Understand the pre-authorization process for court e-filing fees. When you submit your documents online, the initial hold you see on your card is a pre-authorization for the estimated costs. This temporary measure ensures funds are available and only converts to a charge when the court accepts your filing.

Court Rejections

You don’t have to worry about paying for rejected e-filings. The court’s process ensures that if your submission isn’t accepted, the pre-authorized fees are not charged. The payment processor will not settle the hold, and your bank will release the funds, generally within 3 to 10 business days following the rejection by the court clerk. (Prepaid cards can take 30 days to show the charges have been released.)

Cancelling a Pending Filing

You can cancel a pending e-filing without incurring any charges from the court. When you cancel, the pre-authorization of the filing fees will not be processed. Your bank will then release the held funds, usually within 3 to 10 business days following your cancellation.

Be aware: Canceling this filing and refiling it later will result in the loss of your original submission date and time. The refiled document will be assigned a new submission date by the court.

Learn More About Cancelling a Pending Filing

How Fees Work: Corrected/Resubmitted Filings

Please be aware that resubmitting a canceled or rejected filing will result in a separate, new pre-authorization of the fees. You may temporarily see multiple pre-authorizations on your account, as the initial hold from the original filing can take several days to clear. For this reason, a credit card might be a preferable payment option.

Learn More About the Pre-Authorization of Fees With Debit Cards