Can you get your Tennessee court filing fee waived?
Tennessee 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 Tennessee
- Public benefits. Receiving SNAP, TANF, SSI, or Medicaid 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.
125% creates a rebuttable presumption only; a judge may grant above the line or deny below it. Costs are suspended, not erased, until the case ends.
What to file
Tennessee uses the Uniform Civil Affidavit of Indigency. File it at the same time as your petition or response, not after.
This page explains how Tennessee 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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