​ሕግንና ደንብን በተመለከተ እርዳታ ማግኘት ይፈልጋሉን? - Amharic | هل تحتاج لمساعدة قانونية؟ - Arabic | ܤܢܝܼܩܵܐ ܝ݇ܘ̤ܬ ܠܗܲܝܵܪܬܵܐ ܩܵܢܘܿܢܵܝܬܵܐ؟ - Assyrian | Need Legal Help? - Auslan | Treba li vam pravna pomoc? - Bosnian | Burmese â Need Legal Help? | 需要法律帮助吗? - Chinese Simplified | 需要法律幫助嗎? - Chinese Traditional | Trebate li pravnu pomoć? - Croatian | ضرورت به کمک قانونی دارید؟ - Dari | Wïc Kuɔɔny në Wɛ̈t Löŋ? - Dinka | آیا به کمک حقوقی نیاز دارید؟ - Farsi | Gadreva na Veivuke Vakalawa? - Fijian | Kailangan ninyo ba ng tulong na panglegal? - Filipino | Besoin d’aide juridique ? - French | Χρειάζεστε βοήθεια σε νομικά ζητήματα - Greek | क्या आपको कानूनी सलाह चाहिए? - Hindi | Butuhkan Bantuan dalam Masalah Hukum? - Indonesian | Hai bisogno di assistenza legale? - Italian | ត្រូវការជំនួយលើបញ្ហាផ្លូវច្បាប់ឬទេ? - Khmer | 법적인 도움이 필요하십니까? - Korean | Ви треба ли помош со правни работи? - Macedonian | कानूनी सहयोग चाहिएको छ? - Nepalese | Necessita de ajuda com questões jurídicas? - Portuguese | Вам нужна юридическая помощь? - Russian | E Manaomia Fesoasoani i Mea Tau Tulafono? - Samoan | а ли вам треба помоћ у правним питањима? - Serbian | Ma u baahan tahay Caawimmad xagga sharciga ah?- Somali | ¿Necesita ayuda con cuestiones jurídicas? - Spanish | சட்ட உதவி தேவையா? - Tamil | ท่านต้องการความช่วยเหลือทางด้านกฎหมายไหม? - Thai | Fiema’u ha tokoni Fakalao? - Tongan | Yasal Danışmaya İhtiyacınız mı var? - Turkish | Cần Được Giúp Đỡ Về Luật Pháp? - Vietnamese |
LawAccess NSW > Representing Yourself > Local Court - Small Claims

Department of Justice is now the Department of Communities and Justice.  Find out more >

Does someone owe you money?

This section has information for people who want to start a claim in court to recover money or the cost of repairs to a vehicle damaged in a car accident.

Find out what steps you can take if you are claiming money from someone else: 


    AlertThe information in this topic should not be used if your claim is about a dispute over a consumer contract, goods held by a business, tenancy matter or family law matter. If you are unsure, get legal advice​ about your situation.

    Starting your case 

    If you have tried to resolve your matter without going to court and the other party still won't pay the money owed, you may need to start a court case. 

    This section has information on the steps for starting a case in the Small Claims Division of the Local Court.

    • ​Preparing a statement of claim form
    • Serving a statement of claim form
    • The defendant's response
    • Stopping your case
    • Default judgment

    For more information, see Starting your case​. 

    During your case

    If the defendant does not agree that they owe some or all of the money you are claiming they can decide to defend your claim.

    If the defendant disagrees with your claim, they will file a defence form and the court will send you a copy. In the defence form, the defendant should explain why they disagree with your claim. Your case will then go to a hearing.

    This section has information about what happens after the defendant files a defence form in response to your statement of claim form:

    • ​​Pre-trial review
    • The hearing
    • The decision.

    For more information, see During your case

    Settling your case 

    You can try to settle the case at any time. If you reach an agreement with the other party, it is a good idea to put the agreement in writing. You will also need to take steps to end the court case.

    This section has information on what you should do if you settle your case.

    • ​Write down the agreement 
    • Stopping the case.

    For more information, see Settling your case

    After court 

    If you win the case or you get a default judgment and the other party still does not pay, you can take steps to get the money paid. This is called enforcement.

    If you lost the case, you may be able to appeal.

    This section has information about:

    • ​Appeals and reviews
    • Being paid in instalments
    • Enforcement

    For more information, see After court.

    Woman filing a form at a local court registry