# Track your eFileIL envelopes through an API > Get your eFileIL filing history, each filing's status and the clerk's Returned Reason as JSON, one API call each. A workflow can check your envelopes every weekday morning and email you which filings the clerk accepted or rejected. Page: https://fous.com/automate/efileil Updated: 2026-11-12 Works with your own eFileIL account. Fous is an independent product. ## What you can build on eFileIL ### Get filing history Reads View filing history in Odyssey eFileIL: every envelope you submitted, its case number and the filing status of each document in it. - Takes: Submitted since (optional), filing status (optional) - Returns: Envelope number, submitted date, case number, filing code, filing type, filing status ### Read an envelope's clerk comments Opens Envelope details from the Actions menu and reads the Filings box: each filing's status, the clerk's Comments, Returned Reason and Returned Comments. - Takes: Envelope number - Returns: Envelope number, case number, filing code, filing status, comments, returned reason, returned comments ### Get file stamped copies Opens Envelope details for an envelope and downloads the File stamped copy of each accepted filing, with the clerk's electronic stamp. - Takes: Envelope number - Returns: Envelope number, case number, filing code, document name, file stamped copy ### Copy a rejected envelope into a draft Chooses Copy Envelope from a rejected envelope's Actions menu and saves the copy with Save Draft and Exit, so someone can correct and re-file it. - Takes: Envelope number - Returns: Original envelope number, case number, draft saved (yes or no) ## Automate eFileIL with a workflow A [workflow](/product/workflows) runs your methods as one process, with nobody at the screen. A schedule or a call from your own system starts it, the steps run in order, and the result arrives in your inbox or in the systems you already use. ### Morning report of accepted and rejected filings Starts: Every weekday at 8:00 1. Get the filing history for envelopes submitted in the last 14 days. 2. Keep the filings whose filing status changed since the last run. 3. Email you the list grouped by status, with envelope number, case number and filing code. ### Rejected filings, with the clerk's returned reason Starts: Every weekday at 16:00 1. Get the filing history with filing status Rejected. 2. Keep the envelopes that were not rejected on the last run. 3. Read each envelope's details for the returned reason and returned comments. 4. Post each one to your docketing or case management system's webhook. ### Filings still waiting for the clerk Starts: Every weekday at 9:00 1. Get the filing history for envelopes submitted in the last 14 days. 2. Keep the filings still Submitted or Under Review more than 2 business days after submission. 3. Email you the list with envelope number, case number, submitted date and status. You can run a workflow by hand on every plan, Free included. Schedules and webhook triggers come with the paid plans, from $29 a month. ## Once built, one call from your code Once you have built a [method](/product/methods), it is one POST to /v1/runs from your backend, or a tool an AI agent calls over MCP. This is what “Get filing history” would look like. Example request: ``` curl https://api.fous.com/v1/runs \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "method": "efileil.tylertech.cloud/get_filing_history", "input": { "submitted_since": "2026-11-02", "filing_status": "Rejected" } }' ``` Example response: ``` { "status": "completed", "data": { "envelopes": [ { "envelope_number": "81640027", "submitted_date": "2026-11-09T15:42:00-06:00", "case_number": "2026L004417", "filings": [ { "filing_code": "Motion", "filing_type": "eFile Only", "filing_status": "Rejected" } ] } ], "count": 1 } } ``` An example with invented data, not a ready-made endpoint. The method exists in your organization once you build it, and its name, inputs and fields follow your request. ## EFileIL’s own options eFileIL is the single electronic filing manager for civil cases in the Illinois Supreme, Appellate and Circuit Courts. You reach it through a certified electronic filing service provider (EFSP) of your choice, Tyler's free Odyssey eFileIL site among them. The eFileIL pages describe no API for filers: status reaches you by email and in View filing history. | Option | What it covers | What it takes | | --- | --- | --- | | Odyssey eFileIL | Filing into new and existing cases, optional service contacts, fees or a fee waiver, and View filing history. | A free account registered with an email address and password. | | Other certified EFSPs | The same filings through each provider's own site. Some add services such as monthly billing or document storage. | An account with that provider: some are free, some have a free trial, some charge for extra services. | | Status emails | A confirmation