Court & Hearings

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The Big Picture

E-filing is required for most civil cases in Illinois. Instead of filing paper forms at the courthouse, you can send forms to the court clerk through a computer. If you cannot e-file,…

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E-filing is a complicated process with many steps. The steps may vary based on which electronic filing service provider (EFSP) you use. For a detailed step-by-step guide for how to e-file using the Odyssey eFileIL EFSP, see the Illinois Courts website. If you qualify for an e-filing exemption, you can file paper forms instead. For more information on all of this, plus e-filing exhibits, visit our E-filing FAQs.

There are multiple places you can find forms based on the type of case you are filing. You can use Easy Forms to help fill out forms or download blank forms. Both are found in our Form Library. Blank statewide court forms are on the Illinois Courts website. You can also contact your local court for forms.

All completed forms need to be in PDF format before you upload them. See our E-filing FAQs for information on how to create PDF documents.

Create an e-filing account through an Illinois EFSP. You will need an email account before registering. Once you make an e-filing account, it can be used on any EFSP in Illinois.

If you are starting a new case, enter the location and type of case you are filing. You will need to know what category of case that you are bringing so that the right judge hears your case. For help figuring this out, check out the Case Categories section of this manual about Case Information on the Illinois Courts website.

If you are filing into an existing case, you will have to look up your case by location and case number. You can find the case number in the top right corner of the first document filed in the case. This is usually called a complaint, a request, or a petition. Most courts have websites where you can look up the case number.

If you are filing to appeal a trial court’s decision, select the Appellate District that your county is in. If you are filing to appeal an appellate court’s decision, select the Supreme Court of Illinois. For more information about appeals, visit Resources for Self-Represented Litigants.

Important "Enter information about your case" instructions for Cook County

In Cook County, if you are filing a new case, you will also need to know which District you need to file in. This is based on location. Cook County is divided into six districts, each with their own courthouse. If you don’t know which District your town is located in, you can look it up on the Circuit Court of Cook County website.

The courthouses are located in:

• Chicago (District 1),
• Skokie (District 2),
• Rolling Meadows (District 3),
• Maywood (District 4),
• Bridgeview (District 5), and
• Markham (District 6).

Cook County has its own case types and case categories that are different from the rest of Illinois. If you are in Cook county, see this list of case information for filing a new case. If you need help, call the Circuit Clerk of Cook County at (312) 603-HELP (4357) or email [email protected].

In Cook County, you also need to enter an Attorney Code, also referred to as your "Case Cross Reference ID." If you are not a lawyer, enter the code 99500.

If you are starting a new case, you will enter your information under "Plaintiff" or "Petitioner." You will then enter the other party’s information. Click "add more" if there are more parties in the case, and enter their information.

If you are filing into an existing case, the EFSP website should automatically fill in your information. If you are not listed and need to add yourself to the case, click "add more" and enter your information. If you are representing yourself, select "Pro Se" under attorney information.

Documents must be in PDF format. Select the type of document you are filing. You must also select whether the document is confidential or non-confidential. See our E-filing FAQs for more information about confidential filings.

Next, you must upload a lead document. If applicable, upload attachments and any other documents. Most documents are "lead documents." You should only use "attachments" if the document is an exhibit or attachment to the lead document.

Remove the following information from all filings:

• Social security and taxpayer ID number,
• Financial bank account number, driver’s license number, debit and credit card numbers, and
• Any other information ordered by the court.

If you mark your filing as "confidential," your filing may be rejected if you do not include a court order that says it is confidential. It may also be rejected if you are filing into a case type that is usually available to the public. If the judge did not sign an order allowing the case to be sealed, you will select "non-confidential."

Some EFSPs provide the option to electronically serve the other parties in your case. Since delivery and service is required for most documents, this could be a useful way to handle service, but it depends on your type of case and what type of document you are filing. For assistance with this process, contact Illinois Court Help for assistance. You can call or text them at (833) 411-1121.

You may have to pay court fees for the papers you file. The fees depend on the type of case you are filing and the county. Even if you do not owe any fees, you still have to add a “payment account” to e-file. You can select credit card or debit card, bank account (eCheck), or waiver. If you already received a fee waiver from a judge, select waiver on the drop down menu. If you want to request a waiver, select waiver and upload a fee waiver application.

In Cook County, for some cases there is an additional box on the Fees screen called “Amount of money asked for in complaint.” You should enter the total amount of money that is asked for in the complaint. You cannot e-file without this. For example, if your complaint is asking for $5,000 in Small Claims Court, you will enter $5,000 into this box.

You can review your information before you e-file. Make changes or add any information you missed. After you make sure the information is correct, select submit.

Important "Review and submit your filings" instructions for Cook County

In Cook County, for some cases, you will also need to add the "return date," which is the first court date in your case. To see if a return date is required, select the "return date" button. The e-filing platform will show a green box that says "return date verified" if a date is not required. Then, review the submission agreement to complete the process. If a date is required, use the calendar to choose a date that you can attend.

If you are filing a motion in Cook County, after you e-file your documents, sometimes you will need to schedule a hearing for it. If you see a screen called "hearing" after you click submit, you can select a hearing date and time for your court case, or select “do not schedule.” If you do not know if your filing requires a hearing date, please call the division or district where you are filing. You can call the Cook County Circuit Clerk’s office at 312-603-5030, the Cook County JusticeCorps Helpline at 872-529-1093, or Illinois Court Help at 833-411-1121.

Once you have finished e-filing your documents, the court clerk will review the documents and either accept your documents or return them for any corrections. You will receive an electronic timestamp on the documents if they are accepted.

After filing the documents, you will normally receive two emails for each lead document submitted from [email protected]. These emails include:

• A confirmation message: This message should arrive very soon after you submit your document telling you that your document was received, and
• A status message: This tells you if the court has accepted or rejected your document and may take several hours or days to receive. This email will also include a link to a copy of the document with the court’s stamp on it. Keep checking your email or log into your e-filing account to see if your filing was accepted. If your document is accepted it will be filed with the court and become a part of the case. Even if your document is accepted, you should continue to check your email address regularly in case you get more information from the court about your case. If your document is rejected, the clerk should explain why.

Check your spam or junk folders if you do not see a confirmation or status email from [email protected].

Those messages or other court documents should explain details about the next court date. It may be in person or remote. You might need to visit the court clerk’s website to look up your case. Contact Illinois Court Help for assistance. You can call or text them at (833) 411-1121.

You also must notify the other parties in your case about your e-filed documents. See our E-filing FAQs for more information about sending your forms to other parties.