FW-001-INFO - Information Sheet on Waiver of Superior Court Fees and Costs

Summary

Information Sheet on Waiver of Superior Court Fees and Costs

Text

Form ID: FW-001-INFO
Title: Information Sheet on Waiver of Superior Court Fees and Costs
Effective Date: 2026-03-01
Mandatory Form: no
Languages: 汉语, 한국어, español, Tiếng Việt
Info Page: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/jcc-form/FW-001-INFO
Primary Download URL: https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fw001info.pdf
Alternate Download URLs: https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fw001infoc.pdf, https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fw001infok.pdf, https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fw001infos.pdf, https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fw001infov.pdf
Form Detail Page:
Information Sheet on Waiver of Superior Court Fees and Costs
(FW-001-INFO)
Explains who qualifies to ask the court to file papers or receive services without paying court fees and costs. Also explains what forms to use and other important information before you complete the forms.
Get form FW-001-INFO
汉语
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(Chinese Simplified)
한국어
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(Korean)
español
Get form FW-001-INFO in Spanish
(Spanish)
Tiếng Việt
Get form FW-001-INFO in Vietnamese
(Vietnamese)
Effective: March 1, 2026
Go to
How-to instructions for Fee Waivers
PDF Text:
Judicial Council of California, courts.ca.gov            
Rev. March 1, 2026, Optional Form   
Gov. Code, §§ 68630–68640; 
Cal. Rules of Court, rules 3.51, 7.5 
Information Sheet on Waiver of   
Superior Court Fees and Costs 
FW-001-INFO, Page 1 of 2
FW-001-INFO
INFORMATION SHEET ON WAIVER OF SUPERIOR COURT FEES AND COSTS 
If you have been sued or if you wish to sue someone, if you are filing or have received a family law petition, or if you are 
asking the court to appoint a guardian for a minor or a conservator for an adult or are an appointed guardian or conservator, 
and if you (or your ward or conservatee) cannot afford to pay court fees and costs, you may not have to pay them in order to 
go to court. If you (or your ward or conservatee) are getting public benefits, are a low-income person, or do not have enough 
income to pay for your (or their) household’s basic needs and your court fees, you may ask the court to waive all or part of 
those fees. 
1. To make a request to the court to waive your fees in superior court, complete the Request to Waive Court Fees (form 
FW-001) or, if you are petitioning for the appointment of a guardian or conservator or are an appointed guardian or 
conservator, complete the Request to Waive Court Fees (Ward or Conservatee) (form FW-001-GC). If you qualify, 
the court will waive all or part of its fees for the following:
• Filing papers in superior court (other than for an appeal in a case with a value of over $35,000)
• Making and certifying copies
• Sheriff’s fee to give notice
• Court fee for telephone hearing
• Reporter’s fee for attendance at hearing or trial, if the court is not electronically recording the proceeding 
and you request that the court provide an official reporter (use form FW-020 to ask for a court reporter)
• Assessment for court investigations under Probate Code section 1513, 1826, or 1851
• Preparing, certifying, copying, and sending the clerk’s transcript on appeal
• Holding in trust the deposit for a reporter’s transcript on appeal under Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.130 or 8.834
• Making a transcript or copy of an official electronic recording under Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.835
• Giving notice and certificates
• Sending papers to another court department
2. You may ask the court to waive other court fees during your case in superior court as well. To do that, complete a 
Request to Waive Additional Court Fees (Superior Court) (form FW-002) or Request to Waive Additional Court Fees 
(Superior Court) (Ward or Conservatee) (form FW-002-GC). The court will consider waiving fees for items such as 
the following, or other court services you need for your case:         
• Jury fees and expenses
• Fees for court-appointed experts
• Other necessary court fees
• Court-appointed interpreter fees for a witness
• Fees for a peace officer to testify in court
3. If you want the Appellate Division of the Superior Court or the Court of Appeal to review an order or judgment 
against you and you want the court fees waived, ask for and follow the instructions on Information Sheet on Waiver of 
Appellate Court Fees— Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Appellate Division (form APP-015/FW-015-INFO).
IMPORTANT INFORMATION!
• You are signing your request under penalty of perjury. Answer truthfully, accurately, and completely.
• The court may ask you for information and evidence. You may be ordered to go to court to answer questions about 
your ability, or the ability of your ward or conservatee, to pay court fees and costs and to provide proof of eligibility.  
Any initial fee waiver you or your ward or conservatee are granted may be ended if you do not go to court when asked. 
You or your ward’s or conservatee’s estate may be ordered to repay amounts that were waived if the court finds you were 
not eligible for the fee waiver.
• Public benefits programs listed on the application form. In item 5 on Request to Waive Court Fees (item 8 of  
Request to Waive Court Fees (Ward or Conservatee)), there is a list of programs from which you (or your ward or 
conservatee) may be receiving benefits, listed by the abbreviations they are commonly known by. The full names of 
those programs can be found in Government Code section 68632(a), and are also listed here:
• Medi-Cal
• Food Stamps—California Food Assistance Program, CalFresh Program, or SNAP
• SSP—State Supplemental Payment
• Supp. Sec. Inc.—Supplemental Security Income ( not Social Security)
(list continues on next page)