and a status email for each lead document, the accepted ones with a Download Document link to the stamped copy. | Sent to the email you registered with, from no-reply@efilingmail.tylertech.cloud. | | eFileIL by hand | View filing history, Envelope details with the clerk's comments, File stamped copy and Copy Envelope, one envelope at a time. | Your own Odyssey eFileIL sign-in. | Read on November 12, 2026: [eFileIL: Electronic Filing Service Providers](https://efile.illinoiscourts.gov/EFSPs-Page/), [How to e-file in Odyssey eFileIL](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/self-help/how-to-e-file/), [How to e-file in Odyssey eFileIL, Step 11: Check status](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/cc7fe3fb-b1a2-435e-82db-3fbf45dde1c8/Efile_step_11.pdf). ## Signing in to eFileIL Odyssey eFileIL signs you in with the email address and password you registered with, and after several failed attempts it may lock the account until you set a new password. With Fous you sign in once through eFileIL's own sign-in with your own account: the login is sealed with AES-256, code and AI agents never see it, and an expired session is signed back in. ## Worth knowing - **Filed only once the clerk accepts**: Your documents are filed only when the clerk accepts and electronically stamps them, which can take 24 to 48 business hours. Accepted does not mean the judge has ruled, only that the document is in the case. - **Everything is an envelope**: Each submission of one document or a group is an envelope. A rejected document has to be re-filed: you copy the envelope with Copy Envelope and correct what the Returned Reason and Returned Comments say. - **Five filing statuses to watch**: The common statuses are Submitted, Under Review, Accepted, Rejected and Submission failure. Submission failure usually means a document must be rescanned or flattened so it is no longer fillable. - **Cook County asks for more**: In Cook County a filing needs an Attorney Code (Case Cross Reference ID), some cases need a return date, and a motion may lead to a Hearing screen where you pick a date or Do not schedule. ## More in Government: US courts, records, permits and licensing - [Sunshine 811](https://fous.com/automate/sunshine-811.md) - [Texas811 Portal](https://fous.com/automate/texas811-portal.md) - [USA North 811](https://fous.com/automate/usa-north-811.md) - [Accela Citizen Access](https://fous.com/automate/accela-citizen-access.md) - [DOB NOW](https://fous.com/automate/dob-now.md) - [Metrc](https://fous.com/automate/metrc.md) - [webDEALER](https://fous.com/automate/webdealer.md) - [The Compliance Engine](https://fous.com/automate/the-compliance-engine.md) - [eFileTexas](https://fous.com/automate/efiletexas.md) - [Florida Courts E-Filing Portal](https://fous.com/automate/florida-courts-e-filing-portal.md) - [Odyssey File & Serve](https://fous.com/automate/odyssey-file-and-serve.md) - [LOOP](https://fous.com/automate/loop.md) Other industries: [HM Land Registry portal](/automate/hm-land-registry-portal), [EPA Central Data Exchange](/automate/epa-central-data-exchange), [eVA](/automate/eva), [Maryland Tax Connect](/automate/maryland-tax-connect), [GDOL Employer Portal](/automate/gdol-employer-portal), [Airgas](/automate/airgas). ## Frequently asked questions ### Does eFileIL have an API? Not for filers, as far as the eFileIL pages describe. eFileIL is the courts' filing manager, and you file through a certified EFSP such as Tyler's free Odyssey eFileIL site. Status comes by email and in View filing history. With Fous you can build methods that read your filing history and envelope details and return JSON. ### How long does it take for an eFileIL filing to be accepted? The clerk's review can take 24 to 48 business hours. Until then a filing shows Submitted or Under Review. When the clerk accepts it, the status changes to Accepted and a file stamped copy is available in Envelope details. ### Where do I find why a filing was rejected? In Envelope details. Open View filing history, choose Envelope details from the envelope's Actions menu and expand the filing in the Filings box to read the clerk's Returned Reason and Returned Comments. Then re-file with Copy Envelope. ### Can I use my eFileIL account with another service provider? Yes. Illinois Legal Aid Online explains that an e-filing account made through one Illinois EFSP can be used on any EFSP in Illinois. ### Is Fous affiliated with the Illinois Supreme Court or Tyler Technologies? No. Fous is an independent product. You use it with your own eFileIL account, and a method reads and does only what that account can. Fous is an independent product: it is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the operator of eFileIL (Illinois Supreme Court (run by Tyler Technologies)). The name is used only to say which system this page is about. Something here wrong or out of date? Write to legal@fous.com.