Michigan small claims
How to fill out Michigan's DC 84 (Affidavit and Claim)
Official form: DC 84 — Affidavit and Claim, Small Claims · Walkthrough written against Form DC 84, Rev. 1/24
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Get the official DC 84 from the court's site →Link verified 2026-07-04. If it has moved, the court's forms index and clerk's office will have the current version — verify with the court before filing.
What this form is
The DC 84 — "Affidavit and Claim, Small Claims" — is the SCAO-approved form that starts a small claims case in Michigan's district courts. It is one statewide form; you file it with the district court for the right judicial district, the clerk fills in the hearing date on the Notice of Hearing portion, and a copy is served on the defendant.
Michigan small claims covers money claims up to $7,000. The form is an affidavit — you swear to it before a clerk or notary — and it doubles as the defendant's notice of hearing, which is why several boxes on it are marked "For Court Use Only."
Two things the form itself makes explicit: costs are not part of the amount claimed (the court determines and awards them separately), and item 10 records that filing in small claims means giving up the right to recover more than $7,000, to an attorney, to a jury trial, and to appeal the judge's decision.
The form, field by field
What each part of the form asks for, in the form's own order. These are descriptions of the questions — what to answer depends on facts only you know, and the court clerk or the form's own instructions are the authoritative sources.
The caption — court and parties (items 1–2)
Judicial district, court address
The district court where you are filing. Michigan district courts are organized by numbered judicial district; the court's address block identifies the courthouse.
1. Plaintiff — name, address, city/state/zip, telephone
Your identifying and contact information.
2. Defendant — name, address, city/state/zip, telephone
The defendant's identifying and contact information. The Notice of Hearing box beside these blocks (day, date, time, location, process server, fee paid) is completed by the court, not by you.
Item 3 — Prior related case
3. Previously filed action checkboxes
The form asks whether a civil action between these parties (or others) arising out of the same transaction or occurrence has been filed before — and if so, in which court, its case number, the judge, and whether that action remains pending or is no longer pending. Courts use this to connect related cases.
Items 4–6 — Who you are and what the parties are
4. Basis-of-knowledge checkboxes
You state that you have knowledge or belief about the facts and check what you are: the plaintiff (or guardian/conservator/next friend), a partner, or a full-time employee of the plaintiff — the people Michigan law allows to file for a party.
5. "The plaintiff is" checkboxes
Individual, partnership, corporation, sole proprietor, or a write-in line for anything else.
6. "The defendant is" checkboxes
The same options for the defendant. The corporation-vs-individual distinction matters for service and for naming the defendant correctly.
Items 7–9 — The claim itself
7. "The date(s) the claim arose is/are"
When the events happened; the form allows attaching separate sheets if necessary.
8. "Amount of money claimed is $___"
The amount, with the form's own note that plaintiff's costs are determined by the court and awarded as appropriate — they are not part of this number.
9. "The reasons for the claim are:"
Four lines for a plain-language description of why the defendant owes the amount in item 8.
Item 10 — The small-claims waiver
10. Rights acknowledgment
Pre-printed text stating that the plaintiff understands the claim is limited to $7,000 by law and that filing in small claims gives up the rights to (a) recover more than the limit, (b) an attorney, (c) a jury trial, and (d) appeal the judge's decision. It is part of the affidavit you swear to.
Items 11–12 — About the defendant (competency and military service)
11. Competency and age checkboxes
The form asks what you believe about the defendant: mentally competent or not, and 18 or older or not — protections exist for minors and legally incapacitated defendants, and the court screens for them here.
12. Military service checkboxes
Three options: you don't know whether the defendant is in the military service, the defendant is not, or the defendant is. This implements the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (cited on the form as 50 USC 3931), which limits default judgments against active-duty servicemembers.
Signature and notarization
Signature, subscribed and sworn before deputy clerk / notary
The DC 84 is an affidavit: you sign it, and a deputy court clerk or notary public completes the "subscribed and sworn to before me" block with the date, their signature, and (for notaries) commission details. Signing at the clerk's counter when filing is the common route, since the clerk can administer the oath.
Common reasons clerks reject this form
Clerks bounce filings for mechanical, fixable reasons. These are the patterns that come up with this particular form:
- ⚠Filing an unsworn form — the DC 84 is an affidavit, and without the clerk's or a notary's jurat it is incomplete.
- ⚠Writing the hearing information yourself — the Notice of Hearing box is for court use; the clerk fills it when the hearing is scheduled.
- ⚠Including costs in item 8 — the form says costs are determined by the court and are not part of the amount claimed.
- ⚠Claiming more than $7,000 — the district court clerk can't docket it as a small claim; larger claims go to the district court's general civil division.
- ⚠Skipping items 11–12 — the competency and military-service questions are part of the affidavit, and blank checkboxes stall default judgments later.
- ⚠Filing in the wrong judicial district — Michigan venue rules generally place the case where the defendant lives or where the transaction occurred; the district in the caption controls.
What filing costs, and where it happens
Michigan small claims filing fees are statewide by statute and tiered by claim amount: $30 for claims up to $600, $50 for claims from $600.01 to $1,750, and $70 for claims over $1,750. Service costs are separate. The district court clerk for your judicial district collects the fee; fee waivers are available for those who qualify.
You file at the district court for the proper venue — Michigan courts provide a court-finder by county on michigan.gov/courts. Filing in person lets the clerk administer the affidavit oath on the spot. After filing, the defendant is served with the form (which carries the hearing date the court entered), and both parties appear on that date.
Published fees and court locations for your county are in our Michigan small claims guide and the court directory. Fees change — verify the current amount with the clerk before filing.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get the DC 84?
From the Michigan Courts website (courts.michigan.gov) — the SCAO-approved PDF is free and fillable; the link on this page goes directly to it. District court clerk offices also provide paper copies.
Does the DC 84 have to be notarized?
It must be sworn — signed before either a deputy court clerk or a notary public, who completes the jurat block on the form. Many filers sign at the clerk's counter when filing, which takes care of it without a separate notary visit.
How much can I sue for in Michigan small claims?
Up to $7,000 — the limit is printed on the form itself in item 10, along with the trade-offs of the small claims division (no attorneys, no jury, and giving up appeal of the judge's decision — though the form's page-2 notes explain that a case heard by an attorney magistrate can be appealed to a district judge within 7 days).
What does it cost to file?
$30 to $70 depending on the amount claimed, plus service costs. The clerk's office confirms the exact total for your case — verify before filing.
What happens after I file?
The court schedules the hearing and completes the Notice of Hearing box on the form, the defendant is served, and both sides appear on the hearing date with their evidence. If the defendant doesn't appear, the form's own notice tells them a default judgment may be entered for the amount in item 8 plus costs.
Related guides
Form link verified: 2026-07-04. Reviewed against our Editorial Standards.
This is general information to help you understand the form — not legal advice, and not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney about your specific situation. Courts revise forms, fees, and procedures; the court's own instructions and your court clerk are the authoritative sources. Always verify with the court before filing.