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Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. Legislation and case law change. Always consult a qualified solicitor for your specific situation.

UK Law Reference

Legal Aid: Coverage and Means-Test Thresholds

Data as of , sourced verbatim from GOV.UK. Applies to England and Wales.

Legal aid can help with the costs of legal advice. You can also get someone to speak or negotiate for you at a court or tribunal.

This page brings together what legal aid covers, and the Legal Aid Agency's (LAA) published income, capital and contribution thresholds for both civil and criminal cases. Every figure below is quoted verbatim from the relevant GOV.UK guidance page it was drawn from, and each quote was machine-checked against that source page when the data was last refreshed — see How We Verify for the site's broader approach to machine-checked content. This is general information, not legal advice — for advice on your specific situation, see our guide to applying for legal aid or speak to a regulated solicitor.

What legal aid can help with

  • Homelessness, eviction, losing your home, or serious disrepair

    "homelessness, eviction, losing your home, or serious disrepair" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Protecting yourself or a child from abuse or harassment, for example domestic abuse or forced marriage

    "protecting yourself or a child from abuse or harassment, for example domestic abuse or forced marriage" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Poor quality care you or a family member are getting due to age, disability or special educational needs

    "poor quality care you or a family member are getting due to age, disability or special educational needs" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Needing advice on finances, children or divorce if you've been in an abusive relationship

    "needing advice on finances, children or divorce if you've been in an abusive relationship" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • A child in your family being at risk of being taken into care

    "a child in your family being at risk of being taken into care" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Family mediation, for example if you're deciding on child arrangements

    "family mediation, for example if you're deciding on child arrangements" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Discrimination

    "discrimination" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Challenging the way the government has made a decision about you

    "challenging the way the government has made a decision about you" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Seeking asylum or if you've been the victim of human trafficking

    "seeking asylum or if you've been the victim of human trafficking" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Needing advice if a family member's death is going to a coroner's inquest

    "needing advice if a family member's death is going to a coroner's inquest" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

If your human rights are at risk, you could get legal aid for cases that would not usually be eligible.

"If your human rights are at risk, you could get legal aid for cases that would not usually be eligible" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

What legal aid does not cover

  • Debt problems (unless you might lose your home)

    "debt problems (unless you might lose your home)" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Employment disputes (unless you're being discriminated against)

    "employment disputes (unless you're being discriminated against)" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Appealing benefits decisions (unless you're appealing to the Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal or Supreme Court)

    "appealing benefits decisions (unless you're appealing to the Upper Tribunal, Court of Appeal or Supreme Court)" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

There's a different way to get legal aid if you've been arrested or charged with a crime.

"There's a different way to get legal aid if you've been arrested or charged with a crime" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Civil legal aid: means-test thresholds

Means testing to assess financial eligibility for civil legal aid is set out by the Legal Aid Agency. Both income and capital are assessed — a passporting benefit exempts you from the income assessment, but the guidance states that capital means must be assessed in all cases — and your case must also pass a separate merits test.

Gross monthly income limit

£2,657 per month

If they have more than 4 child dependants, add £222 to this figure for the fifth child and each further child.

"Your client's gross monthly income should be £2,657 or less." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Additional allowance per extra child dependant (5th and beyond)

£222

"If they have more than 4 child dependants, add £222 to this figure for the fifth child and each further child." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Disposable income limit

£733 per month

"This limit is set at £733 per month." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Disposable capital limit (most civil legal services)

£8,000

Except an immigration matter set out in regulation 8(3), which is capped at £3,000.

"This limit is set at £8,000 for all civil legal services except any relating to an immigration matter set out in regulation 8(3)" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Disposable capital limit — immigration matter under regulation 8(3)

£3,000

"which is capped at £3,000." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Assets in dispute — included in the eligibility check above

£100k

"the value of the client's assets exceeding £100k should be included in your financial eligibility check" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Licensed-work contribution trigger

£315 per month (income) or £3,000 (capital)

No contribution is required for controlled work and family mediation cases.

"Clients do not make contributions for controlled work and family mediation cases. We'll collect contributions for licensed work where disposable income exceeds £315 per calendar month and/or capital exceeds £3,000." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Passporting benefits

If you receive certain benefits you're passported through the income means test, so you automatically qualify within the income limits — but your capital is still assessed.

