What it costs to sue in Washington small claims court

An individual can sue for up to $10,000 in Washington small claims court. A business or other entity is capped at $5,000 instead.

Washington's $10,000 limit applies only to a natural person. Every other filer — a business, an assignee, any other entity — is capped at $5,000.

Source: Washington State Courts (courts.wa.gov)

Washington sets a different deadline depending on what the claim is about. Miss it and the court can throw the case out no matter how strong it is.

Washington charges one flat filing fee of $50, whatever the claim is worth.

$50 applies in counties with a court-annexed dispute resolution center (including the state's most populous counties); some counties without one charge $35 instead. The $10,000 limit is for an individual plaintiff — a business or other entity plaintiff is capped at $5,000.

Source: Washington State Courts (courts.wa.gov)

Filing isn't enough — the person you're suing has to be formally notified, and Washington recognizes these methods:

Sheriff. Flat $10 fee plus $0.35 per mile traveled to serve — mileage varies by distance from the courthouse. RCW 36.18.040

Certified mail (self-arranged). Plaintiffs can mail the claim by certified mail themselves. Cost shown is USPS's current certified mail + electronic return receipt rate. USPS Notice 123 (Price List)

Washington law also allows service by a private process server or by any adult who isn't a party to the case (RCW 36.18.040) — free if a friend or relative does it, though many hire a process server instead. No official source publishes a typical process-server rate.

Washington can waive the filing fee entirely for someone who can't afford it. The published income test is 125% of the federal poverty guidelines for your household size.

Automatic qualification. You currently receive TANF, SSI, federal poverty-related veterans' benefits, or SNAP (food stamps).

Above 125% of the poverty guideline, Washington courts still waive fees for an applicant who shows recurring basic living expenses leave them unable to pay — decided case by case, not from a published income line.

Source: GR 34 (Waiver of Court and Clerk's Fees and Charges in Civil Matters)

An unpaid Washington judgment earns 12% a year from the day it's entered until it's paid.

12% is the statutory floor — Washington law actually sets the rate at 12%, or 4 points above the average 26-week Treasury bill yield, whichever is higher. The alternative rate hasn't exceeded 12% in the current rate environment, but check RCW 19.52.020 if Treasury yields have risen sharply.

Source: RCW 4.56.110(6), via RCW 19.52.020(1)(a)

Washington caps how much of one paycheck a judgment creditor can take, based on the debtor's disposable earnings.

Washington's consumer-debt garnishment rule — the one that applies to an ordinary small claims judgment — is more protective than federal: it protects the greater of 35× the state minimum wage ($17.13/hour) or 80% of disposable earnings, so at most 20% is exposed.

Source: RCW 6.27.150(4)

A Washington judgment stays enforceable for 10 years. Renewing it costs $43.

Washington allows exactly one extension, and only if you petition inside that 90-day window — miss it and there's no second chance. Total enforceable life tops out at 20 years either way.

Source: RCW 6.17.020