Trust & Transparency
No fake reviews. No invented "trusted by" logos. Here is exactly what GetSmallClaims is, who runs it, how it makes money, and where its data comes from - all of it literally true.
What this tool is - and is not
⚠ GetSmallClaims is a self-help document preparation tool. It is NOT a law firm, NOT an attorney, and does NOT give legal advice. Using it does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.
Small claims court was deliberately designed for ordinary people to represent themselves - in most states you are not even allowed to bring a lawyer. This tool helps you organize and format your own case. It does not replace legal advice, and it cannot guarantee any outcome. Courts decide cases; documents do not.
How we make money
One flat fee of $49.99, paid once via PayPal, unlocks your full filing pack. No subscription. No account required. No hidden charges, no upsells, no "premium tier." You see your draft for free and only pay if you want the complete, court-ready pack.
Some educational pages on this site also contain affiliate links, from which we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. These never affect the filing data or the documents the tool generates. This is disclosed site-wide in our affiliate disclosure.
Who is behind it
GetSmallClaims is an independent project built and operated by Ziv Shay, a software developer who builds accessible self-help legal tools. It is not backed by, affiliated with, or endorsed by any court, government agency, or law firm. The same author byline appears on the guides across this site - there is one real person behind it, not an anonymous brand.
OWNER-FILL (optional - for the human behind the tool):
This block is for you, the owner, to optionally add a one-line honest background and a link/photo. Replace the bracketed text with something literally true, or delete this block to leave it as-is.
• One-line background: [e.g. "Independent developer; built GetSmallClaims after navigating a security-deposit dispute" - state only what is true]
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• Photo (optional): [host a real photo and add <img>, or delete]
Note: showing a real face + verifiable link roughly doubles visitor trust for an anonymous tool - but exposing your identity is your privacy call. This is genuinely optional. Never add anything that is not true.
Where our data comes from
Filing limits, fee ranges, form names, and statute-of-limitations guidance are compiled from each jurisdiction's official court and statutory sources, including:
- State and county court self-help / small claims websites (e.g. the California Courts Self-Help Guide, the New York Unified Court System, the Texas Justice Court system) and their published forms
- Official state court fee schedules and small-claims monetary limits set by statute
- State civil statutes of limitations for the relevant claim types
Court rules, fees, and dollar limits change. We update this data periodically, but it can lag the latest changes. Always confirm the current form, fee, limit, and deadline with your local court clerk before you file. The numbers here are a starting point, not a guarantee.
How the documents are generated
Your pack is drafted by an automated guard → draft → critic pipeline running on Cloudflare Workers AI (Llama 3.3 70B). It works only from the facts you provide and is explicitly instructed to invent nothing and to keep party names exactly as you wrote them. A second-pass critic stage re-checks the draft for invented details before you see the final pack. The full process is described on our How It Works page. Automated drafting can still make mistakes - review everything before filing.
Your privacy
We ask only for what is needed to draft your documents. If you provide an email, we use it to send your pack. See our Privacy Policy for full detail.
Contact a real person
Questions, corrections, or a data error to report? Email hello@getsmallclaims.com - we aim to respond within one business day. If you spot anything on this page that is inaccurate, please tell us and we will fix it.
Last reviewed June 2026. Related: About · How It Works · Legal Disclaimer.