Company and court filings

How to check a docket

Last checked 6 November 2026 · 6 sources

Short answer

A docket is the court's running list of what was filed and done in a case. In US federal courts, appellate, district and bankruptcy case files and dockets can be viewed through PACER ¹. Under one district's rule, a filed document is deemed entered on the clerk's docket and the electronic recording stored by the court is the official record ². In Australia, sealed Federal Court documents can be downloaded from the Commonwealth Courts Portal ⁴. A docket entry shows that something was filed, not that it is true.

US federal access: PACER, for appellate, district and bankruptcy case files and dockets ¹
PACER cost: $0.10 per page, capped at $3 per document ³
PACER free use: Fees waived at $30 or less in a quarter. Court opinions are free ³
Australia, Federal Court: Sealed documents on the Commonwealth Courts Portal ⁴
England and Wales: CE-File, the court's electronic filing and case management system ⁶

What a docket is

A docket, or case file record, lists the documents filed in a case and the court's own steps, in date order. In US federal courts, filing and the docket are linked. The Southern District of Indiana's Local Rule 5-4 says a filed document is deemed entered on the clerk's docket under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 58 and 79 ². The same rule says the electronic recording of the document stored by the court is the official record of the document ².

Other systems use different terms. The Federal Court of Australia keeps a lodgment history for each eLodgment user, and users can review processed documents there ⁴. In England and Wales, Practice Direction 5C calls CE-File an electronic filing and case management system ⁶.

Finding a US federal docket

Get a PACER account. The federal judiciary says case files and docket information in appellate, district and bankruptcy courts may be viewed through PACER ¹.
Open the docket report for the case. PACER treats a docket as a document for pricing ³.
Expect fees of $0.10 per page, capped at $3 per document. Fees are waived if a user spends $30 or less in a quarter ³.
Look for opinions, which PACER says are always free ³.
If you are a party, use the free copy that comes with a Notice of Electronic Filing or Notice of Docket Activity ³.

Reading a docket entry

Check each entry's date against the rules for filing time. In the Southern District of Indiana, a document due on a given day must be filed before midnight local time of the division where the case is pending ². The notice of electronic filing for the document serves as the court's datestamp and proof of filing ².

In the Federal Court of Australia, the date of lodgment on the Notice of Filing page is not necessarily the date the document was accepted for filing ⁵. The filing date appears below the Court's seal ⁵. Read both before relying on a date.

In CE-File, a fee-bearing document is filed when the fee is paid, and other documents when they are submitted ⁶. A rejected claim form is not issued, and a resubmission takes its own filing date ⁶.

What a docket entry proves and does not prove

The entry shows	The entry does not show
That a document was filed and when, under the court's rules ²	A ruling on the merits. The rule covers filing, datestamp and service ²
That the court accepted it for filing, in Australia ⁵	The filing date, which is shown below the seal ⁵
That a CE-File submission was accepted, once court officers act ⁶	Issue of a claim form that was rejected ⁶

Practical checks

Match the case number on the docket with the case number on any receipt or notice ^2,5.
Check the court's local rules for filing deadlines and time zones ².
Download the document itself, not only the docket text, before quoting it ³.
In Australia, contact the local Federal Court registry for a status update on an existing lodgment ⁴.

Common questions

How much does it cost to read a US federal docket?

PACER charges $0.10 per page, capped at $3 per document, and waives fees for users who spend $30 or less in a quarter ³.

Is the docket the official record?

In the Southern District of Indiana, the electronic recording of a filed document stored by the court is its official record ².

Where do I find Federal Court of Australia documents?

Sealed documents can be downloaded through eLodgment or from the Commonwealth Courts Portal after a short delay ⁴.

Does a docket entry mean the court agreed with the filing?

No. It records that a document was filed or accepted for filing under the court's rules ^2,5.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@filingreceipts.com.

Sources

Court e-filing receipts compared
What the US Notice of Electronic Filing, the CE-File submission confirmation in England and Wales, and the Australian Notice of Filing each confirm.
What a filing receipt proves, and what it does not
A filing receipt shows a system took in a document at a stated time. It rarely shows the filing was accepted, checked or true. Examples from six systems.
Received, accepted and registered explained
Received means a system has the document. Accepted means it passed checks. Registered or filed means it is on the record. How six systems use each word.
SEC EDGAR filing acceptance explained
What an EDGAR accession number, acceptance message, suspense message and filing date mean, the 5:30 p.m. cutoff, and why acceptance is not SEC approval.