Which term is used for the form filed with the court after service that confirms service was completed?

• A. Return of service
• B. Affidavit of service
• C. Proof of service affidavit
• D. Documentation of attempts

Answer: (A)

The key idea is the official record you file with the court to prove that service actually happened. After someone is served, the process server submits a document that confirms the details of the service—who was served, where, when, and by what method—and this document becomes part of the court file. That formal filing is called a Return of Service. It provides the court with concrete evidence that service occurred and marks the point from which deadlines in the case begin.

Sometimes people refer to similar sworn statements as an Affidavit of Service, and the term Proof of Service is also used in some places, but in this context the standard term used to describe the form filed with the court is Return of Service. Documentation of attempts describes what was tried, not the completed proof of service, so it doesn’t fulfill the requirement of confirming that service was completed.