VTCourtForms: Answering a Small Claims Case in Vermont

• VTCourtForms is made for Vermonters who are not represented by a lawyer. If you do have a lawyer, contact your lawyer before you start this.
• You have 30 days to reply to a Small Claims Complaint in Vermont. If you are past 30 days, you may still want to do these forms and get them into court as soon as possible before the plaintiff gets a judgement against you.
• If you want to ask for a counterclaim against the plaintiff, be prepared to pay a court filing fee of $65 or $90, depending on the amount you are suing for. Or, be prepared to submit a fee waiver form to the court at the same time that you submit your Small Claims Answer.
• Read about the full small claims process on the Small Claims Roadmap on VTLawHelp.org.

To use this tool, you will need to:

• have the Small Claims Complaint in front of you
• know the name and mailing address of the person, business or organization that is suing you
• decide if you agree or disagree with the complaint
• decide if you want to pursue a "counterclaim" against the plaintiff, and
• if you have a low income or get public assistance, you may find out it is "exempt" from collection (meaning it cannot be taken to settle a debt). Have information on the public benefits you or a family member receive, as well as your incomes, expenses and assets.

• At the end you will get a chance to preview your form and make changes if you need to.
• Then you can download, save, print and/or email a PDF of your completed form.
• You will also get an instruction sheet about how to get the completed form to the court – this includes emailing or dropping it off at court.
• This tool does not file forms for you. You will need to follow the instructions to get them to the court.