If the court didn't grant your fee waiver request
The court will not grant a fee waiver if your form is incomplete or if the court reviewed your information and initially decided you don't qualify. The papers you filed will be on hold for now.
Find out why your waiver wasn't granted
The court will respond using Form FW-003 and list the reason for not granting the request. You will have 10 days to either pay the fee or provide more information.
Carefully read pages 2 and 3 of Form FW-003 to see what the court has ordered. If you don't follow the instructions, the court will cancel any papers you filed with your fee waiver request and you can miss important deadlines or have to start your case all over.
Your options
Select the reason shown on your Form FW-003 to see what you can do.
If your form was incomplete, you have 10 days to either pay the fee or file a new Form FW-001 with complete information. The Self-Help Center or Family Law Facilitator at your court can help with the form.
If the court denied your request because there wasn't enough information to make a decision, the court will set up a hearing date for you. The hearing will be confidential.
The hearing date and documents needed for the hearing will be on pages 2 and 3 of Form FW-003. You must follow the instructions and go to court at the time listed.
If you don't go to the hearing, your fee waiver will be denied, and you will have to pay fees in 10 days, or the paperwork for your case will be cancelled.
If the court determined you are ineligible, the Form FW-003 will show the reason.
You have 10 days to either pay the fee or ask for a hearing to show more information to a judge. If you ask for a hearing, the judge can decide to grant you a full waiver, a partial waiver, or extra time to pay, or they may deny your request again.
How to ask for a confidential hearing about your Fee Waiver
- Fill out a Request for Hearing About Court Fee Waiver Order (form FW-006) and the top of Notice on Hearing about Court Fees (form FW-007). Use the instructions for FW-006 and instructions for FW-007 as a guide.
- Make 1 copy of your forms, for a total of 2.
- Take the original and copy of your FW-006 and FW-007 to the court clerk. The court will mail you another form with a hearing date to come to court.
Once you've filed the Request for Hearing, the court will send you a completed Form FW-007, telling you when the court date is for your fee waiver hearing. You'll need to go to court, present your information, and be ready to act on the judge's decision right away.
If you end up having a hearing, the judge's decision at a Fee Waiver hearing is final. You'll need to immediately follow orders, including if you are required to pay your fee, or your case cannot go forward.