What Is a Court Index Number and How Do You Get One?

A court index number is the unique identifier a New York county clerk assigns to a civil case when you file your initiating papers in Supreme Court or the Court of Claims. The fee is $210 for most civil actions, and once assigned, the number must appear on every document filed in that case afterward.¹ If you’re dealing with a court outside New York, the same concept usually goes by “case number” or “docket number.”

What the Number Is and What It Looks Like

New York’s trial courts handle thousands of active cases, and the index number is what keeps the paperwork from tangling. Every motion, order, exhibit, and letter in your case gets tagged with it so the clerk and the assigned judge can pull the right file.

The format typically pairs a sequential number with the year of filing, so you’ll see something like 12345/2025. Once the clerk assigns your number, you have to communicate it in writing to every other party in the action, and it has to appear on the cover and first page of every paper you file from then on.²

Index Number, Case Number, Docket Number

“Index number” is specific to New York. In other state trial courts you’ll hear “case number.” Federal courts also say “case number,” built from a division code, year, a two-letter case type like CV or CR, a sequential number, and the assigned judge’s initials.³ The job each one does is the same: one unique identifier per lawsuit. If someone asks for your “docket number,” they almost always mean this.

What You Need Before You Can Get One

You cannot buy an index number without initiating documents in hand. In New York Supreme Court, that means either a Summons with Notice or a Summons and Complaint. A Summons with Notice is the shorter option: it names the parties, states the basis for the court’s jurisdiction, and describes the relief sought. A Summons and Complaint goes further and lays out the full factual story and each legal claim.

Either document needs a properly formatted caption at the top: court name, county, the full legal names of every plaintiff and defendant, and labels showing who is who. That caption becomes the permanent header for the file. You also need accurate addresses for every party, because service depends on knowing where to find the defendants.

Most filings require a cover sheet summarizing the type of dispute (contract, personal injury, property, and so on). The clerk uses it to categorize the case. Official templates sit on the court’s website and at the clerk’s office, and using them avoids formatting rejections.

How to Buy an Index Number

You have two paths. File electronically through NYSCEF, New York’s electronic filing portal, or file in person at the county clerk’s office in the county where the case belongs. The fee and the documents are the same either way.

Through NYSCEF

You need a NYSCEF user ID and password first. Once logged in, you start a new case, select the court and county, choose the case type, enter the parties exactly as they appear on your commencement document, and upload your Summons and Complaint or Summons with Notice as a PDF/A.⁴ You pay the fee by Visa, Mastercard, or American Express credit or bank card, or you can elect to pay at the clerk’s office. The index number is not issued until payment is received.⁵

The number is not generated automatically. A county clerk staffer reviews the filing, and if everything is in order, assigns the number and sends a confirmation email.

In Person

Bring your completed documents and payment to the county clerk in the county where you’re filing. The clerk reviews the papers, collects the fee, assigns the index number, and timestamps your documents. Keep the stamped copy. It’s your proof of filing, and you’ll need the number for every future submission.

What It Costs

The base fee for an index number in a New York Supreme Court civil action is $190. The clerk also collects $20 in surcharges ($5 for the local government records management fund and $15 for the cultural education account), bringing the standard total to $210.¹

Mortgage foreclosure actions cost more. If you’re filing to foreclose under Article 13 of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law, the clerk charges an additional $190 on top of the standard fee, roughly doubling what you pay upfront.⁶

The fee is payable in advance. No payment, no number.

If You Cannot Afford the Fee

New York lets you start a lawsuit without paying the index number fee if you lack the means to cover it. This is a “poor person’s order” under CPLR 1101. You file a form affidavit, available at the clerk’s office, stating you cannot afford the costs of bringing or defending the action. The court assigns an index number immediately, and a judge then reviews the application.⁷

If the judge grants it, all filing and service fees are waived by written order. If denied, you have 120 days to pay the fee or the case is dismissed. The affidavit has to disclose your income, assets, any real property you own, and whether anyone else stands to benefit financially from the lawsuit. The court may also require an attorney’s certificate confirming the claims have legal merit.

The 120-Day Clock That Starts the Moment You Buy It

Purchasing the index number commences the action and starts a deadline. You have 120 days to serve the summons and complaint (or summons with notice) on the defendant. Miss the window without an extension, and the court, on motion, will dismiss the case without prejudice.⁸ “Without prejudice” means you could refile, but if the statute of limitations has run in the meantime, that right is empty.

There’s a tighter rule for claims with a limitations period of four months or less: service has to be completed no later than 15 days after the limitations period expires. If you’re working with a short-fuse claim, calculate your service deadline before you buy the number, not after.⁸

Courts can extend the 120 days for good cause or in the interest of justice, but that takes a motion and a judge’s agreement. Treat the deadline as firm.

Getting a Judge Involved Costs Extra

Buying an index number does not put your case in front of a judge. To get the case on the court’s calendar for an appearance, you file a separate document called a Request for Judicial Intervention (RJI), which carries its own $95 fee.⁹

You don’t always file the RJI right away. In a standard civil action started with a summons and complaint, the RJI usually waits until one side files a motion, whether for a default judgment, to dismiss, or to schedule a preliminary conference. If you’re starting a special proceeding or asking for emergency relief through an order to show cause, you typically file the RJI at the same time you buy the index number. Budget for the $95 on top of the $210 if your situation needs both at the outset.

Looking Up an Existing Index Number

If you need to find a number for a case already filed, New York makes several options available.

WebCivil Supreme is the online search tool for Supreme Court civil cases. You can search by party name, attorney or firm name, justice name, or by index number if you have one.¹⁰ A party name search is the usual starting point. The eCourts portal provides similar functionality with case-tracking features for current and disposed cases.¹¹

Public access terminals inside courthouses run the same databases, and the clerk’s office can help locate a case by party name. For federal cases, the equivalent system is PACER.¹²

Not every case is publicly searchable. Matrimonial cases and family court proceedings involving minors are typically sealed, and their index numbers won’t appear in WebCivil or eCourts. Only the parties or their attorneys can access those files. Standard contract disputes, personal injury claims, and property litigation are part of the public record.

Fixing a Mistake on a Filed Document

If you put the wrong index number on a filing or upload the wrong document, you cannot delete or edit it yourself in the electronic system. Contact the clerk’s office as soon as you notice. The clerk can delete the misfiled document and correct the docket entry, and then you can refile through the standard process.¹³ The court will not automatically extend your filing deadline for a user error, so catch problems early. Check the index number on every document before you submit.

1
New York State Senate. New York Code CVP 8018 – Index Number Fees of County Clerks
2
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 22 CRR-NY 202.5 – Papers Filed in Court
3
U.S. District Court – District of Oregon. The Court’s Case Numbering System
4
New York State Courts Electronic Filing. NYSCEF System User Manual
5
New York State Courts Electronic Filing. NYSCEF FAQs
6
New York State Unified Court System. New York State Filing Fees
7
New York State Senate. New York Code CVP 1101 – Motion to Waive Costs, Fees, and Expenses
8
New York State Senate. New York Code CVP 306-B – Service of Summons and Complaint
9
New York State Unified Court System. How to File a Request for Judicial Intervention
10
New York State Unified Court System. WebCivil Supreme
11
New York State Unified Court System. Getting Court Records and Case Information
12
PACER: Federal Court Records. PACER Pricing: How Fees Work
13
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. I Made a Mistake, Such as Filing in the Wrong Case or Submitting an Incorrect Document. What Should I Do?