Tools · Small Claims
Washington Small Claims Checker (2026)
Enter your claim amount to see whether it fits under the Washington small claims limit ($10,000), with the filing fee and whether a lawyer is allowed at the hearing.
Washington small claims checker
The dollar amount you would ask the court for: the deposit, the unpaid bill, the repair cost. Interest and court costs usually sit on top of the limit, not inside it.
Enter your claim amount above to see it compared against the Washington figures.
Where and how to file is procedure this page does not walk through; the official self-help resource is Washington Courts. If your claim is a security deposit a landlord kept, the security deposit calculator shows the cap and the return deadline that apply to it.
- Your claim amount
- Not entered
- Washington small claims limit
- $10,000
- Filing fee
- $35–$50
- Lawyers at the hearing
- Not allowed at the hearing
Plain-language summary, not legal advice.
Informational only, not legal advice, and not a prediction that any claim would succeed. Limits change and some states carve out claim types this summary cannot weigh. See the full rule and the citations on the Washington small claims reference, cited to RCW §12.40.010 (limit); §12.40.020 (fee); §12.40.080 (attorneys).
How the Washington small claims limit works
Washington splits its small-claims ceiling by who is suing: a natural person can claim up to $10,000, but "all other cases" (businesses, and people suing on a business's behalf) are capped at $5,000. RCW 12.40.010 states both figures verbatim, so this is a genuine two-tier limit, not a rounding difference. Washington also bars lawyers: under RCW 12.40.080 an attorney can't appear unless the judicial officer consents, and the same restriction reaches paid representatives and collection agents. The base filing fee is $35 (RCW 12.40.020), but counties with a dispute-resolution center add a surcharge, so you'll pay closer to $50 in King, Pierce, or Snohomish. It's one of the cleaner statutes to read; the whole chapter opened without trouble.
This checker compares your number to the Washington ceiling; it is informational only and not legal advice, and it says nothing about whether a claim would succeed. For where to file and what the hearing looks like, use the official self-help resource linked in the result. The full rule and the citations are on the Washington small claims reference.
Small claims checkers for other states
Same tool, each with its own ceiling and fee.