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A waiver is also known as "In forma pauperis," a Latin legal term that means "in the manner of a pauper." This term refers to a court's permission to allow a person to file a lawsuit or appeal without paying the usual court fees due to their inability to pay.
Waiver accounts are used to waive or bypass paying all filing fees if the court finds you eligible. Waivers are typically used for government entities and filers who are unable to afford court fees.
Waivers are obtained from the court you are filing into. If you require a waiver to bypass filing fees, please contact the court you are filing into and follow their instructions.
- NOTE: If you are part of a firm, only the Firm Administrator will be able to set up a waiver account.
- NOTE: Government agencies must set up a Waiver account to waive fees for their court filings.
To use a Waiver, simply select it from the Payment Accounts dropdown menu in the Fees section of your filing. For more information, please refer to the article below.
To learn more about adding payment methods to your efiling accounts, please select one of the options below:
FOR MOST STATES
Instructions for both Individual (or Pro Se) accounts and for Firm (legal professional) accounts are below:
- Individual Accounts: Click on the three horizontal lines at the top left of the screen and select My Payment Accounts. (See the image below, on the left.)
- Firm Accounts: Click on the three horizontal lines at the top left of the screen and select Firm Management, then Payment Accounts. (See the image below, on the right.)
On the right side of the screen, click the +Add Account button.
1. Name the Waiver Account. You can give the account any name you want, as long as it helps you remember which payment account you are using for your filings.
2. Select Waiver for Payment Type.
3. The Account Type field will trigger different options depending on the location. Select the type of waiver/filer applicable to your filing.
• In some states, Pauper's Affidavits may be available as a Waiver type for users who cannot afford to
pay for their filings.
• In some states, Government Agency Filing may be an available Waiver option for government
agency filers.
4. Click Save.
FOR LOUISIANA
If you are on the Fees tab while filing and want to add a Waiver account, click here for instructions.
If you are part of a firm, only the Firm Administrator will be able to set up a waiver account.
Individual filers can follow the same instructions below.
Click on the three horizontal lines at the top left and select Firm Payment Accounts (for Firm accounts) or My Payment Accounts (for Individual accounts).
1. Click on the + Add Account icon on the right side
2. Name the Waiver Account. You can give the account any name you want, as long as it helps you remember which payment account you are using for your filings.
3. Click on the option for Waiver.
4. Click the Create Waiver button.