How to Fill Out and File the AAA Demand for Arbitration

To file a Demand for Arbitration with the AAA, choose the form that matches your dispute type, fill it in with the parties’ details and the relief you’re seeking, and submit it together with a copy of the arbitration clause from your contract and the correct filing fee. The American Arbitration Association accepts filings online through WebFile, by email, or by mail, and you must also send a copy to the other party. An incomplete package gets returned, so it pays to assemble everything before you start.

Pick the Form That Matches Your Dispute

The AAA does not use a single demand form. Each version corresponds to a different set of procedural rules, and the rules that govern your case depend on the underlying relationship. Filing under the wrong rule set can get your case reclassified or returned.

  • Consumer Demand for Arbitration: for an individual disputing with a business over goods or services bought for personal or household use. The AAA reviews consumer arbitration clauses against its Consumer Due Process Protocol and can decline cases where the clause fails those standards.1American Arbitration Association. Consumer Arbitration Services
  • Commercial Demand for Arbitration: for business-to-business disputes, including vendor contracts and trade agreements, governed by the Commercial Arbitration Rules.2American Arbitration Association. Commercial Rules, Forms, and Fees
  • Employment Demand for Arbitration: for workplace disputes such as wrongful termination, discrimination, or wage claims covered by an employment arbitration agreement.
  • Construction Demand for Arbitration: for construction disputes, with separate versions for general construction, home construction, and state-specific variants like the New Jersey Construction Lien Demand.3American Arbitration Association. Construction Arbitration Rules and Fees

All of these forms are on the AAA’s Rules, Forms, and Fees page at adr.org.4American Arbitration Association. Rules, Forms, and Fees

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Gather everything before opening the form. Missing material is the most common reason a filing gets sent back, and the case clock does not run while it sits with you.

  • The arbitration clause. Pull the signed contract or terms of service that contains the agreement to arbitrate, and be ready to attach a clear, legible copy. Without it, the AAA cannot confirm its authority to administer the case and will treat the filing as incomplete.5American Arbitration Association. Consumer Demand for Arbitration Form
  • Full party information. You need the legal name and current mailing address of every party, individual or business, plus contact details for any representatives already known.
  • Your claim amount. Calculate the total financial loss you’re claiming, including interest, attorney fees allowed by the contract, and other costs. This figure determines the applicable fee schedule and shapes the arbitrator’s eventual authority.
  • Court order, if any. If a court directed the parties to arbitrate, include a copy.5American Arbitration Association. Consumer Demand for Arbitration Form

Keep the arbitration clause in front of you as you write. The language of your demand should track what the clause covers. A clause limited to claims “arising out of or relating to this contract” can invite a jurisdictional challenge if you frame the demand around a tort theory that has nothing to do with the contract.6American Arbitration Association. AAA Clause Drafting

Completing the Form

The consumer and commercial forms share the same basic structure, with the consumer version stripped down. The consumer form is a useful reference for what each section wants.

Party Identification

The form first asks which side is filing, the consumer or the business. It then collects name, address, phone, fax, and email for both. If a party already has legal representation, separate fields capture the representative’s name, firm, and contact information.5American Arbitration Association. Consumer Demand for Arbitration Form

Get the respondent’s name and address exactly right. The AAA uses this information to send notice, and a bad address delays everything from the start.

Description of the Dispute

A field labeled something like “Briefly explain the dispute” is where you lay out what happened. Write a short, factual narrative: what the contract required, how the other party failed to perform, and what harm followed. Skip the legal jargon. A case manager reads this to gauge complexity and route the filing.

Claim Amount and Relief Sought

Enter the dollar amount in dispute. Below that, describe any additional relief you want, whether attorney fees, interest, arbitration costs, or something non-monetary like specific performance. Be concrete. “Return of the $8,500 deposit plus interest” tells the arbitrator far more than “damages as determined by the arbitrator.”5American Arbitration Association. Consumer Demand for Arbitration Form

Hearing Location

Enter your preferred city and state for an in-person hearing. Your arbitration clause may already fix the location. If it doesn’t, the AAA generally defaults to a location convenient for the consumer in consumer cases and one near the respondent’s business address in commercial cases. Either way, state your preference.

Submitting the Demand and Serving the Other Party

The AAA accepts filings through three channels.

