Small Claims Settlement Calculator

Introduction: Estimate a simple small-claims net recovery

This calculator subtracts filing fees and other case costs from the damages amount you expect to recover. It is a quick planning tool for deciding whether a small-claims case is worth pursuing, settling, or documenting more carefully before filing.

Enter the damages as the amount you believe the other side should pay. Then enter court filing fees and any other out-of-pocket costs you want to account for, such as service fees, certified mail, copying, parking, or preparation costs. The output is the potential net amount after those costs.

Formula

Potential net settlement = damages - filing fees - other costs.

For example, a $1,200 claim with $75 in filing fees and $50 in other costs gives a net estimate of $1,075. If the other side offers $900, the calculator helps you compare that offer with the cost-adjusted value of continuing.

Limitations and assumptions: What the estimate does not include

The result does not predict whether you will win, whether the court will award the full amount, whether the other party can pay, or whether your jurisdiction allows every cost you entered. It also does not value your time. If time away from work or travel is significant, include it in the other costs field or compare it separately.

How to use: Use it with documentation

Keep receipts, contracts, photos, messages, repair estimates, and a short timeline. The calculator gives you the arithmetic. Your evidence is what supports the number.

Worked example: compare one realistic scenario

Enter a realistic value for Damages ($), keep the other fields at normal operating values, and record the result. Then change only Other Costs ($) and rerun the calculator. The difference shows which assumption deserves attention.