Wisconsin Small Claims Court eFiling: How to File Online

Who Can (and Must) eFile

Wisconsin's eFiling system runs through the eCourts portal at efiling.wicourts.gov, governed by Wis. Stat. § 801.18. Not everyone is required to use it, but anyone can:

• Mandatory for attorneys: all licensed attorneys must eFile in circuit court, including small claims
• Mandatory for high-volume filing agents: non-attorneys who file 10 or more cases per year in a single county under Wis. Stat. § 799.06(2)
• Optional for self-represented filers: if you are representing yourself, eFiling is voluntary — you can still walk into the clerk's office with paper forms

If you opt into eFiling as a pro se litigant, you pay a $35 fee per party per case for the eCourts system. This is on top of the standard filing fees ($22 base + $51 court support + $21.50 JINFO = $94.50). If you have a fee waiver approved via Form CV-410A, it covers the $35 eFiling fee too.

Setting Up Your eCourts Account

Before you can eFile, you need an eCourts account:

1. Go to efiling.wicourts.gov and register with your name, address, and email
2. Create your login credentials
3. Accept the electronic signature terms — your electronic signature (/s/ Your Name) satisfies court requirements for most documents

Once registered, you can file in any Wisconsin county through the same portal.

Document Formatting Rules

The eCourts system is strict about formatting. Rejected filings lose their filing date, so get these right the first time:

• File format: pleadings and exhibits must be PDF. Proposed orders can be submitted as Word documents (.docx)
• Maximum file size: 50 MB per document
• Page 1 top margin: leave a blank 3-inch top margin for the clerk's electronic stamp
• Subsequent pages: minimum 0.5-inch top margin
• Signatures: electronic signatures (/s/ Your Name) work for most documents. Notarized documents (like certain affidavits) must be hand-signed, sealed, and scanned as PDFs

The most common rejection reason is the 3-inch first-page margin. If you are preparing your SC-500 in a word processor before converting to PDF, set the first page header to 3 inches and the rest to 0.5 inches.

How eFiling Works Step by Step

1. Log into efiling.wicourts.gov
2. Select the county where you are filing
3. Choose the case type (small claims)
4. Upload your completed SC-500 as a PDF
5. Upload any attachments (contracts, invoices) as separate PDFs
6. Pay the filing fee and eFiling fee by credit card
7. Submit

Your filing enters "Submitted" status. If you submit before 11:59 PM CST, the filing date is preserved as that day — provided the clerk accepts it. If the clerk rejects it for formatting or fee issues, the filing date is not secured until you correct and resubmit.

Once accepted, the system assigns a case number, applies the court seal, and issues the official summons with a return date.

eFiling Exhibits Before the Hearing

When your hearing date arrives, you can upload trial exhibits through the eCourts portal under your specific scheduled court activity. Upload them before the hearing, but still bring physical originals to court — the commissioner may want to inspect the originals in person.

Even if you eFiled the case, bring three paper copies of your exhibits to the hearing: one for the commissioner, one for the opposing party, and one for yourself.

Paper Filing Is Still an Option

If eFiling feels like more trouble than it is worth, walk into the Clerk of Circuit Court office with your completed SC-500, the required copies (original plus one per defendant), and a check or money order for the filing fees. You skip the $35 eFiling fee, and the clerk handles the rest in person.

For the full filing process — paper or electronic — including demand letters, service rules, and hearing preparation, the Wisconsin Small Claims Filing Guide walks through every step.

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