Step-by-step filing walkthrough

Your screens depend on whether you are starting a case, joining an existing case, and which details the court needs. You may skip screens or return to an earlier screen to make a change. The stages are Start, Upload, Confirm case, Check documents, Organize documents, People, Fees and Review.

This guide follows the October 13, 2026 interface. Your court's available choices and local instructions may differ. Find help for your state if you are unsure which court, documents or filing types apply.

Choose your filing path or find documents

Choose Start a new case if this filing opens a case. Choose File into an existing case if the court already has the case. Starting from that menu can skip the separate path question; Back from Upload returns to where you started.

If you do not know which forms to prepare, use Find forms and instructions where offered. Describe what you want to do and choose a guide. Its checklist and external interviews/forms are preparation help; opening them does not file anything. Illinois has guides at this snapshot; Massachusetts and Vermont do not yet have populated guides. You can still use your state's court/help resources. Signing in from a selected guide returns you to that guide. Starting a filing carries the new/existing path; you still choose and confirm live court codes.

Synthetic finder example, October 13, 2026. Choose the guide that fits; linked resources still need partner review.

View the current finder screenshots (Illinois search/guide and Massachusetts no-guide state, desktop/mobile).

Upload your court documents

Upload PDF (.pdf) or Word (.doc, .docx) files, up to 10 MB per file. LITEfile prepares PDF copies for court and preserves the originals. By default, fillable PDFs are flattened to keep their visible answers; jurisdiction settings can disable this preparation. All three configured states use the default. Check the prepared copy next: conversion can change layout, fonts or form fields. Images or Apple Pages files need to be exported to a supported format first.

Your main document is the document this filing is built around. The court's per-document “Lead Document” component is a separate choice and may apply to more than one PDF. Additional uploads may include supporting papers or waiver forms. Complete required signatures and make the text readable before uploading.

Read any Information from the court about filing rules. Those notices can be general; the selected court's requirements appear again before submission. You may choose Do not use AI to read my documents and enter the details manually. If analysis fails or has no usable answer, check the documents and complete missing answers manually. A failed PDF preparation needs a usable file before you can send it.

Confirm information and check each filing PDF

Open Confirm information after uploading. Check the PDF that will be sent: all pages, signatures, checkboxes, filled answers and readable layout. If the file changed or was replaced, review the new copy again. Document preview is part of this screen; there is no separate Preview step in the current path.

Review suggested answers rather than treating them as court decisions. Analysis may omit pages/text beyond its limits; the screen identifies that limitation. An asterisk marks information read from your document where shown.

For a new case, confirm the court, case category, case type and filing type shown. Use Edit to change a suggested court/category; dependent choices may need to be selected again. Guided court questions and filing-code search help you find the court's choices, but cannot decide legal eligibility. Some case types ask Which side of this case are you on? to tailor their document guidance. This checklist side is separate from your court-party role in People.

For an existing case, confirm the path and case number if shown, then find the case in the court's records. The case title/category/type come from the court lookup rather than becoming editable guesses from your document.

A saved path appears with Change. If the document seems to conflict with it, LITEfile asks you to check; it does not change the path automatically. Changing new/existing keeps the draft and uploads but requires checking filing types and fees again. Switching to existing goes through lookup.

Synthetic Massachusetts example, October 13, 2026. Check the actual document and court choices; this image does not recommend a filing type.

View Confirm information and existing-case screenshots (synthetic Massachusetts/Vermont examples, October 13).

Find and confirm an existing case

On Find your court case, choose the court and enter the case number as it appears on the paperwork. Confirm Is this your court case? against the returned court record. If it is wrong, return to lookup; changing court for an existing case requires finding and confirming the case again.

Court-owned case/party details are shown as court records. Confirm the correct case before choosing a filing type from its current court list. Existing-case filing-type search happens after case confirmation; it does not ask you to reclassify the court's case. Your party association and who you file for are handled in People, rather than a role question on this confirmation screen.

