California lets you ask the court to waive your filing fees if you qualify by income, public benefits, or financial hardship. Here's which path applies to you, which forms to file, and what happens next.
If your household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, you qualify automatically — no need to detail every expense.
Each qualifying reason uses the same form (FW-001), but which section you fill in depends on your situation.
CalFresh, Medi-Cal, SSI, CalWORKs, General Assistance, or other listed benefits qualify you automatically.
Household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines for your family size.
Income is above the guideline, but your expenses leave you unable to pay for both fees and basic needs.
Check the public benefits box on FW-001 and list the program — no income or expense numbers are required when you qualify this way.
Receiving certain public benefits, having low income, or facing financial hardship each qualify on their own — use the picker above to see which applies.
List your household size, income or benefits, and monthly expenses — the form does the math against the current guideline for you.
A recent benefits award letter or pay stubs can speed up review, though they're not always required up front.
File FW-001 at the same time as the papers you can't afford the fee for — the clerk won't charge you while it's pending.
A judge reviews FW-001 and signs FW-003, granting, partially granting, or denying the request — you'll get a copy either way.
Fill any of these directly in your browser — no printing, scanning, or separate PDF editor required.
The main form you fill out to ask the court to waive your fees.
Explains who qualifies and how the waiver works — read-only, nothing to fill in.
The judge's signed decision on your request — you'll receive a completed copy, not fill it out yourself.
For fees that come up later in your case — like a jury fee — that weren't covered by your original FW-001.
File this if your FW-001 is denied and you want a judge to reconsider, rather than paying or reapplying.
Fee waiver forms use specific legal terms. Here's what each one actually means.
A court order excusing you from paying filing fees and some other court costs because you can't afford them.
Government assistance programs like CalFresh, Medi-Cal, SSI, or CalWORKs that automatically qualify you for a fee waiver.
Income thresholds published annually by the federal government, used here to set the 200% cutoff for automatic income-based qualification.
A qualifying reason for a waiver when income is above the guideline but expenses make paying fees unaffordable.
The judge's signed decision on your FW-001 request — granting, partially granting, or denying it.
A court's later review of whether you still qualify for a fee waiver, sometimes ordered if a case goes on for a long time.
Not automatically — it starts with filing fees, and can extend to costs like service fees or transcript fees, but some costs may be reassessed as your case goes on.
You have 10 days to pay the fee, file FW-006 to request a hearing on the denial, or submit a corrected FW-001 — missing all three lets the court void the papers you filed.
Not usually up front — you sign the form under penalty of perjury, though the court can ask for pay stubs or a benefits letter if it needs more detail.
Yes — what matters is your household income and size relative to the guideline, or whether paying would create real financial hardship, not your employment status itself.
The court can reject your filing outright, so if you can't pay, file FW-001 at the same time rather than leaving the fee unpaid.
Formbono is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. If your situation is complex or you need representation, contact a local self-help center or legal aid organization.