Court Costs Recovery Calculator — Canada

In Ontario, you cannot recover full lawyer fees. You can recover a representation fee of up to 15% of the amount claimed, plus actual disbursements (filing fee, process server, expert witness). This is why most small claims litigants are self-represented.

Recoverable disbursements include: court filing fees, process server fees, expert witness fees (if the expert was necessary and reasonable), courier fees for serving documents, and travel expenses in some cases.

Yes. You should specifically request costs in your Plaintiff's Claim form and at the hearing. Courts will not automatically award costs — you must ask and provide evidence of what you spent.