How to Fill Out a Texas Justice Court Answer Form in a Debt Claim Case

If a credit card company, lender or debt buyer sued you in a Texas justice court (also called a JP court), you need to file a written Answer before your deadline. Most justice courts accept a fill-in-the-blank form for this, and the most widely used version is the "Answer – Debt Claim Case" form published by the Texas Justice Court Training Center. This guide walks through that form one section at a time, explains what each box means under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, and tells you how to file and serve it. It is general information, not legal advice for your case. If you want someone to look at your papers first, we review them for free.

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Before You Start: Get the Form and Your Papers

You can download the official forms here. Each link goes straight to the file.

• Answer – Debt Claim Case (Word file, Texas Justice Court Training Center, debt claim forms updated January 2026). There is also a Spanish version.
• The Training Center's information packet for defendants in debt claim cases (PDF), and its debt claim forms page.
• TexasLawHelp.org's Debt Lawsuit Answer (Justice Court) form, a different layout that asks for similar information.
• Many JP courts post their own versions, such as Denton County's Defendant's Answer for small claims and debt claims. Any of these works if it contains what Rule 502.5 requires.

Next, gather the papers you were served: the citation (the court's notice) and the petition (the plaintiff's claim). Write down the date you were served. You will copy several items from these papers onto the form.

Not sure you are in justice court? The top of the citation names the court. If it says "Justice Court" or "Justice of the Peace," this guide applies. Justice courts hear civil cases where the amount in controversy is $20,000 or less, not counting interest (Government Code § 27.031). If it says County Court at Law or District Court, the deadline and rules are different; see our guide on how to answer a debt lawsuit in Texas.

Step 1: Confirm Your Deadline

In justice court, your Answer is due by the end of the 14th day after the day you were served (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 502.5(d)). Don't count the day of service. If the 14th day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, or a day the court closes before 5:00 p.m., the deadline moves to the court's next business day. Our answer deadline calculator does the counting for you, but file early instead of on the last day.

Missing the deadline lets the plaintiff ask for a default judgment. But if you file an Answer before the judge signs a default judgment, the judge must not enter one and must set the case for trial (Rule 503.1(b)). So if you are late, file anyway, today.

Step 2: The Caption (Top of the Form)

The caption is the block at the top that identifies the case. Copy it exactly from your citation.

• Cause No. The case number the court assigned. It is on the citation and the petition. This is how the clerk puts your Answer in the right file, so double-check every digit and dash.
• Plaintiff. The name of the company suing you, exactly as written in the petition, for example a bank or a debt buyer such as "Midland Credit Management, Inc."
• Defendant. Your name as it appears in the petition. If it is misspelled, write it as it appears and you can note the correct spelling in the body.
• Precinct and county. The justice court precinct number and county, such as "Precinct 3" and "Dallas County." Some counties also use a place number (for example, Precinct 3, Place 1). If your citation shows a place, add it after the precinct.

Step 3: The General Denial

The first section asks for your name and states that you generally deny every allegation and demand that the plaintiff prove them. Write your full name in the blank. That sentence is the core of your Answer.

In justice court, an answer that denies all of the plaintiff's allegations without giving reasons is enough to count as an answer and appearance, and it does not stop you from raising any defense at trial (Rule 502.5(b)). That is a real difference from county and district court, where some defenses must be written into the Answer.

Step 4: Additional Pleas and Defenses (Optional)

The next section is a checklist. You don't have to check anything. Checking a box tells the court and the plaintiff, early, why you dispute the claim. Only check what is true, because this is a statement you are filing with a court. Here is what the main boxes on the Training Center form mean.

The form also has a box for a debt discharged in bankruptcy or part of a pending bankruptcy case, which asks for the bankruptcy case number, and a blank where you can list other defenses in your own words. Keep it short and factual. Don't write that you owe the debt unless you mean it: the Training Center's packet warns that an Answer agreeing you owe everything can lead to a judgment without a trial.

For a fuller explanation of each defense, read our guide to defenses to a debt collection lawsuit in Texas.

Step 5: Jury Request

Check one box: you request a jury, or you don't request one at this time. Any party may have a jury, but the written demand must be filed at least 14 days before the trial setting, and the party must pay a $22 jury fee or file a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs at or before the time of the request (Rule 504.1). If no one asks for a jury, the judge decides the case. If you are unsure, you can check "not at this time" and make a written jury demand later, as long as it is timely.

Step 6: Service by Email

Rule 502.5(a)(3) says your Answer must include a statement consenting to email service, with your email address, if you consent. The form handles this with a yes or no box. If you check yes, the plaintiff can serve papers on you by email (Rule 501.4(a)(4)), so use an address you check every day and that can open large attachments. Some papers will still come by mail. If you will e-file your Answer, Rule 21(f)(2) requires your email address to appear on the document anyway.

