California CIV-100 Request for Entry of Default: Line-by-Line Guide

To fill out California’s CIV-100, Request for Entry of Default, you complete the caption from your filed complaint, check the box for the type of relief you want (entry of default only, clerk’s judgment, or court judgment), attach a Servicemembers Civil Relief Act certificate showing the defendant’s military status, have someone else mail a copy of the completed form to the defendant, sign the declarations under penalty of perjury, and file the original with the court clerk. The form is a mandatory Judicial Council form accepted in every California Superior Court, and the current version is available on the California Courts website.¹ The details below walk through each section and flag the mistakes that get the form rejected.

Confirm These Prerequisites First

CIV-100 is not the first step. Before you fill it out, the defendant must have been served, proof of that service must be on file with the court, and the response deadline must have passed with no answer, demurrer, or other responsive pleading filed. A defendant personally served inside California has 30 days from the date of service to respond.² Substituted service and other methods extend that window, so check your proof of service before you calculate the deadline.

Have these documents in front of you:

Your filed complaint, so you can copy the case number, filing date, and every defendant’s full legal name exactly as they appear.
The proof of service (typically POS-010) confirming the summons and complaint were properly served.³
A Statement of Damages (CIV-050) if this is a personal injury or wrongful death case. Code of Civil Procedure Section 425.11 requires it to be served on the defendant before you can request default, because those complaints do not state a dollar amount. You file the CIV-050 with the court when you apply for default judgment.⁴
An SCRA military-status certificate from the Department of Defense (covered in the Page 2 section below).

Page 1: The Caption and What You’re Requesting

At the top of the form, enter your name and address, the court’s name and address, and the case number. Copy everything from the filed complaint. The defendant’s name on the CIV-100 must be identical to the name on the complaint. A missing middle initial or a different spelling is enough for the clerk to reject the request.⁵

Check the box for “Entry of Default.” You can also check a judgment box in the same filing, but many plaintiffs handle default entry first and apply for judgment separately.

Item 1: Pick the Right Type of Relief

Item 1 tells the clerk exactly what to do. Three options track different subsections of Code of Civil Procedure Section 585:⁶

Entry of default only (Item 1c). The clerk records that the defendant failed to respond. This is the first half of a two-step process. Skip Items 1d, 1e, and 2 if this is all you’re asking for.
Clerk’s judgment (Item 1e). Available when the case involves a contract or other written obligation for a fixed, calculable amount. Credit card balances, promissory notes, and unpaid invoices with a clear number typically qualify. The clerk enters judgment without a judge because the math is straightforward.³
Court judgment (Item 1d). Required for personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, and any case where damages are not a fixed number. A judge will evaluate your evidence at a prove-up hearing before entering judgment.

Item 2: The Damages Breakdown

If you’re requesting a judgment (clerk’s or court), Item 2 wants the total broken into the demand of the complaint, interest, costs, and attorney fees. Leave Item 2 blank if you’re only requesting entry of default at this stage.

Page 2: The Declarations You Have to Sign

Items 4 and 5: Military Status

Federal law bars entry of default against an active-duty service member who has not appeared, so the court needs you to state the defendant’s military status. The rule comes from the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which protects active-duty members from judgments taken while they can’t appear.⁷ Run a single-record search on the Department of Defense’s SCRA website at scra.dmdc.osd.mil using the defendant’s name and Social Security number or date of birth. The search is free but requires an account. Print the certificate the site generates and attach it to your CIV-100.⁸ On the form, check the box in Item 4 or 5 that matches the certificate — usually that the defendant is not in military service.

Item 6: Declaration of Mailing

Code of Civil Procedure Section 587 requires a copy of the completed CIV-100 to be mailed to the defendant’s attorney of record, or to the defendant’s last known address if there’s no attorney. You cannot do the mailing yourself. Someone else mails it and then fills out and signs the Declaration of Mailing on page 2 under penalty of perjury, stating the mailing date and the address used. The clerk will not enter default without that declaration.⁹ If you genuinely do not know the defendant’s address, the declaration says so instead.

