California Small Claims (SC-100) - Preparation Worksheet
California Small Claims (SC-100) - Preparation Worksheet
Use this worksheet to gather information for the Judicial Council's Plaintiff's Claim and ORDER to Go to Small Claims Court (SC-100). Transfer your answers to the current official form. This worksheet is not the claim form. The court completes the trial date and case number after filing.
Official form: SC-100 (Rev. January 1, 2026)
Court and parties
Court: Superior Court of California, County of [________________________________]
Court street address: [________________________________]
Item 1 — Plaintiff
| Field | Plaintiff 1 | Plaintiff 2, if any |
|---|---|---|
| Full legal name | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Phone | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Street address, city, state, ZIP | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Different mailing address | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Email, if available | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
☐ More than two plaintiffs; prepare SC-100A.
☐ A listed plaintiff does business under a fictitious name; prepare SC-103.
☐ A listed plaintiff is a licensee or deferred deposit originator (payday lender) under Financial Code sections 23000 et seq.
Item 2 — Defendant
| Field | Defendant 1 | Defendant 2, if any |
|---|---|---|
| Full legal name | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Phone, if known | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Street address, city, state, ZIP | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Different mailing address | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Authorized service agent or person, if defendant is a corporation, LLC, or public entity | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Agent's title, if known | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| Agent's address | [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
☐ More than one defendant; prepare SC-100A.
☐ A defendant is on active military duty. Defendant's name: [________________________________]
Claim and amount
Item 3 — What is owed
Total claimed (excluding court costs and service fees): $[________________________________]
Why does the defendant owe this money? [____________________________________________________________]
[____________________________________________________________]
When did it happen? [__/__/____]
If there is no single date, period from: [__/__/____] through: [__/__/____]
How was the amount calculated?
| Loss or charge and date | Amount |
|---|---|
| [________________________________] | $[________] |
| [________________________________] | $[________] |
| [________________________________] | $[________] |
| Less payments or credits: [________________________________] | −$[________] |
| Total claimed | $[________] |
☐ Item 3 needs more room. Check the box on SC-100 and attach one sheet labeled SC-100, Item 3, or use form MC-031. Confirm the attachment’s final amount matches the claim on SC-100.
Item 4 — Request to defendant
Did you ask the defendant to pay before suing? ☐ Yes ☐ No
If no, explain why: [____________________________________________________________]
Date, method, and response, for your records: [____________________________________________________________]
Courthouse and special questions
Items 5–6 — Why this courthouse
Mark the basis that fits the form, then enter the ZIP code of that location if known.
☐ Defendant lives or does business here.
☐ Plaintiff's property was damaged here.
☐ Plaintiff was injured here.
☐ A written or spoken contract was made, signed, performed, or broken here, or defendant lived or did business here when the contract was made.
☐ Buyer or lessee location for a personal, family, or household goods, services, or loans claim (see SC-100 item 5b).
☐ Buyer location for a retail installment contract claim (see item 5c).
☐ Buyer location or permanently garaged vehicle for a vehicle finance sale claim (see item 5d).
☐ Other; describe: [________________________________]
Relevant location and ZIP code: [________________________________]
Items 7–8 — Special claims
Attorney–client fee dispute? ☐ Yes ☐ No
If yes, has arbitration occurred? ☐ Yes ☐ No. If yes, complete and attach SC-101 as directed by SC-100.
Suing a public entity? ☐ Yes ☐ No
If yes, date written claim was filed with entity: [__/__/____]
Items 9–11 — Filing history and acknowledgment
More than 12 other California small claims filed in the last 12 months? ☐ Yes ☐ No
Claim exceeds $2,500? ☐ Yes ☐ No
If yes, review SC-100 item 10's confirmation about the number of such claims in this calendar year before signing. Review item 11's acknowledgment about appeal of your own claim.
Transfer and filing check
☐ Complete pages 2–4 of the current SC-100 using the information above.
☐ Check the claim amount, supporting calculation, party names, and any required attachments against SC-100.
☐ Sign the declaration on SC-100; each plaintiff shown signs in the space provided.
☐ Make a copy of every page and attachment for each party and one extra for yourself, as instructed on page 1 of SC-100.
☐ Submit the original and copies to the court clerk with the filing fee, following the court's filing instructions.
☐ Arrange service using SC-100's page 1 instructions after the court stamps the papers.
Sources and references
About this template
- Last updated
- October 19, 2026
- Citations checked
- October 19, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- California
- Category
- Litigation & Court Documents
Legal authority
- Judicial Council Form SC-100 (Plaintiff's Claim and ORDER to Go to Small Claims Court)
These are the filings that drive a lawsuit through the system: complaints, answers, motions, briefs, discovery requests and responses, and post-judgment papers. Each has its own format requirements under federal and state procedural rules, and each has a deadline that cannot be missed without consequences. Clean, procedurally correct filings move a case forward; sloppy ones invite motions to strike, amended responses, and avoidable delays.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on October 19, 2026.
Judicial Council Form SC-100 (Rev. January 1, 2026) (checked October 19, 2026): "Fill out pages 2, 3, and 4 of this form. Make copies of all the pages of this form and any attachments—one for each party named in this case and an extra copy for yourself."
Judicial Council Form SC-100 (checked October 19, 2026): "You must fill out: Plaintiff's Claim and Order to Go to Small Claims Court (form SC-100)"
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.770(a) (checked October 19, 2026): "The appeal to the superior court shall consist of a new hearing before a judicial officer other than the judicial officer who heard the action in the small claims division."
Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 116.770(c) (checked October 19, 2026): "Article 5 (commencing with Section 116.510) on hearings in the small claims court applies in hearings on appeal in the superior court, except that attorneys may participate."
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