Small claims court vs. People’s Court
Take the dispute to People’s Court instead of small claims court. On a $500 claim the AI-only fee is $28.35, shown before you pay. That fee covers the case, and the other side is invited online. Court stacks a clerk fee, a sheriff or process server, parking, travel, and copies, then one or two weekday trips for a pretrial and a trial. No clause yet: both sides sign a submission agreement and file.
- On $500
- $28.35AI-only, before you pay
- Courthouse
- 0 tripsevenings and weekends
- Service
- $0invitation is online
- No clause yet
- Submissionagree after the dispute
- Schedule
- Dayseach phase, seven at most
What a $500 dispute costs
Court cash is paid up front, before anyone hears the case. In a Florida example for a claim of $100.01 to $500, the clerk filing fee is $80 and sheriff service is $40. A private process server often charges more than the sheriff. Parking, travel, and copies for two courthouse trips add about $20. Two half-days away from work, at $15 an hour, is about $120 in lost wages. Childcare is extra and is not in that figure. Counties set their own fees. Check the clerk before you rely on this stack.
| Small claims court, Florida example | People’s Court, AI-only | |
|---|---|---|
| Clerk or platform fee | $80 clerk filing fee | $28.35, shown before you pay |
| Serving the other side | $40 sheriff. A process server often costs more. | $0. The invitation is online. |
| Parking, travel, copies | About $20 for two trips | $0. Upload the documents from home. |
| Time off work | About $120. Two half-days at $15 an hour. Childcare is not included. | $0. Work the case on evenings and weekends. |
| Cash before a decision | About $140, paid up front, plus the wage estimate | $28.35. That is the whole AI-only case fee. |
| Waiting | A pretrial conference, then a trial. Often one to three months or more. | A written Award, typically in days. Each phase is capped at seven calendar days. |
Court figures are an example county stack, not a quote. Filing and service fees vary by county. The wage and travel lines are estimates. The People’s Court fee is 5.67% of the amount in dispute, with a $1.67 minimum: $14.18 on $250 and $28.35 on $500. In this Florida example, clerk plus sheriff is $120 for both of those amounts. The exact People’s Court fee is shown before you pay, and it does not change based on who wins.
Side by side
| Small claims court | People’s Court | |
|---|---|---|
| How it starts | A lawsuit in the local court | A clause, or a submission agreement signed after the dispute |
| Where it happens | The county courthouse, on a weekday, often once or twice | Online, including evenings and weekends. No parking, travel, or copies. |
| Dollar limit | Set by each state | No small-claims-style cap. The fee scales with the amount. |
| Cost | Clerk fee, sheriff or process server, parking, travel, and copies, paid up front | 5.67% of the amount, $1.67 minimum. One fee, shown before you pay. |
| Schedule | Pretrial, then trial. Often one to three months or more. | Written Award, typically in days. Each phase up to seven calendar days. |
| Format | Short hearing before a judge or magistrate | Written submissions and exhibits |
| Across states | You file where the court has venue | One online procedure, wherever the parties are |
| Lawyers | Varies by state; some courts limit them | Optional |
| Appeal | Depends on the state | One paid human appeal unless both sides waive |
| If the loser doesn’t pay | Enforce the judgment | Confirm the Award in court, then enforce the judgment |
The courthouse bill is not the clerk’s fee alone. Service, the trip, and the day of work sit on top of it. People’s Court is the published fee and the documents you already have.
Use People’s Court
- No clause yet: send a submission agreement for this dispute. Both sides accept it, and you file.
- The contract already names People’s Court: file on that clause.
- One fee, shown before you pay. The other side is invited online. There is no sheriff fee and no charge for parking, travel, or copies.
- File on evenings and weekends. No weekday off work, and no childcare for a courthouse morning.
- The dispute is in the documents: a contract, invoices, photos, texts, delivery proof.
- The amount is above a state’s small claims limit, or small enough that court costs would eat it. There is no small-claims-style cap here. Claims below $100 use one AI arbiter, and each phase is still capped at seven calendar days.
Want a read before you file?
A Quick Ruling is a nonbinding AI opinion for $5.67. It is not an Award. Use it to reset the numbers, then open the binding case if you still need a decision.
Common questions
Is People’s Court a replacement for small claims court?
Use People’s Court for the dispute. It is online, on a written Record, with each phase capped at seven calendar days, and there is no small-claims-style dollar cap. If the contract has no arbitration clause, both sides sign a submission agreement and file.
How much does People’s Court cost compared with small claims?
On a $500 claim the AI-only fee is $28.35, shown before you pay. That is the whole AI-only case fee: 5.67% of the amount in dispute, with a $1.67 minimum ($14.18 on $250). The other side is invited online, so there is no sheriff or process-server fee, and no charge for parking, travel, or copies. You can prepare the case on evenings and weekends. In a Florida example for a claim of $100.01 to $500, the clerk filing fee is $80 and sheriff service is $40, paid up front, before about $20 for two trips and about $120 in lost wages for two half-days at $15 an hour. Childcare is extra. Counties differ, so check the clerk. Court often runs from a pretrial conference to a trial over one to three months or more. A People’s Court Award is typically issued in days.
Do I have to appear anywhere?
No. You file online, including evenings and weekends. Small claims court usually means one or two weekday trips to the courthouse, with lost wages, childcare, and travel the court does not pay.
Is a People’s Court Award enforceable like a small claims judgment?
An Award is binding on the parties. If the other side does not pay, you can apply to a court to confirm the Award within one year, and the resulting judgment is enforced like any other court judgment.
Is there a dollar limit at People’s Court?
People’s Court does not use a small-claims-style cap. The fee scales with the amount in dispute, and claims below $100 use a simpler one-arbiter, text-only process.
These answers describe People’s Court procedure and general law. They are not legal advice for a particular dispute.