Where you file a small claims unpaid invoice in BC depends entirely on the amount. Claims up to $5,000 go to the Civil Resolution Tribunal, an online tribunal you generally must use rather than choose. Claims from $5,001 to $35,000 go to Provincial Court Small Claims. Anything above that belongs in Supreme Court, unless you abandon the excess to stay in the simpler forum. Getting the forum wrong wastes filing fees and months, and the CRT’s existence changes whether a small receivable is worth pursuing at all.
Key Takeaways
- Claims up to $5,000 must generally go to the Civil Resolution Tribunal.
- Small Claims Court covers $5,001 to $35,000.
- Claims above $35,000 go to Supreme Court, or you can abandon the excess.
- The $35,000 limit counts all claims on the notice, regardless of the number of defendants.
- Interest and expenses are not counted toward the limit.
- A judgment is not payment, and enforcement is a separate exercise.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Which forum applies and whether a claim is worth bringing should be confirmed for your specific file.
Three Forums, Set by the Amount
British Columbia splits civil money claims across three levels, and the split is not discretionary.
| Amount claimed | Forum |
| Up to $5,000 | Civil Resolution Tribunal |
| $5,001 to $35,000 | Provincial Court, Small Claims |
| Over $35,000 | Supreme Court, or abandon the excess |
The Province of British Columbia’s small claims guidance sets out the thresholds and the conditions attached to each.
Metro Vancouver generates a large volume of these claims, and businesses handling Vancouver debt collection across a mixed ledger are frequently dealing with accounts that fall on both sides of the $5,000 line, which means two entirely different processes for the same customer base.
The Civil Resolution Tribunal
The CRT is the part of this system that surprises people, particularly anyone whose expectations were formed in another province.
It Is Mandatory, Not Optional
Established under the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act, the CRT has jurisdiction over certain claims of $5,000 and under, and those claims must go through the CRT before they can proceed to Provincial Court.
That is a different arrangement from a small claims court with a low threshold. It is a separate tribunal with its own process, and for most sub-$5,000 money claims it is the starting point rather than one option among several.
What Makes It Different
The CRT operates online from filing through to decision. It is designed for parties representing themselves, the fees are low, and there is no courthouse appearance in the ordinary case.
For a creditor, that changes the arithmetic on small receivables. A $3,000 invoice that would be uneconomic to litigate through counsel in a traditional court becomes viable when the forum is online, the fees are modest, and a business owner can run it without retaining a lawyer. Small operators in particular gain an option here that does not exist in the same form elsewhere, which matters where small business debt collection exposure sits in many small balances rather than a few large ones.
Getting an Exemption
The CRT route is not absolute. Using an application for exemption, a party can ask Small Claims Court to release the claim, arguing either that the CRT lacks jurisdiction over it or that it is not in the interests of justice and fairness for the CRT to adjudicate.
Exemptions are the exception rather than the norm, and the application itself takes time. Plan on the CRT unless you have a specific reason to think otherwise.
Provincial Court Small Claims
Claims between $5,001 and $35,000 proceed in Small Claims Court, a division of the Provincial Court designed for parties without counsel. The rules and procedures are considerably less formal than Supreme Court.
How the $35,000 Limit Is Calculated
The ceiling applies to the total claimed, not to each defendant separately. It includes all claims listed on the notice of claim regardless of how many defendants there are, and it includes the value of any goods being claimed.
Interest and expenses the claimant may be entitled to are not counted toward the limit. That distinction matters on an aged commercial account where accrued contractual interest has grown substantially, since the principal is what determines the forum.
Abandoning the Excess
Where a claim exceeds $35,000, you can still use Small Claims Court by abandoning the amount above the limit.
That is a genuine strategic choice rather than a technicality. Supreme Court is slower, more formal, and realistically means retaining counsel. A creditor owed $42,000 may recover more, faster, by claiming $35,000 in a forum it can navigate than by pursuing the full amount through a process that costs more than the difference.
Run that calculation deliberately rather than defaulting to the larger number.
Is It Worth Suing at All?
The forum question is easier than this one, and creditors tend to answer them in the wrong order.
Filing is worth considering where the debtor has verifiable assets or income, your documentation would survive a challenge, and the debtor is disputing liability rather than pleading inability to pay. It is rarely worth it where the debtor has nothing.
Establishing which situation you are in comes first. Trace and investigation work identifies whether a debtor holds property, whether a corporation is still active and who stands behind it, and whether other creditors hold registered security ahead of you. That assessment costs far less than a filing fee plus the months that follow it.
There is also a sequencing point worth taking seriously. A meaningful share of accounts resolve through third-party collections without any filing, at no upfront cost on a contingency arrangement. The accounts that survive collection activity are, by definition, the ones where the debtor is refusing rather than unable, and those are the accounts actually worth filing on.
A Judgment Is Not Payment
Winning produces an order confirming the amount owed. It does not transfer funds.
If the debtor ignores the order, enforcement becomes a separate exercise with its own steps and costs. That is true at every level, from a CRT decision through to Supreme Court, and it is the stage where creditors most often discover that the debtor’s circumstances were the real obstacle all along.
Budget for enforcement when you decide whether to file, not after you win.
Before You File
Five steps, in order:
- Confirm the exact legal entity. Suing a trade name rather than the corporation behind it is a common and costly error, and the BC registry will give you the correct name in minutes.
- Calculate the amount properly, separating principal from interest and expenses so you identify the right forum.
- Check your limitation date. British Columbia’s Limitation Act gives most claims two years from discovery, and it does not pause while you decide.
- Assess the debtor’s position before committing to the process.
- Assemble the documentation, including the contract, invoices, delivery records, and the correspondence trail.
Businesses that keep this information current as part of ordinary commercial debt collection practice can make the filing decision in an afternoon. Businesses that do not spend weeks reconstructing a file before they can even choose a forum.
Common Questions About Suing in BC
The questions below come up whenever a creditor considers filing.
What is the small claims limit in BC?
Thirty-five thousand dollars in Provincial Court Small Claims, with claims of $5,000 and under going to the Civil Resolution Tribunal and anything above $35,000 to Supreme Court.
What is the Civil Resolution Tribunal?
An online tribunal with jurisdiction over certain claims of $5,000 and under. It operates entirely online, is designed for self-represented parties, and must generally be used before those claims can go to Provincial Court.
Do I need a lawyer?
Both the CRT and Small Claims Court are designed to be navigated without one, which is a large part of why they suit ordinary business receivables.
Can I claim interest on top of the limit?
Interest and expenses are not counted toward the $35,000 ceiling, so accrued interest does not push a claim out of Small Claims Court on its own.
How long do I have to sue?
Most claims carry a two-year limitation period running from discovery of the claim. Filing late means the claim can be defeated regardless of its merits.
Decide the Route Before You Spend on It
The forum is determined by the amount, and BC’s structure genuinely helps creditors with small receivables, because the CRT makes claims viable that would be uneconomic anywhere else. None of that helps against a debtor with nothing to collect from.
If you are holding unpaid BC invoices, the sequence that saves money is establishing what the debtor has, placing the accounts that will resolve without a filing, and filing only on what remains. Bison Credit Solutions has been recovering receivables since 1992 and works accounts on a contingency basis, with no charge where nothing is collected.
Contact Bison Credit Solutions to have your BC accounts assessed before you commit to a filing.
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