What is considered “low-income”?

“Low-income” for civil legal organizations goes deeper than just not being able to afford legal services. Being “income-qualified” means that the person meets approved specific income and documentation requirements, and these requirements may vary by the type of client, the type of services, and who is funding the program.

Most organizations use the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) to determine eligibility. In this model, annual household income must be below a certain percentage, typically between 125% and 200%, of FPG. Some organizations just look at gross income; others allow certain deductions, such as rent, medical bills, or child care, when determining eligibility. For example, an individual with a household of four applying for assistance from an organization that requires gross household income under 200% would qualify with household income under $62,000, while the same individual applying to an organization that uses 125%, but allows deductions, cannot have more than $39,000 of annual household income remaining after the allowed deductions.

Some programs use state median income figures to determine eligibility. This is more commonly used for housing assistance programs, but legal assistance programs funded by a housing agency, such as HUD or the IHCDA, may be required to follow HUD’s income restrictions.

Other programs, such as programs that serve veterans, the elderly, and victims of domestic violence, may have no income restrictions at all, although applicants must meet other, non-income requirements to be eligible for services.