Who we help
If you get paid by invoice, you have been stiffed. Guides by trade, with the evidence that actually wins.
California's own fee schedule gives away how common this is: there is a $100 filing-fee tier for anyone who files more than 12 small claims in 12 months. That tier exists because tradespeople and freelancers are in small claims court regularly, chasing money they have already earned.
The pattern barely varies by trade. You delivered, the client has the benefit of it, and payment has quietly become optional — because chasing it looks like more trouble than the money is worth. That calculation changes the moment a dated written demand arrives with a deadline in it.
What does vary by trade is the evidence a judge wants. A photographer needs the booking contract and the delivered gallery. A contractor needs the signed scope, the written change orders and the license status. A landlord needs the lease, the rent ledger and dated move-out photographs. Each guide below says what that is for your work.
The trap that halves your claim
If you invoice through an LLC or corporation, your California small claims ceiling is $6,250. If you invoice in your own name as an unincorporated sole proprietor, it is $12,500 — double. The cap depends on who is suing, not who is being sued, so check which entity actually contracted with the client before you file.
Every competitor charges per case. If you are chasing payment every month, the $19/month plan covers unlimited cases.
- Auto detailers
- Auto repair shops
- Bakers
- Bookkeepers
- Caterers
- Cleaning services
- DJs and musicians
- Dog groomers
- Dog trainers
- Electricians
- Equipment rental businesses
- Estheticians
- Event planners
- Flooring installers
- Florists
- Freelance designers
- Freelance writers
- General contractors
- Hairstylists
- Handymen
- HVAC technicians
- IT consultants
- Landscapers
- Marketing consultants
- Mobile mechanics
- Moving companies
- Painters
- Personal trainers
- Pet sitters
- Photographers
- Plumbers
- Property managers
- Residential landlords
- Roofers
- Short-term rental hosts
- Towing operators
- Translators
- Tutors
- Videographers
- Web developers
Start with a demand letter
Most California small claims cases settle before anyone sees a courtroom. The letter is free to write, and you can have us print and certified-mail it for $29.
No account needed to start. We are not a law firm and cannot give legal advice.