Learn about eFiling in the Trial Court

Are you interested in eFiling? Learn more here.

Overview

The Massachusetts Trial Court has engaged with Tyler Technologies to deliver electronic filing ("eFiling") for all who may wish to submit court filings electronically.

Please go to the website eFileMA.com to register and log in to the eFiling application.

On this webpage, you can click the "Get Started!" link to start eFiling with the Massachusetts courts, and you will also find links to various information related to eFiling in Massachusetts.

Who can eFile?

Any litigant (attorney, self represented, state agency, etc.) may eFile. eFiling is accepted and is recommended for the cases listed below under “Which courts accept eFiling?”

If the initial complaint/petition is eFiled, it is recommended to eFile everything from that point on. Subsequent filings can be eFiled as long as you have the correct docket number from the court case.

If the initial complaint/petition is not eFiled (i.e., it is filed in paper to the Courthouse), please check with the Court to see if subsequent pleadings for your case may be eFiled.

You must be a registered user to eFile. You can register online.

Which courts accept eFiling?

All eFiling for the courts and case types listed below is not mandatory unless so indicated.

Court department	Case types accepted
Boston Municipal Court	Civil, small claims, supplementary process
District Court	Civil, small claims, supplementary process
Housing Court	Civil, small claims, summary process, supplementary process eFiling for small claims and summary process case types is mandatory for attorneys, but optional for self-represented litigants.
Land Court	Servicemembers, Tax Lien, Miscellaneous (effective June 1, 2023), Permit Session (effective June 1, 2023) eFiling for Servicemembers and Tax Lien case types is mandatory for attorneys, but optional for self-represented litigants (effective June 1, 2023). eFiling for Miscellaneous and Permit Session case types is mandatory for attorneys, but optional for self-represented litigants (effective May 1, 2024).
Probate & Family Court	Change of name, estates & administration, divorce 1B, joint petition for divorce 1A, guardianship of minor, guardianship of incapacitated persons, conservatorship, establishing paternity, custody, support, parenting time (209c), and adoption (adoption is temporarily unavailable).
Superior Court	Contract/business cases, equitable remedies, real property, actions involving state/municipality, administrative civil actions, miscellaneous civil actions, torts, and business litigation (Suffolk only)

See the comprehensive list of all Massachusetts courts that are utilizing eFiling. 

Which Trial Court forms can be eFiled?

Currently, you can eFile all of the forms for only the case types listed above under “Which courts accept eFiling?”

See this webpage for available court forms: eFiling court forms. 

How do I register to use eFiling?

Go to www.efilema.com and click on the “Get started!” icon. You will also find self-help tutorials, frequently asked questions, and web training sessions to help you eFile for the first time.

The registration process you will follow includes setup of all information required for you to eFile:

• If you are an individual eFiler, you will complete your personal contact information, create any Attorney or Service Contacts you need, and create your Payment Account(s).
• If your firm wishes to have multiple eFile users, you will complete the Firm Administrator information, Firm contact information, and information for the individual eFile users, Firm Attorneys and Service Contacts, and Payment Accounts.

When setting up Payment Accounts, you may set up one or more Payment Accounts for each of these Payment Account Types: eCheck (or ACH, which uses a bank account), Credit Card (to use MasterCard, VISA, or American Express), Waiver (only for use by indigent filers).

How to fill out eFile forms

Information entered in fillable forms can't be “Saved” or saved with “Save as” in a format for successful eFiling, although with some readers the information can be saved and retrieved for further work/data entry. The information may also be lost. However, the information will be retained and the document may be eFiled if you “Print” the form to PDF, using the PDF application in your “Printer selection” menu under “Print.” When using “Print to PDF”, a dialogue box showing your folders and files will open — simply name the file and select the folder (perhaps the folder for that particular case) where you wish to have the form with the information kept, and “Print.” You may then upload the file to the Tyler eFiling application for filing.

Most “Print selection” menus have a “Print to PDF” application. If your “Printer selection” doesn't have a PDF option, you can download one at no charge — simply Google “Print to PDF” to find an application, and, once downloaded, add it as a printer.

These forms may be signed using the /S/ signature method permitted by the Electronic Filing Rules. For the time being, not all fillable forms will permit the /S/ signature to be filled in, and not all forms are fillable. Should you encounter either issue, then depending on the issue, please print the form itself and manually sign, or complete all information on the printed form and manually sign, or use an electronically inserted image intended to substitute for a signature, and then scan the completed form into your computer and upload using the Tyler application. We regret the inconvenience, and should have all forms fillable and able to accept signature in the near future.

Additional Resources

eFiling court forms

Important information for fillable forms for eFiling

How to submit eFile forms

The first time you submit documents through efileMA to initiate a case with the Court, there is a $22.00 fee payable to Tyler Technologies. This $22.00 fee is applied regardless of the number of included documents, and this fee will not be charged until your filing is accepted by the court.

Please note that this is a one-time fee; you will not be required to pay a fee to Tyler Technologies on any additional / subsequent filings made through eFiling.

If you use an eCheck (ACH) Payment Account to pay for your eFile submission, there is an additional processing fee of $0.25 for the eFile submission. If you use a credit card Payment Account, the processing fee is 2.89% of the fees total (total fees = court fee + fee to Tyler Technologies).

If you are an indigent filer and you choose to use a Waiver Payment Account (this will indicate you wish to request the Court to waive your fees), you will be required to include with your eFile forms the “Affidavit of indigency and Request for Waiver, Substitution or State Payment of Fees & Costs.” 

Each document must be uploaded separately using its own specific filing code. If there are multiple documents submitted within one filing code, the filing will be returned by the court and must be corrected and re-submitted.

You will receive an email with an envelope number once you submit your documents to the court. An envelope number in Tyler represents the documents submitted by you when initiating a case or filing into an existing case. This envelope number is used to track the status of filings until they are either accepted or returned. If accepted, you will receive email verification, which includes the docket number, and your Payment Account will be charged.

If a filing is returned, you will receive an email and all documents will be returned including a brief explanation as to why the filing is incorrect. Your Payment Account will not be charged. When you look into your returned cases, if you click the "Action" drop down and select “Copy envelope”, the documents will automatically upload into a new envelope. You will need to complete the party information, but the documents from the returned envelope will already be uploaded. This allows you to easily fix the incorrect filing(s) within the first envelope. Once all the necessary information is complete, you may re-submit the new envelope.

I'm having a technical issue with the Tyler website, who should I contact?

You must contact Tyler using the number provided if there are any technical issues within the Tyler website. To contact Tyler, call 1 [phone].

All procedural questions can still be directed to the court.

Last updated:	February 21, 2024