Article II: Civil Proceedings — Trial Court | PART J. SMALL CLAIMS
Rule Text
For the purpose of the application of Rules 281 through 288, a small claim is a civil action based on either tort or contract for money not in excess of $10,000, exclusive of interest and costs. The order entered December 6, 2005, amending Rule 281 and effective January 1, 2006, shall apply only to cases filed after such effective date.
Plain-English Summary (for reference only — not a substitute for the rule text above)
Small claims court in Illinois is for cases where someone is suing for $10,000 or less. The case must involve either a contract dispute or a tort, which means harm caused by someone's actions. The $10,000 limit does not include interest or court costs.
If your case falls within this limit, it will follow the small claims rules, which are simpler than regular civil court rules. Cases filed before January 1, 2006 follow the old version of this rule, while cases filed after that date follow the updated version.
Summary generated April 01, 2026
Committee Notes
(Revised January 1, 2022) This rule was based on paragraph A of former Rule 9-1 which was in effect from January 1, 1964, to January 1, 1967. The only changes of substance made by the 1967 revision were increasing the upper limit of a small claim from $200 to $500, including tax-collection cases in the definition, and adding the phrase “based on either tort or contract.” The limit was further increased to $1,000 by the 1969 amendment, and to $2,500 by amendment in 1981. Rule 281 was amended in 2005 to increase the jurisdictional limit from $5,000 to $10,000. As the change will require a modification to the allocation of judicial resources, the change was made applicable only to new cases and does not apply to pending cases. Rule 281 was amended effective January 1, 2022, to remove tax collection cases up to $10,000 from being filed as a small claims case.
Amended effective December 15, 1966; amended May 27, 1969, effective July 1, 1969; amended January 5, 1981, effective February 1, 1981; amended December 3, 1996, effective January 1, 1997; amended December 6, 2005, effective January 1, 2006; amended Sept. 29, 2021, eff. Jan. 1, 2022.
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