Item 7: Memorandum of Costs

Item 7 is where you list out-of-pocket expenses you want added to the judgment. Typical recoverable costs include the filing fee you paid on the complaint, the process server fee, and other court-approved expenses such as fees for recording a lis pendens or obtaining certified copies. California Superior Court filing fees run $225 for cases up to $10,000, $370 for cases between $10,000 and $25,000, and $435 for unlimited civil cases over $25,000.¹⁰ Professional process servers commonly charge between $20 and $100.

Item 8: Interest

If you’re seeking a judgment on a contract that allows interest, calculate what’s owed. Use the rate in the contract if one is stated. If the contract is silent, California Civil Code Section 3289(b) sets the default rate at 10 percent per year.¹¹ Divide the annual rate by 365 for the daily rate, multiply by the principal, then multiply by the number of days from the date of breach through the date of the judgment request. Show the math on the form or an attached declaration. Judges routinely reject interest requests that don’t include the calculation.

Filing the Form

Many California Superior Courts require electronic filing for civil cases. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other large counties mandate e-filing for represented parties in most civil case types. Self-represented litigants are generally exempt and can still file on paper. Check your local court’s website for its e-filing rules and approved service providers. If you file in person, bring the original plus at least one extra copy so the clerk can return a conformed copy stamped for your records.

No separate filing fee is typically charged for entry of default; it’s considered part of the original complaint fee. Some courts charge a small additional fee if you request a clerk’s judgment at the same time, so ask the clerk’s office if that applies.

The clerk compares the form to the court file to confirm proof of service is on file, the response deadline has passed, and no responsive pleading has been filed. If everything matches, the clerk stamps the form, enters the default into the case record, and mails a copy to both parties.

Why Clerks Reject the CIV-100

A rejection costs you time, and every day of delay is another chance for the defendant to file a late response and moot the default. The recurring problems:

Name mismatch between the CIV-100 and the complaint, summons, or proof of service. Even a missing “aka” or middle initial triggers rejection.
Proof of service was never filed with the court, so the clerk can’t verify service happened.
Service didn’t meet California law — for example, mailing the summons without following the substituted-service rules.
The defendant already filed something in the case (even a late answer or a motion) before you submitted the CIV-100.
Missing or expired SCRA certificate, or the military-status boxes weren’t checked.
Declaration of Mailing under CCP 587 is unsigned, missing, or signed by the plaintiff instead of a third party.⁹

The clerk usually sends a notice explaining the deficiency. Fix it and refile quickly.

If You Checked the Court Judgment Box

Entry of default is only the halfway point when you’ve asked for a court judgment. The court will set a prove-up hearing at which you present evidence of damages to a judge. The defaulted defendant is not entitled to participate. Bring documentation of your losses — medical bills, repair estimates, contracts, invoices — along with declarations or testimony supporting each category and a clear calculation of your total.

California law lets the court accept sworn declarations in place of live testimony for all or part of the evidence, provided the facts are within the declarant’s personal knowledge and stated with enough specificity.³ Many judges still prefer to hear from the plaintiff directly, especially in personal injury cases. The judge cannot award more than the amount stated in the complaint, or more than the CIV-050 Statement of Damages in personal injury cases.

Keep In Mind That Defaults Can Be Set Aside

A default is not necessarily permanent. Under Code of Civil Procedure Section 473(b), a defendant can move to vacate a default within six months if it resulted from mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect, and the motion must include the proposed answer or other pleading.¹² California courts have a well-known policy favoring resolution on the merits, so judges tend to grant these motions when the defendant moves quickly and shows a legitimate defense. Your best protection is making sure the CIV-100 and the paperwork behind it are airtight the first time you file.

1
California Courts | Self Help Guide. Request for Entry of Default (Application to Enter Default) (CIV-100)
2
California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 587
3
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 585
4
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 425.11
5
California Courts | Self Help Guide. How to Ask for a Default and a Default Judgment
6
Judicial Council of California. California Code of Civil Procedure 585-587 – Request for Entry of Default
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 U.S. Code 3931 – Protection of Servicemembers Against Default Judgments
8
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) Website. SCRA
9
California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 587
10
Superior Court of California. Statewide Civil Fee Schedule
11
California Legislative Information. California Civil Code 3289(b)
12
California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 473