4. Get your hearing date

The court will send you and the defendant a Notice of Terms of Payment Hearing. The notice tells you the time and date of your court hearing. It will also tell you the hearing method. Most terms of payment hearings are held by videoconference.

Ask to change how the hearing is held

If a virtual hearing won't work for you, you can request a change in writing to the Small Claims Court office handling your case. You can do this by email. You can also ask in person but only if you don't have email access.

In your request, explain why you need to change how the hearing is held. For example, you might ask for an in-person hearing or a phone hearing because you don't have a device you can use for a virtual hearing.

You can learn more about making requests in the Superior Court of Justice's Guidelines to Determine Hearing Method in the Small Claims Court.

Get the Financial Information Form

If the defendant is a person and not a business, the court also sends them a Form 20I:Financial Information Form. In it, they must give details about their income, expenses, debts, and assets.

Once they have completed the form, the defendant must serve you with a copy at least 30 days before the date of your hearing.