  • Online through AAA WebFile. Go to adr.org and click “File a Case.” You can complete the form in the portal or upload a completed PDF, and you’ll upload the arbitration clause and pay the filing fee in the same session.7American Arbitration Association. File a Case
  • By email to casefiling@adr.org, with the completed form, the arbitration agreement, and any supporting documents attached.8LexisNexis. AAA Demand for Arbitration
  • By mail to AAA Case Filing Services, 1101 Laurel Oak Road, Suite 100, Voorhees, NJ 08043, sending the demand, a copy of the contract with the arbitration clause, the filing fee, and any court order.5American Arbitration Association. Consumer Demand for Arbitration Form

Whichever channel you use, send a copy of the completed demand and its attachments to the respondent at the same time. Under the Commercial Arbitration Rules, service can be by any reasonable means, including email, a delivery service, or the AAA’s online system, and you must give the AAA proof that you did it.9American Arbitration Association. Commercial Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures

Paying the Filing Fee

Your case is not considered properly filed until the fee is paid. Under the Commercial Arbitration Rules, a demand without the correct fee is treated as incomplete and may be returned.9American Arbitration Association. Commercial Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures The AAA accepts credit cards, bank wires, and checks.

Fees vary by case type and claim size. For commercial and construction filings, the AAA publishes an online Administrative Fee Calculator that estimates costs based on the amount in dispute.4American Arbitration Association. Rules, Forms, and Fees Consumer and employment cases each have their own schedules; consumer filing fees are generally lower than commercial ones, and employment schedules are structured so the employer bears more of the administrative cost. Check the current schedule for your case type before you send anything, because the wrong amount stalls the whole filing.

Hardship Waiver

If you cannot afford the filing fee, the AAA offers a hardship waiver. You complete an Affidavit in Support of Administrative Fees Hardship Waiver, which asks for gross and take-home pay, household size, assets such as bank accounts and investments, other income, and whether your attorney is working on contingency or pro bono.10Justia. Affidavit in Support of Administrative Fees Hardship Waiver

The AAA uses federal poverty guidelines as a primary factor. Individuals whose gross income exceeds 300% of the federal poverty level are unlikely to be approved. For 2026, 300% of the poverty guideline for a single person in the 48 contiguous states is $47,880 a year, and that threshold rises with household size and runs higher in Alaska and Hawaii.11U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines

What Happens After You File

Once the AAA has a complete filing with the correct fee, it sends formal notice to the respondent and assigns a case manager as the administrative point of contact for both sides.12American Arbitration Association. AAA Arbitration Services

Under the Commercial Arbitration Rules, the respondent has 14 calendar days after the AAA sends notice to file an answering statement. Answering is optional. If the respondent does nothing, the AAA treats the claim as denied and the case moves forward. A respondent can also file a counterclaim after receiving notice, which carries its own filing fee based on the counterclaim amount.9American Arbitration Association. Commercial Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures

The AAA then sends both parties an identical list of arbitrators drawn from its roster. If the parties agree on someone from the list, the AAA appoints that person. If not, each side has 14 calendar days to strike objectionable names, rank the rest in order of preference, and return the list. The AAA appoints the candidate with the most consensus, or picks from its roster if no name overlaps.12American Arbitration Association. AAA Arbitration Services Once appointed, the arbitrator schedules a preliminary hearing to set deadlines for document exchange, whether depositions will occur, and a hearing date.

Common Reasons Filings Get Returned

The AAA has explicit authority to review filings and send back incomplete ones. The recurring problems are worth flagging.

  • Missing arbitration agreement. Without the contract clause that gives the AAA authority, the demand is incomplete.
  • Unpaid or incorrect filing fee. The matter isn’t properly filed until the fee is paid; the wrong amount puts the case on hold.
  • No proof of service on the respondent. You must send the demand to the other party and prove to the AAA that you did. Without proof, the 14-day answer clock cannot start.
  • Wrong form or rule set. Filing a consumer dispute on a commercial form, or the reverse, can trigger reclassification, added fees, or a return.

If the AAA finds a filing deficient, it notifies all named parties that it received an incomplete submission and may return the demand with an explanation of what needs to change.9American Arbitration Association. Commercial Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures Fix the issue and refile quickly, because the case timeline does not begin until the filing is complete.