POS-015: Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt—Civil
Short answer
POS-015 (Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt—Civil) is the form mailed with a civil summons and complaint when the person being served is asked to sign for the papers and send the form back. It is a Judicial Council form, revised January 1, 2005, 1 page. Sent by a nonparty, signed by the person served.
POS-015 is the Judicial Council form for serving a summons under Code of Civil Procedure section 415.30, and subdivision (e) of that section treats a notice or acknowledgment in a Judicial Council form as compliant. The form’s notice states the effect in its own words: if the form is returned to the sender, service of a summons is deemed complete on the day you sign the acknowledgment of receipt below.
When it is used
The envelope and the 20 days
Section 415.30(a) lists what is mailed: a copy of the summons and of the complaint, first-class or airmail with postage prepaid, two copies of the notice and acknowledgment, and a postage-prepaid return envelope addressed to the sender. The notice warns that failing to complete the form and return it within 20 days from the date of mailing may make the recipient, or the party served through them, liable for the expenses of serving the summons in another way.
Who files it
Sent by a nonparty, signed by the person served
The sender fills in the caption, the name of the party being served, the date of mailing and the list of documents, then prints a name and signs; the signature line says the sender must not be a party in the case. The person served, or a person authorized to sign for them or for an entity, dates and signs the acknowledgment and sends it back.
Section by section
What each part asks
Use the current official form and its instructions. The descriptions below identify the questions without choosing answers for your situation.
Top half · Caption, notice and sender
Caption
The attorney or party without an attorney, the court, the plaintiff or petitioner, the defendant or respondent, and the case number.
To
The name of the party being served.
Notice
Served under section 415.30; the 20-day warning; who signs for a corporation, unincorporated association (including a partnership) or other entity; and the day service is deemed complete.
Date of mailing and sender
The date of mailing, and the sender’s printed name and signature: the line says the sender must not be a party in this case.
Bottom half · Acknowledgment of receipt
Documents (completed by the sender before mailing)
Box 1, a copy of the summons and of the complaint; box 2, other documents, specified.
Date this form is signed (recipient)
The date the recipient signs, which is the date service is complete if the form is returned.
Name and signature (recipient)
The printed name and the name of any entity on whose behalf it is signed, and the signature, with a title when signed for another person or entity.
After it comes back
From the signed acknowledgment to the proof of service
POS-015 is not itself the proof of service. When the signed form comes back, the service is shown on the Proof of Service of Summons, POS-010. Its item 5c, “by mail and acknowledgment of receipt of service,” records the date and city of mailing, that two copies of the Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt went with a postage-paid return envelope, and says to attach the completed Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt.
If the form is not returned within 20 days from the date of mailing, section 415.30(d) makes the party to whom the summons was mailed liable for the reasonable expenses later incurred serving or attempting to serve them another way, and the court, on motion, awards those expenses unless good cause is shown. Mailing to an address outside California with a return receipt requested is a separate method, listed as item 5c(4) on POS-010 under section 415.40.
Subdivision (b) prints the notice “in substantially the following form,” and the Judicial Council form follows it with a few changes:
What the statute prints, and where it is on POS-015
Code of Civil Procedure section 415.30(b) (read on leginfo, 2026-11-02) and POS-015 (Rev. January 1, 2005).
Section 415.30(b)
On POS-015
Title of court and cause, with the action number, inserted by the sender before mailing
The caption block and case number at the top of the form.
To: the name of the person to be served
“TO (insert name of party being served).”
Served under section 415.30; the 20 days; liability for the expense of another method
The first paragraph of the notice, which counts the 20 days from the date of mailing shown on the form.
Who signs for an entity, and who signs in all other cases
The second paragraph of the notice, in the same terms.
Signature of sender
Printed name and signature, with the added words “must not be a party in this case.”
Acknowledges receipt on a date of a copy of the summons and complaint at an address
A documents list completed by the sender (the summons and complaint, and other documents), then the date the form is signed.
Subdivision (e) makes a Judicial Council version of the notice or acknowledgment compliant with the section.
Before you file
Common POS-015 mistakes that get filings rejected
These checks come from the official form and instructions. They are not a ranking of rejection reasons; the court decides whether a filing meets its requirements.
Only one copy of POS-015 is in the envelope; section 415.30(a) calls for two, with a postage-prepaid return envelope.
The date of mailing is blank, so the 20-day period has no starting date.
A party to the case signs as the sender; the signature line says the sender must not be a party.
The documents list is not completed before mailing.
The returned form is not attached to the POS-010 that proves the service.
E-file it
How to e-file POS-015 with Legal Hub Group
Legal Hub Group is a certified e-filing service provider for California courts. Availability depends on the live court, case type, document type and whether the case is new or existing.
1
Confirm the court
Check the current court and case-type list. A court must support the particular filing; this guide does not make every form available in every county.
2
Upload and check
Upload the finished papers and their attachments. Lexary checks them for common filing problems. Review the documents and the results before continuing.
3
Review the filing and fees
Confirm the case, document types and payment choice. Review every fee shown before submitting.
4
Submit and track the answer
The court reviews the filing. Keep the court’s acceptance and returned copy, or read its rejection notice before deciding what to do next.
$14.99 Legal Hub Group fee per e-filing, plus applicable court and court-system fees. Each fee is shown before submitting.
E-service is free on supported courts; it is not available on LA civil filings. No subscription. E-filing and service of opening papers are separate requirements.
On the date the person served signs the acknowledgment, if the form is then returned to the sender (Code of Civil Procedure section 415.30(c)). Mailing alone does not complete it.
Who signs POS-015 for a company?
The form says that for a corporation, an unincorporated association (including a partnership) or other entity, it is signed in the name of the entity by the recipient or by a person authorized to receive service of process for it.
Is POS-015 filed with the court?
It goes with the proof of service: item 5c of POS-010 says to attach the completed Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt.
What if the form never comes back?
Section 415.30(d) makes the person who did not return it within 20 days of the mailing liable for the reasonable expenses of serving them another way, which the court awards on motion unless there is good cause.
Not legal advice. This page explains public filing information. It does not tell you what to put in your own case. Legal Hub Group is a certified e-filing service provider for California courts, not a law firm.
Information checked as of November 2026. Rules, form revisions and provider prices can change. The court decides whether to accept a filing.
