT102; you still need to confirm the proper county under Minnesota's venue rules
• Fee waiver: file Form CCT104 with CCT102 when requesting a fee waiver

What Guide & File Doesn't Do

This is where people run into trouble:

Completing the interview is not the same as filing. You must take the final submission step and pay the fee. Plenty of people finish the questions, close the browser and assume they've filed. They haven't. The statute of limitations keeps running until you actually submit.

It doesn't tell you how to serve the defendant. Guide & File generates the claim form, but if your claim exceeds $2,500, you're responsible for arranging certified mail with restricted delivery and return receipt requested or personal service and filing Form CCT103 (Affidavit of Service) within 60 calendar days.

It won't help you organize evidence. It provides no tools for indexing, labeling or preparing the three sets of evidence you'll need at the hearing.

It doesn't verify the defendant's legal name for you. If you enter a trade name instead of the registered corporate entity, the judgment may be unenforceable. Search the Minnesota Secretary of State portal separately before filing.

Guide & File vs. eFile & eServe

Minnesota also offers eFile & eServe (eFS), the formal electronic filing system used primarily by attorneys. Self-represented litigants can register for eFS too, but Guide & File is designed specifically for people without legal training.

If you're filing one claim on your own, Guide & File is the simpler option. If you're a business filing frequently or already comfortable with court systems, eFS gives you more direct control.

Tips for Using Guide & File

1. Look up the defendant's legal name first through the Secretary of State portal before starting the interview
2. Complete and submit in one sitting if your deadline is tight — don't leave a draft sitting for days
3. Note the date the form is accepted and filed, not just when you finished the interview
4. Set your own reminder for the 60-calendar-day service deadline if your claim exceeds $2,500

For the full filing process — including what Guide & File leaves out, like service tracking and evidence preparation — the Minnesota Small Claims Filing Guide covers every stage end to end.

See more Minnesota guides →