Understanding Filing Fees In A Glance

In common law, the act of filing refers to the formal submission of a document to a clerk of a court. Filing is necessary to initiate the court's immediate consideration and is required for organizational purposes. Once the document is filed, it is stored in the court's record system.

A United States court system will not consider a motion unless an appropriate brief or document is filed before the applicable deadline. Attached to the filing of all legal documents is a filing fee, which must be paid by the individual initiating the legal action or filing the document. Filing fees are paid at the time the document is being filed.


Filing fees represent a court or legal cost and are considered a fundamental charge of the United States court system. In essence, the individual or entity filing the document is paying for the court action and the ability to store the document in the court's filing system.

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