For your protection and privacy, please press the Clear 
button after you have printed the form.
Rev. March 1, 2026 Information Sheet on Waiver of   
Superior Court Fees and Costs  
FW-001-INFO, Page 2 of 2
FW-001-INFO
• County Relief/Gen. Assist.—County Relief, General Relief (GR), or General Assistance (GA)
•  IHSS—In-Home Supportive Services
• CalWORKs—California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Act
• Tribal TANF—Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
• CAPI—Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, or Disabled Legal Immigrants
• WIC—Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
• Unemployment—Unemployment compensation
• If you receive a fee waiver, you must tell the court if there is a change in your finances, or the finances of your 
ward or conservatee. You must tell the court within five days if those finances improve or if you, or your ward or 
conservatee, become able to pay court fees or costs during this case. (File Notice to Court of Improved Financial 
Situation or Settlement (form FW-010) or Notice to Court of Improved Financial Situation or Settlement (Ward or 
Conservatee) (form FW-010-GC) with the court.) You may be ordered to repay any amounts that were waived after your 
eligibility, or the eligibility of your ward or conservatee, came to an end.
• If you receive a judgment or support order in a family law matter: You may be ordered to pay all or part of your 
waived fees and costs if the court finds your circumstances have changed so that you can afford to pay. You will have 
the opportunity to ask the court for a hearing if the court makes such a decision.
• If you win your case in the trial court: In most circumstances the other side will be ordered to pay your waived fees 
and costs to the court. The court will not enter a satisfaction of judgment until the court is paid. (This does not apply in 
unlawful detainer cases. Special rules apply in family law cases and in guardianships and conservatorships. (Gov. Code, 
§ 68637(d), (e); Cal. Rules of Court, rule 7.5.).
• If you settle your civil case for $10,000 or more: Any trial court-waived fees and costs must first be paid to the  
court out of the settlement. The court will have a lien on the settlement in the amount of the waived fees and costs.   
The court may refuse to dismiss the case until the lien is satisfied. A request to dismiss the case (use form CIV-110) 
must have a declaration under penalty of perjury that the waived fees and costs have been paid. Special rules apply to 
family law cases.
• The court can collect fees and costs due the court. If waived fees and costs are ordered paid to the trial court, or if 
you fail to make the payments over time, the court can start collection proceedings and add a $25 fee plus any additional 
costs of collection to the other fees and costs owed to the court.
The fee waiver ends. The fee waiver expires 60 days after the judgment, dismissal, or other final disposition of the 
case or earlier if a court finds that you or your ward or conservatee are not eligible for a fee waiver. If the case is a 
guardianship or conservatorship proceeding, see California Rules of Court, rule 7.5(k) for information on the final 
disposition of that matter.
• 
• If you are in jail or state prison: Prisoners may be required to pay the full cost of the filing fee in the trial court but 
may be allowed to do so over time. See Government Code section 68635.
• If you want a record made of your court hearing or trial: There are various reasons why you may want a record of 
the hearing or trial. Among other reasons, you may want to have a record for an appeal if you disagree with a court 
order or judgment. If you receive a fee waiver and if the court is not electronically recording the proceeding, you may 
ask the court to have an official court reporter attend your hearing or trial at no cost to you, so there can be a record of 
the proceeding. You should use form FW-020 to make the request, which you should file at least 10 calendar days 
before a scheduled court date, or as soon as you can if the court date is set with less than 10-days’ notice.
If you want a written transcript after the hearing or trial, you will need to pay the court reporter separately, or arrange to 
get the transcript in another way.  To learn about ways to do that, talk with the court’s Self Help Center or read the 
information about appeals on the self-help website at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/appeals.

Retrieval chunks

• #1

  Form ID: FW-001-INFO Title: Information Sheet on Waiver of Superior Court Fees and Costs Effective Date: 2026-03-01 Mandatory Form: no Languages: 汉语, 한국어, español, Tiếng Việt Info Page: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/jcc-form/FW-001-INFO Primary Download URL: https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fw001info.pdf Al…

• #2

  the court will waive all or part of its fees for the following: • Filing papers in superior court (other than for an appeal in a case with a value of over $35,000) • Making and certifying copies • Sheriff’s fee to give notice • Court fee for telephone hearing • Reporter’s fee for attendance at hearing or trial, i…

• #3

  not eligible for the fee waiver. • Public benefits programs listed on the application form. In item 5 on Request to Waive Court Fees (item 8 of Request to Waive Court Fees (Ward or Conservatee)), there is a list of programs from which you (or your ward or conservatee) may be receiving benefits, listed by the abbrev…

• #4

  and costs to the court. The court will not enter a satisfaction of judgment until the court is paid. (This does not apply in unlawful detainer cases. Special rules apply in family law cases and in guardianships and conservatorships. (Gov. Code, § 68637(d), (e); Cal. Rules of Court, rule 7.5.). • If you settle your …

• #5

  If you want a written transcript after the hearing or trial, you will need to pay the court reporter separately, or arrange to get the transcript in another way. To learn about ways to do that, talk with the court’s Self Help Center or read the information about appeals on the self-help website at selfhelp.courts.c…