Can you get your Illinois court filing fee waived?
Illinois decides fee waivers using 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. That gives you a number to compare against, but it is usually a presumption or one route of several, not a hard ceiling.
Compare your income
For a household of 1, 125% of the federal poverty guidelines is $19,950 a year ($1,663 a month). The guideline itself is $15,960.
Ways to qualify in Illinois
- Public benefits. Receiving SSI, AABD, TANF, SNAP, General Assistance, Transitional Assistance, or State Children and Family Assistance counts toward qualifying, often without any income showing at all.
- Income. At or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines for your household size.
- Inability to pay. You explain your income, expenses and debts on a sworn form, and the court decides whether paying the fee would leave you unable to cover basic needs. This route has no income cutoff.
Full waiver is automatic at or below 125% FPL or on listed benefits. Above that, a partial waiver of 75, 50 or 25 percent is available on a sliding scale up to 200% FPL.
What to file
Illinois uses the Application for Waiver of Court Fees (Civil) (ATJ 601.9). File it at the same time as your petition or response, not after.
This page explains how Illinois decides fee waivers. It is not legal advice, and it cannot tell you how a judge will rule on your case. Virdix is a document preparation service, not a law firm.
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