Step 7: Remote Participation

Justice court judges may allow or require hearings by phone or video (Rule 500.9). This section asks whether you can take part in hearings, other than a jury trial, by phone call and by video conference. Your answers don't guarantee a remote hearing; they tell the judge what you can manage.

Step 8: Relief Requested, Signature and Contact Information

The "Relief Requested" paragraph is pre-written. It reserves your right to amend the Answer and asks the court to rule for you. You don't need to change it. Amended pleadings must be filed and served at least 7 days before trial unless the court allows otherwise (Rule 502.7(a)).

Then sign and fill in the left-hand column (the right-hand column is for an attorney, if you have one). Rule 502.1 requires every pleading to be signed, and Rule 502.5(a) requires your name, address and telephone number, plus a fax number if you have one. Use a mailing address where you reliably get mail: the court will send your trial notice there. If you e-file, a typed "/s/" followed by your name counts as a signature (Rule 21(f)(7)).

Don't add your Social Security number, full account numbers or date of birth. Texas rules treat those as sensitive data that should not appear in court filings (Rule 21c).

Step 9: Certificate of Service

You must send a copy of your Answer to the plaintiff (Rule 502.5(a)). If the plaintiff has a lawyer, send it to the lawyer listed on the petition. The certificate at the bottom of the form is your signed statement of how and when you did that, which Rule 501.4(d) requires on everything you file. Rule 501.4(a) allows these methods:

• delivery in person;
• certified or registered mail, or courier-receipted delivery;
• fax;
• email, only if the plaintiff consented to email service in writing (if it did, the petition says so and gives the address, under Rule 502.2(a)(8)); or
• another method the court directs.

Fill in the date, check the method, and sign. Then actually send the copy that day and keep your mailing receipt or email confirmation.

Step 10: Copies, Filing and Fees

Make at least two copies of the signed original: one to serve on the plaintiff and one for your records. If you file in person, ask the clerk to file-stamp your copy. Rule 502.1 lets you file in any of these ways:

Fees. Filing an Answer in justice court generally costs nothing; TexasLawHelp.org's justice court guide says so directly. Confirm with your clerk. Fees do apply to some other filings, such as the $22 jury fee, a counterclaim, or a motion for new trial. If you can't afford a court fee, file a Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs (the Supreme Court of Texas form, in English and Spanish) under Rule 502.3.

What Happens After You File

• Trial setting. The judge sets the case on a trial docket. The court must mail notice of the date, time and place at least 45 days before the setting, unless the judge decides an earlier setting is required in the interest of justice (Rule 503.3(a)).
• Pretrial conference. The court may set one to handle discovery, settlement, interpreters, witnesses or mediation (Rules 503.4 and 503.5).
• Discovery is limited. Pretrial discovery in justice court is only what the judge considers reasonable and necessary, and requests must be presented to the court first (Rule 500.8(a)). If you want documents from the plaintiff, such as proof it owns the account, you file a motion asking the judge to allow it.
• Possible motions. The plaintiff may file a sworn motion for summary disposition, asking the judge to decide without a trial. The judge can't consider it until it has been on file at least 14 days, and you may file a sworn written response (Rule 503.2). If you were sued in the wrong county or precinct, a sworn motion to transfer venue is due no later than 21 days after you file your Answer (Rule 502.4(d)).
• Trial. You must show up, in person or remotely if the judge allows it. If you answered but miss trial, the judge can hear the plaintiff's evidence and rule without you (Rules 503.1(c) and 503.6(c)).

Our guide to justice court debt claim cases under Rule 508 covers what the plaintiff has to prove and how trials work.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Waiting for the last day, then finding the court closed early.
• Serving the plaintiff but not filing with the court, or the reverse.
• Assuming a call to the collector pauses the deadline. It doesn't (see does calling the collector stop the deadline?).
• Giving an address where you don't get mail, then missing the trial notice.

Want Someone to Check Your Answer First?

A free review takes a few minutes. Call or text (214) 945-0000, seven days a week, or use our online case evaluation. Our firm defends Texans in debt lawsuits statewide, mostly by phone, email and e-filing, and our team speaks Spanish. If we take your case, we prepare and file the Answer for you and handle the case from there for a flat fee, with flat fees from $400 and payment plans available.

More answers: What is a general denial?, Can I have a jury in a debt case?, and What happens if I miss the answer deadline?

Sources

• Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, Rules 21, 21c, 500.4, 500.8, 500.9, 501.4, 502.1, 502.3, 502.4, 502.5, 502.7, 503.1–503.6, 504.1 and 508 (Texas Judicial Branch)
• When a Debt Claim Case Has Been Filed Against You and the Answer – Debt Claim Case form (Texas Justice Court Training Center)
• How to Answer a Debt Collection Case in Justice Court (TexasLawHelp.org)
• Forms, including the Statement of Inability to Afford Payment of Court Costs (Texas Judicial Branch)
• Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.004
• Texas Government Code § 27.031 (justice court jurisdiction up to $20,000)

General information, not legal advice for your case.