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Illinois small claims cost guide

In Illinois you can claim up to $10,000 plus costs. The filing fee is Set county by county. Cook Co. (Chicago) is the most expensive: widely published at $89 (to $2,500) / $225 (above) — published sources conflict, so verify with the clerk; downstate counties are far lower.

Illinois at a glance	Figure
Maximum claim	$10,000 plus costs
Court	Circuit Court — Small Claims Part
Filing fee	Set county by county. Cook Co. (Chicago) is the most expensive: widely published at $89 (to $2,500) / $225 (above) — published sources conflict, so verify with the clerk; downstate counties are far lower
Service of process	Cook Co. Sheriff: $60 per defendant for e-filed service requests, $95 for paper filings; private servers $75–$150

Where you file

You file a Small Claims Complaint in the Circuit Court of the county where the defendant lives or where the transaction took place (Illinois Supreme Court Rules 281–289). Illinois has no statewide filing fee — each county's circuit clerk sets fees by claim band, and Cook County (Chicago) is substantially more expensive than downstate counties.

Filing fees by claim amount

Set county by county. Cook Co. (Chicago) is the most expensive: widely published at $89 (to $2,500) / $225 (above) — published sources conflict, so verify with the clerk; downstate counties are far lower. The fee is not tiered by claim size, so the same fee applies whether your claim is small or near the limit.

Service of process: options and costs

Method	Cost	Notes
Cook County Sheriff	$60 per defendant when the service request is e-filed; $95 for in-person (paper) or mail requests	Official Cook County Sheriff pricing
Clerk service by certified/registered mail	Permitted for small claims summonses; cost set by the clerk	Cheaper; depends on the defendant signing
Special process server	$75–$150 typical (a licensed private detective or agency; in Cook County usable from the start under Public Act 103-671, with a $5 per-service remittance to the Sheriff)	More attempts and evening hours

Step by step: filing in Illinois

Complete the Small Claims Complaint and Summons. E-filing is mandatory for most Illinois civil filings (through eFileIL), and the e-filing service provider adds its own small fee on top of the clerk's fee.
Pay the county filing fee for your claim band. In Cook County the widely published schedule is $89 for claims up to $2,500 and $225 above that — but published sources conflict (others report about $97/$207, or roughly $268 all-in), so confirm the current total in eFileIL or with the clerk before you budget. Downstate counties are typically far lower.
Arrange service: sheriff, clerk's certified mail, or a special process server.
The defendant may file an appearance and answer; in most Cook County civil divisions a defendant appearance fee applies, though the October 2025 schedule lists a $0 appearance fee for civil claims of $2,500 or less.
Either side may demand a jury (Cook County: $12.50 for a 6-person jury, $25 for a 12-person jury) — most small claims are bench trials.
If you win and must garnish wages or a bank account in Cook County, citation and garnishment proceedings cost $35 (to $1,000), $45 (to $5,000), or $65 (over $5,000) per the clerk's miscellaneous fee schedule.

Timelines and extra fees

Return date: the summons sets a date for the defendant to appear — check the summons the clerk issues.
No statewide mediation fee exists; some circuits run court-connected mediation programs with their own schedules.

The honest summary: Illinois is the state where we most want you to double-check us. Three reputable secondary sources publish three different Cook County filing fees, and the clerk's official miscellaneous schedule we retrieved lists jury and garnishment fees but not the complaint fee itself. The honest numbers are: about $89/$225 as the base clerk fee in Cook County, plus e-filing add-ons, and far less downstate. Verify in eFileIL checkout before paying.

Worked total: what a case costs to file

Claim amount	Filing fee	Service	Total to file
$500	$87–$268	$60–$95	$147–$363
$2,500	$87–$268	$60–$95	$147–$363
$5,000	$87–$268	$60–$95	$147–$363

These totals are filing fee plus service only, for one defendant, before any mediation, jury, or enforcement charges itemised above. If you win, courts generally order the defendant to reimburse these costs — see recovering your court costs.

Sources: Cook County Sheriff — Civil Process Service · Cook County Clerk of Court — Miscellaneous Fee Schedule (CCG-0140) · Nolo — State Small Claims Court Dollar Limits. Researched October 2026 — confirm current figures with the court clerk.

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