Check documents

Where a checklist is configured, Check your documents shows what filings like yours often include. It can depend on case type, filer side, main filing type and local court supplements. Groups are Commonly included, Often included and May apply. You can mark what you have, already filed or will file later. If the checklist needs your side and you have not answered yet, it asks Which side of this case are you on? here. You can add documents on this screen; existing cases also offer Find my filing type after case confirmation.

The checklist is non-blocking guidance. It does not establish that your filing is complete, and you do not have to tick every item. Verify forms and local rules using the court or a legal-help service.

Organize documents

Choose each document's filing type from the court's choices and check the main document. Some courts require a particular filing component; more than one PDF can have the court's “Lead Document” component.

For confidentiality, follow the applicable court rule or court order. Do not choose confidential solely because a document contains sensitive information. If unsure, ask the court about its rules and any required redaction or request before submitting. Confidentiality choices and instructions differ by court.

Optional services, such as a certified copy or courtesy email, may appear here. A changed filing type/service can change the fee. A court or document restriction may stop the path; read its message rather than choosing an inaccurate type to continue.

Check your information and people in the filing

On Your information, check your contact details and where notices go. On Who is involved in this case?, choose your role/party association and who you are filing for. Save role stays on the page so you can check the result; use Continue when the list is ready. Missing person details can lead to Add the next party or Check this party’s details; court-specific questions appear only when needed.

Existing cases use the imported court roster. You cannot freely rewrite a court-owned party entry. Follow the available association/add-person options; contact the court if its record is wrong. Check the notice address separately from party names, especially when filing for someone else.

Fees, payment and waiver requests

On the Fees stage, Choose how to pay court fees shows the court’s quote. Available payment methods depend on the court; a bank account may be unavailable even if saved on your profile. Some free filings still require a payment method. The displayed confirmed total explains what is due now.

Open Who qualifies for a fee waiver? for the local help. Under Payment method, choose I think I qualify for a fee waiver when requesting one, and include the required form or order. Where a configured case exemption applies, the option reads Claim the fee exemption for this case; read its instructions instead of assuming an income-based waiver is needed. Selecting either option does not approve a court waiver or decide eligibility.

When the upload is needed, Add fee waiver document opens an in-place upload; check the PDF and complete its filing choices. A waiver check stays on the current screen; read any message that needs attention. A request is not court approval, and the court may later ask you to pay. Eligibility and exemption rules vary by state.

If a fee quote becomes stale or fails, retry as instructed or return to Fees. Do not submit while the current fee/payment details remain unresolved.

Synthetic Illinois example, October 13, 2026. The form and amount illustrate the controls; no court waiver or payment was approved.

View in-place waiver and Review screenshots (synthetic Illinois examples, October 13; no actual payment or waiver approval).

Review your filing and submit

Check the court/case, every filing PDF and type, people, notice address, optional services and current total. Use Edit for a change. Completing the edit usually returns to Review; a change that leaves document choices incomplete first returns to Organize. A replaced PDF needs another review. Court, filing type or service changes cause the fees to be checked again.

Read the selected court's requirements and acknowledgment. Requirements are rechecked at submission; if they changed, review the new text. Use Submit filing or Submit and pay, as shown, once the filing is ready. While it is sending, keep the page open and avoid repeated submission attempts.

Confirmation and the live tracker

Save the submission reference/receipt. Sent or Received does not mean Accepted. The tracker shows the available court update and any known event times; missing times are not a complete event history. A submission can contain several filings with different outcomes.

Email availability depends on the service configuration. Tyler may send separate notices; customized LITEfile/proxy mail is disabled pending signoff at this snapshot. An email graphic shows the status when sent. Follow the tracker link and sign in to see current details; a submission link may ask you to choose a filing. Local review estimates/office hours, where sourced, do not promise a decision date.

See tracking and support guidance for missing updates, returned filings and correction limits.

Screenshot evidence

The earlier numbered walkthrough screenshots predate this interface and are no longer shown as current instructions. The screenshot register records version, capture date, jurisdiction, scenario, scope and source links. Selected current images appear above with alt text and fallback source links. Older preparation images can illustrate a PDF result, but not the current screen sequence. Screenshots are stored in a gist; the obsolete static images were removed.