# Domain Checklist: Israeli Small Claims Court (תביעות קטנות)

Coverage rubric for the `israeli-small-claims-court` skill. A consumer self-filing must be able to get the ceiling, fee, route, deadlines, evidence, hearing, judgment, appeal, and enforcement right from the skill alone. Each item is cited to an authoritative source: the Judicial Authority gov.il pages, Kol-Zchut, and the operative regulations (תקנות שיפוט בתביעות קטנות (סדרי דין), תשל"ז-1976) as amended.

## Must cover (an error or omission here can cost a default judgment, a struck claim, a missed fee, or a lost appeal)

1. **Jurisdiction ceiling: NIS 39,900 (as of Jan 2026), updated periodically.** Above the ceiling -> Magistrate Court. Source: Kol-Zchut הגשת תביעה קטנה ("בסכום של עד 39,900 ₪ (נכון לינואר 2026)"); gov.il small_claims_courts_guide.
2. **Filing fee: 1% of the claim amount, rounded UP to a multiple of NIS 5, minimum NIS 50 (reg. 6(a)(1)-(3)).** Not a flat fee. A counterclaim and a third-party notice pay the same fee; fee-exemption request available. Source: gov.il small_claims_courts_guide; Kol-Zchut ("אגרה בגובה של 1% מסכום התביעה, ובכל מקרה לא פחות מ-50 ₪").
3. **Defense deadline: defendant files כתב הגנה within 30 days of being served the claim.** Same 30 days for a defense to a counterclaim. Source: תקנות שיפוט בתביעות קטנות (סדרי דין) תק' 4(ב).
4. **Non-attendance (reg. 11): neither party appears -> claim struck; plaintiff appears, defendant absent -> judgment on the claim after the plaintiff affirms it; defendant appears, plaintiff absent -> claim DISMISSED. No defense filed (reg. 10) -> court may give judgment on the claim alone but usually still hears the defendant (Kol-Zchut).** Source: תק' 10-11; Kol-Zchut.
5. **Appeal: by leave only (בקשת רשות ערעור) to the District Court. Deadline = 30 days for proceedings opened on/after 11.4.2025, counted from service, or from the hearing date if given in the parties' presence (reg. 16A(a)) (was 15 days before); fee NIS 588 (2026); no appeal from a s.79A(a) compromise judgment. Court recess counts toward all periods (reg. 16A(b)) Default-judgment set-aside: 30 days from service (reg. 12).** Source: תק' 16 as amended 11.4.2025 (applies פרק י"ז לתקסד"א, "המועד... הוא 30 ימים מיום מתן פסק הדין"); Kol-Zchut.
6. **Service of the claim on the defendant (המצאה) is ultimately the plaintiff's responsibility.** The court clerk sends the claim + summons by mail, BUT if it has not been served by 60 days before the hearing, the plaintiff (or someone on their behalf) must serve it at least 40 days before the hearing; without proof of service (אישור מסירה) the judge cannot hear the case and the claim may be struck. Source: תק' 7(ב1); gov.il filing_a_small_claim ("באחריות התובע לוודא... שכתב התביעה וההזמנה לדיון נמסרו לנתבע"; "ללא אישור מסירה... התביעה עלולה להימחק").
7. **Who can be a plaintiff: only an individual (incl. עוסק מורשה/פטור).** A company/partnership/association cannot sue here but can be sued. Source: Kol-Zchut; gov.il guide.
8. **Lawyer representation: parties appear in person; a lawyer may not appear at the hearing without special court leave**. Source: Kol-Zchut ("ההליך... אינו דורש ייצוג... רק אם בית המשפט יקבל את הבקשה...").
9. **Post-judgment enforcement: open a תיק הוצאה לפועל; the debtor is served an אזהרה with 20 days from service to pay or seek an installments order before enforcement measures (garnishment, bank/property seizure). A travel ban is barred where total adjudged debts are under NIS 50,000 (s.14(e)(1)), so it is not available on a small claims judgment alone.** No fixed statutory 30-day voluntary window was found (2026-09-13); do not assert one. Source: חוק ההוצאה לפועל s.7(a); Kol-Zchut.

## Should cover (incompleteness degrades the skill but is not immediately fatal)

10. **More than 5 claims by the same plaintiff in the same court that year: the judge MAY decline and transfer to Magistrate Court (discretion, not a leave requirement).** Source: gov.il small_claims_courts_guide ("תובע שכבר הגיש... יותר מ-5 תביעות... רשאי השופט שלא לדון... ולהעבירה לבית משפט השלום").
11. **Local jurisdiction (סמכות מקומית), reg. 2: (a) defendant's residence or place of business, or place of the act/omission, overriding any contract clause; counterclaim where the original was filed; (b) internet publication/commerce claims ONLY at the defendant's or plaintiff's residence/place of business. No property-location ground for landlord disputes.** Source: תקנות שיפוט בתביעות קטנות reg. 2; Kol-Zchut.
12. **Pre-suit demand letter (מכתב התראה/דרישה) is advisable (good faith), not strictly mandatory.** Source: Kol-Zchut; practice guides.
13. **Evidence: the court may accept evidence that would be inadmissible elsewhere (Courts Law s.62(a)); attach all documents relied on at filing (reg. 3(d)); bring originals, organized copies, timeline, expert opinion where technical.** Source: Courts Law s.62; reg. 3.
14. **Hearing flow: mediation offer, presentation by both sides, judgment may be on the spot or later.** Source: gov.il guide.
15. **Enforcement limitation period: 25 years to enforce a court judgment.** Source: חוק ההתיישנות התשי"ח-1958; Kol-Zchut.
16. **Magistrate Court monetary ceiling (NIS 2.5M) for over-ceiling claims.** Source: חוק בתי המשפט [נוסח משולב] התשמ"ד-1984.

## Out of scope (correctly excluded)

17. Criminal complaints, family law, real-estate ownership, class actions (court hears a claim filed by an individual, s.60(a)). Re-litigated 2026-09-13: defamation, spam and discrimination-at-entry compensation claims are IN scope (Kol-Zchut lists them as typical small claims), and money claims against a public body are in scope. Source: Kol-Zchut; Courts Law.
18. Claims over NIS 39,900 (route to Magistrate Court). Source: as above.

## Authoritative sources

- Judicial Authority - Filing a Small Claim: https://www.gov.il/he/service/filing_a_small_claim
- Judicial Authority - Small Claims Courts Guide: https://www.gov.il/he/pages/small_claims_courts_guide
- תקנות שיפוט בתביעות קטנות (סדרי דין), תשל"ז-1976 (Nevo): https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law00/98563.htm ; Wikisource full text.
- Kol-Zchut - Filing a Small Claim: https://www.kolzchut.org.il/he/הגשת_תביעה_קטנה
- Consumer Protection Law 1981 (Nevo): https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law01/089_001.htm
- Courts Law [Consolidated] 1984 (Nevo): https://www.nevo.co.il/law_html/law00/74849.htm
- חוק ההתיישנות התשי"ח-1958.