The short answer
This charge is from PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records), the federal government's electronic database for U.S. appellate, district, and bankruptcy court documents. It represents fees accrued from searching or downloading federal court records.
Understanding PACER billing
The PACER system charges users based on the volume of information accessed. The standard fee is $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 for any single document. When your accumulated charges reach a certain threshold, or at the end of a quarterly billing cycle, the system automatically bills the credit card on file.
Notably, if your total usage in a given quarter falls below $30.00, the PACER Service Center waives the fee entirely for that period. Therefore, seeing this charge means your document access exceeded the quarterly waiver limit.
- Check PACER Account Log into your PACER account to review your quarterly statement and itemized document access history.
Why was I charged by PACER if I only searched?
PACER charges $0.10 per page for search results, regardless of whether the search yielded the specific document you were looking for.
Is PACER usage billed immediately?
No, PACER typically bills users on a quarterly basis (January, April, July, October) for the previous quarter's usage.
Managing your PACER account access
Legal professionals, journalists, and researchers are the most common users of the PACER system. If you share a firm account, the charge likely stems from cumulative research conducted by multiple staff members throughout the billing period.
If you are certain you do not have a PACER account and have never accessed federal court records, your credit card information may have been compromised and used to set up a fraudulent account. Contact the PACER Service Center to investigate the associated account and notify your bank.
- Update Payment Preferences You can manage your saved credit cards and review billing cycles directly within the PACER Manage My Account dashboard.
How can I avoid PACER fees in the future?
To avoid fees, ensure your total document access (including searches and downloads) remains strictly under $30.00 per quarter.
Does PACER offer refunds for accidental downloads?
Generally, PACER does not offer refunds for documents that were successfully delivered to your browser, even if downloaded by mistake.
Independent reference — not affiliated with U.S. Courts PACER. Billing names and policies change; verify with the merchant or your bank before acting.
Verified sources
Every claim on this page is checked against official sources — open them to confirm before you call your bank.
- PACER Pricing and Billing https://pacer.uscourts.gov
- PACER Official Site https://pacer.uscourts.gov/help-center?ref=unknowncharges
Reviewed Aug 31, 2026 · high · About UnknownCharges