E-File FAQs

On the internet, go to www.myflcourtaccess.com.  Once there, you may want to add the site to your “Favorites” so you can easily get back to it. You will see the “Register” button at the top. Instructions are easy to follow for setting up your registration, user name and password. If you wish for more assistance, there are a number of videos available on the Florida Courts E-Filing Authority website that can help you with many of the tasks, including initial registration.

The Florida Bar member database is used to validate who you are when signing on.  The system recognizes your Bar i.d. and the name that you have registered with The Bar. So, if you sign on as Bill Porter, and your registered Bar name is William Porter, the portal will reject the registration. So, make sure you do not mis-type your name or Bar i.d.

Q. How do I register and file

There is no cost to register. Once you register, you may file in all state courts in Florida.

However, the statutory filing fees still apply so if you are submitting a new case, or a document that requires a fee, there will be a filing fee required in order to submit your document for filing and a statutory convenience fee based on the payment method.

Q. How much does it cost to register and file

If you registered from the portal homepage, www.myflcourtaccess.com, you need to look for two emails sent to the email account you provided. The emails will be from [email protected]. The first email acknowledges that you have successfully registered. The second email asks you to click on a link embedded in the body of the email. This link “activates” your account. Until you click through on this link, you cannot log into the portal from the home page. The link will take you to a page where can log in for the first time. Please make sure to write down your username and password for your records.

Q. I tried to register but I cannot “get in” the portal. What should I do

The Florida Courts E-Filing Portal accepts Discover, MasterCard, Visa and American Express. The following convenience fees are established.

• Credit Cards = 3.5% of Filing Fee
• ACH = $5 flat rate

The portal generates a receipt that is emailed to the filer when he or she files a document and it is accepted by the Clerk’s Office. That email message contains a number called the filing reference number, or “filing i.d.” That filing i.d. will show up on the credit card receipts and, by mid-year, will appear on bank statements as well. The following shows the numbering convention and several examples of how it will be presented.

“ePortal”+{8 digit filing id}+{space}+{6 character memo}

Samples from a statement:

ePortal822539 R Link
ePortal824252
ePortal826277 091644

Please note: the credit card or bank account is not charged for the filing until the Clerk accepts the filing.

Q. How do I pay for filing a document

There are two options for having filing fees waived:

Option 1 – On the Fees and Payments page:

• Request Fee Waiver
• Select Waiver Reason
• Attach Waiver Form

Option 2 – Request to have a “law firm account” established. These type accounts can be set up to waive filing fees for all users affiliated with the account.  This type account is an organizational account, not exclusive to private firms, and may be utilized by state agencies, state attorneys, public defenders, and other public entity organizations that are eligible according to s. 28.345, F.S.

An authorized organizational representative should contact their local Clerk’s office and request to have a Law Firm account established for their organization. Please refer to the Organization Administrator User Guide on the Florida Courts E-Filing Authority website for details on managing the law firm account and its affiliated users.

Please note that, if an attorney files case on behalf of both a public entity (fees waived) and private clients (fees not waived), they may not be affiliated with a law firm account that has fees universally waived.  Those attorneys would have to utilize option 1 above when filing on behalf of public entity clients and pay the fees when filing on behalf of private clients.

Q. How may I have filing fees waived if filing on behalf of an entity exempted pursuant to s. 28.345, F.S.

Each year Florida Courts E-Filing Portal has been audited for financial security and received no comments. Those audits are posted on the authority website, Florida Courts E-filing Portal. Further, the portal was built to industry fraud standards using PCI compliance and the financial controls are monitored constantly.

Debit block services protect your bank accounts from unauthorized electronic charges. The block (or filter) provides stringent control over electronic transactions posted to bank accounts. Your bank will only process authorized transactions. Check with your bank before setting up a debit payment. If you have a debit block on your bank account, you must provide certain information to your bank so it can process your payments. 

Q. How do I know that my banking information is protected

No, the only requirement will be an internet connection and a browser. If you are able to send and receive email with attached documents, and use a fairly new computer — the portal supports Internet Explorer 11 or higher — you probably already know how to navigate your computer to attach a text or PDF document as you file on the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. Use a personal computer when filing as the portal does not currently accept documents sent from an iPad or an Android device.

Please note: a document must be sent through the portal. Sending a document by email to the Clerk's office or to MyFlCourtAccess.com does not get it filed or edited. 

Q. Is special software required to e-file? And, what type of computer should I use

The Florida Courts E-Filing Portal will accept filings in Word, Word Perfect, or PDF formats. By default, the ePortal will convert a WORD or Word Perfect document and provide it in PDF format to the local record system. The preferred format is PDF/A. This format will be required by June, 2021.

