Court & Hearings

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, you may qualify for an exemption. For more information on exemptions In bankruptcy, property that you can protect from creditors. In property taxes, an amount that reduces the value of your home that is used to calculate property taxes owed. , see our E-filing common questions.

To get started, you need to make 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.

After you fill out your forms, they need to be in PDF A type of document that can be viewed and printed from many devices format to e-file. See our E-filing common questions for information on how to create PDF documents. You can e-file your forms through one of the electronic filing service providers (EFSPs) in Illinois. You must have an email account to e-file using an EFSP. Some EFSPs charge a fee to e-file through their site.

There can be a charge to file forms into your court case. The fee is based on the county and the type of form you are filing. You must pay the fee to the court clerk unless you qualify for a fee waiver. Use the Fee waiver Easy Form to make the application forms you need to ask the court to waive To give up a legal right or pardon a fee your fees.

The process for e-filing varies by county. Contact the local circuit clerk The office that takes care of files and documents for circuit court cases or Illinois Court Help for assistance.