What a process server costs in Toronto and the GTA
Advertised prices for a serve in the GTA run from about $70 to about $230. The gap is mostly not about quality. It is about what the headline price leaves out.
Two ways a serve is priced
A low base price plus extras. The advertised figure covers one visit. Mileage is charged by the kilometre, the affidavit is a separate line, a rush is a surcharge, and each further visit is billed. The final invoice can be double the number that caught your eye.
A flat price that bundles attempts. One higher figure covers two or three visits and the affidavit. It is predictable, but you pay for attempts that were never needed when the person answers the door the first time.
The extras to ask about
- Mileage, and where it is measured from
- Parking
- The affidavit of service, and an affidavit of attempts if service fails
- Rush or same day surcharges
- Printing, per page
- Charges for a wrong address
- Waiting time
- Whether further attempts happen automatically or only when you agree
How to compare two quotes
Ask each firm for the total, tax included, for the job you actually have: this address, this many pages, this deadline, and one visit that fails before the second succeeds. Then ask what evidence you get of each visit. A price is only cheap if the serve stands up when it is challenged.
How Sparrow prices it
$149 for an attempt within 72 hours anywhere in the GTA, or $199 within 24 hours. That includes GPS and photo proof, live tracking, printing of the first 10 pages and both affidavits, with no mileage or parking. A further attempt is $75, and it only happens if you approve it after seeing the photo and note from the one before.