"If a client receives certain benefits they're passported through the income means test, so they automatically qualify within the income limits but you must still assess their capital." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Income Support (IS)
  • income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
  • Universal Credit (UC)
  • Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit (GC)
  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Domestic abuse and forced marriage cases

The LAA waives all upper eligibility limits if you are applying for legal aid for an order for protection from domestic abuse or forced marriage. However, a contribution may still be required.

"The LAA waives all upper eligibility limits if your client is applying for legal aid for an order for protection from domestic abuse or forced marriage. However, a contribution may be required." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Criminal legal aid: means-test thresholds

For criminal legal aid, the LAA applies an initial means test based on adjusted annual income, and — where that is inconclusive — a full means test based on disposable income after living costs.

Passporting

Applicants passport the means test to automatically get free legal aid if they're under 18 or receive certain benefits.

"Applicants will passport the means test to automatically get free legal aid if they're under 18 or receive:" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Universal Credit (UC)
  • Income Support (IS)
  • income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
  • State Pension Guarantee Credit
  • income-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Initial and full means test

Adjusted annual income band requiring a full means test

more than £12,475 and less than £22,325

"Use the full means test if the adjusted annual income was found to be more than £12,475 and less than £22,325." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Full means test — disposable income threshold (magistrates' court funded / contribution order revoked)

£3,398 or less

"If it's £3,398 or less, the contribution order will be revoked." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Adjusted living allowance (single person, before weighting)

£5,676

"For a single person the allowance is £5,676. This covers an average person's essential spending on items like food, clothing and fuel." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Crown Court trial — disposable income ceiling for ineligibility

£37,500 or more

"*For Crown Court trials, applicants with a household disposable income of £37,500 or more are ineligible." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Crown Court eligibility review — disposable income ceiling

£37,500 or more

"Applicants assessed to have disposable income of £37,500 or more can apply for an eligibility review." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Single adult weighting: 1.00, plus any children.

    "Single adult: 1.00 + any children" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

  • Couple weighting: 1.64, plus any children.

    "Couple: 1.64 + any children" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Crown Court contributions and enforcement

Crown Court income contribution rate

90% of disposable income, for a maximum of 6 months

Applies where household disposable income is above £3,398 but below £37,500.

"clients who fail the means assessment as their annual household disposable income is above the £3,398 threshold (but below the £37,500 eligibility threshold) will be asked to make a contribution from income. Income contributions are set at 90% of disposable income and will be for a maximum of 6 months." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Interest on refunded contributions (acquittal)

2%

"if the defendant is found not guilty they will get all their money back with interest at a rate of 2%." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Interest charged on unpaid contributions

6%

"If payment is not made interest will be charged at 6% – enforcement action may follow." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Interest on charging orders (enforcement)

8%

"8% interest on charging orders" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Costs of a failed or abandoned appeal

Appeal against conviction — abandoned or dismissed

£500

"£500 for an appeal against conviction abandoned or dismissed" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Appeal against conviction dismissed but sentence reduced

£250

"£250 for an appeal against conviction dismissed but sentence is reduced" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Appeal against sentence or order — abandoned or dismissed

£250

"£250 for an appeal against sentence or order abandoned or dismissed" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

If you fail the means test

Applicants who fail the means test (or are likely to fail) can apply for a review on the grounds of hardship.

"Applicants who fail the means test (or are likely to fail) can apply for a review on the grounds of hardship." — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

How to check and apply

You can check if you can get legal aid for your type of problem.

"check if you can get legal aid for your type of problem" — GOV.UK, fetched 2026-08-24

Sources and how the figures on this page are checked

Every figure on this page carries a receipt: the exact sentence it came from, and a link to the GOV.UK page it was fetched from. A script (scripts/validate-legal-aid.ts) checks that every one of those quotes is a genuine, verbatim substring of the source page's text, and that every number shown in a figure also appears inside that figure's own quote — a fabricated or mismatched number cannot pass. This is an automated text-matching check, not a legal review; thresholds are reviewed by the LAA periodically and may have changed since 2026-08-24. Always confirm current figures on GOV.UK before relying on them.