How to Respond to Small Claims Court in New Hampshire

You just got served with a small claims complaint in New Hampshire, and the paperwork gives you almost no explanation of what to do next. The clock is already running on your response deadline, and missing it means the judge can enter a default judgment against you without ever hearing your side.

Here is exactly how to respond.

Find Your Deadline on the Notice of Small Claim

Your response deadline depends on how you were served. If the court mailed the Notice of Small Claim by first-class mail, you have 30 calendar days from the mailing date printed on the notice — not from when you opened the envelope. If a sheriff or process server handed you the papers, your deadline is the return date printed on the notice, which is at least 45 days from when the court forwarded the paperwork for service.

The mailing date is on the notice itself. Count carefully: exclude the mailing date, count 30 days forward, and if that day falls on a weekend or court holiday, the deadline extends to the next business day. Your electronic filing must be accepted in TurboCourt by 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time on that final day.

File Your Response Through TurboCourt

New Hampshire requires all small claims responses to be filed electronically through TurboCourt — the court will not accept a paper response mailed to the clerk's office unless you have a granted exception on Form NHJB-2895-DFPe.

To file your response:

1. Create a TurboCourt account at the New Hampshire Judicial Branch portal if you do not already have one
2. Locate the case using the information on your Notice of Small Claim
3. Select "Response to Small Claim" to generate Form NHJB-2830-De
4. Complete the required fields: your address, phone number, and the Confidential Information Sheet
5. Choose your response option (see below)
6. Submit before your deadline — filings after 11:59:59 PM Eastern Time are docketed the next business day

Make sure you use Form NHJB-2830-De (the small claims response form), not Form NHJB-2689-Se (the general civil answer form). Filing the wrong form can delay your case or get your response rejected.

Choose Your Response Option

TurboCourt walks you through several choices on the response form. You can select more than one:

• Dispute in full — You deny the entire claim and request a hearing. No fee to file.
• Admit in part — You agree you owe some of the money but dispute the rest. You must state the exact amount you admit and explain why the rest is wrong.
• Admit in full — You accept the full amount claimed. The court enters judgment and may schedule a hearing on your ability to pay.
• File a counterclaim — You have your own money claim against the plaintiff from the same dispute. Filing fee is $105 for claims up to $5,000 or $160 for $5,001–$10,000, plus a 3% card surcharge.
• Request a jury trial — Available only when the claim exceeds $1,500. Costs $145 and transfers the case to Superior Court.

Most defendants who believe the claim is wrong choose "Dispute in full." If you also have damages to claim against the plaintiff — say, a contractor who damaged your property while doing the work they are now billing you for — adding a counterclaim puts your claim in the same case.

What Happens After You File

If you file a timely response disputing the claim, the court schedules a mandatory pre-trial hearing. Both parties must attend. If the claim is over $5,000, mediation is mandatory before trial under RSA 503:9.

At the pre-trial hearing, the court may attempt to resolve the case through mediation or settlement discussions. If that fails, the judge sets a trial date. At trial, formal rules of evidence do not apply — the judge hears testimony informally under oath and evaluates the documents and witnesses each side brings.

If you do not file a response by the deadline, the plaintiff can request a default judgment. That means the court can order you to pay the full amount claimed without ever hearing your side. Getting a default judgment reversed requires filing a Motion to Strike Default under Rule 3.42, which demands a sworn Affidavit of Defense showing you have a real defense — and the court may not grant it.

Start Organizing Your Defense Now

The strongest thing you can do right now, besides filing your response on time, is to gather every document related to the dispute: contracts, invoices, text messages, emails, photos, receipts. Organize them chronologically so you can present a clear story at the hearing.

The Responding to a Small Claims Case in New Hampshire guide walks through the entire process from reading your papers to post-decision options, with fillable worksheets for deadline calculation, evidence indexing, and hearing preparation.

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