Q. What document types does the ePortal support

As defined in Rules of Judicial Administration 2.520:

• 8 ½ x 11 inches
• Portrait orientation
• 300 DPI [for a scanned document]
• Black and white not color [for a scanned document]
• 3 x 3 inch space at the top right-hand corner on the first page
• 1 x 3 inch space at the top right-hand corner on each subsequent page
• 1 inch margin
• Do not password protect your documents

Multiple pleadings, motions, etc. should not be combined into one single file; each individual document should be uploaded via the Portal document submission process.

A deviation from these guidelines may result in the submitted filing being moved to a Pending Queue with the filer being notified via email and requested to correct the issue(s) with the document(s) and resubmit the filing.

The Document submission standards are posted on the Florida Courts E-Filing Authority website.

Q. Are there any special requirements for documents

The Appellate Court Technology Committee has approved and the Florida Court Technology Commission has been informed of the Document Binary File Name Standards for e-filing and e-recording. Please be aware that certain naming conventions do not transmit through the portal without error.

Q. The portal is saying my document is not named right? What should I do

 The Supreme Court requires that documents submitted electronically to the Florida State Courts System must be ADA complaint. For more information about how to make your documents complaint, visit the Supreme Court Accessibility page.

Q. I hear my documents must be ADA compliant. What does that mean

Filings, which can be comprised of multiple documents, are limited to 50 megabytes in size. This also applies to a total size when adding more than one document—the sizes as added together cannot exceed 50 megabytes for one submission.

If you have an oversize document or filing, Please file one page with wording “Request oversize document filing” and include email information.  Our IT department will send instructions for filing the document(s).

Q. I’m having issues filing a large document. Why won’t my document transmit properly

The filer must check the documents that are being filed for confidential information. If you are filing a document with confidential information, you must attach a Notice of Confidential Information within the court filing as per rule 2.420, Rule of Judicial Administration. The form is posted on the e-filing site, right below where you add a document.

Q. What do I do if my document contains confidential information

The ePortal supports electronic signatures as defined in AO 09-30:

A pleading or other document is not required to bear the electronic image of the handwritten signature or an encrypted signature of the filer, but may be signed in the following manner when electronically filed through a registered user’s login and password.

• s/ John Doe
• John Doe (e-mail address)
• Bar Number 12345
• Attorney for (Plaintiff/Defendant)
• XYZ Company
• ABC Law Firm
• 123 South Street Orlando, FL 32800
• Telephone: (407) 123-4567

Verified and sworn documents and original paper judgments and sentences may be filed electronically but must also be deposited with the Clerk’s office in paper format. 

Q. How do I sign a document to send electronically

The Clerk’s Office has the ability to add items to the drop-down menus. You will need to call the clerk’s office in the county in which you are filing so they can add that option in the party drop-down.

Q. I need to add a non-party filer or an intervenor and the selection in the party drop-down is not provided. What do I do

You will receive an automated filing confirmation, in the email account you provided through your portal email, both when the portal receives the filing and also when the Clerk’s Office accepts the filing. Also watch for information on the “My Trial Court Filings” portion of your portal account when you logon. The time and date that is given when the portal receives the document, the note shows, “Submitted.”

Once the Clerk begins review at the local level, you will see the notation, “Pending Review.” The submission is in the list for the  Clerk to review. In the event there are issues with the document, you may see the term, “Pending Queue.”  At that point, the filer has 5 days to correct the issue with the document or it will be sent to the “Abandoned Queue.”  If the document has been placed in the pending queue, there should be some direction by the clerk as to what needs corrected. Please review the E-Filer Manual for the exact steps on how to edit the document for re-submission.

Once the filing is accepted into the local Clerk’s system, this becomes the official court record just like the current paper process. As a precaution, make sure you have sent the filing to the correct county to make sure it is timely filed.

Q. How do I know my document was received

The best way to file exhibits is to create them as separate documents. Name them the same, but append the words: “Part 1 of 4,” “Part 2 of 4,” and the like, so the Clerk can tell the documents go together. Currently, several counties require the exhibits to be part of the main document; i.e., all in one document.

Q. What is the best way to file exhibits

There are a number of documents, instructional videos and materials posted on the Florida Courts E-Filing Authority website. Additionally, there is an e-filer manual found in the Filer Documentation link once you are on the portal. Once logged in to the portal, scroll to the bottom of the screen.

More information can also be found on the Supreme Court’s E-Filing page.

You may also visit The Florida Bar E-filing resources page.

Q. How do I find out more about how to file a document through the portal?