Court & Hearings

In Illinois, you usually have to pay fees and costs to start, respond to, or take part in a court case. These can include: 

• Filing fees: Money you pay the circuit court clerk to file your papers.
• Other costs: For example, paying the sheriff A county officer who can serve people with summons. They can evict someone with a court order. to deliver court papers to the other side, or fees for mediation. When a neutral person, called a mediator, works to help the parties in a case reach an agreement  

If you cannot afford these fees or costs, you can ask the court for a fee waiver. This means some or all of your fees may be removed. To ask for a waiver, you must fill out an application with information about your income, expenses, and household. A judge looks at your application and decides if you qualify. If approved, you can move forward with your case without paying some or all of the fees. 

You can use our Easy Form programs listed below to help you create the correct fee waiver forms:

• Circuit court fee waiver: if your case is in circuit (trial) When the issues of a case are heard in court and decided by a judge or jury court.
• Appellate court fee waiver: if you are appealing your case to the Illinois Appellate Court.
• Supreme court fee waiver: if you are taking your case to the Illinois Supreme Court. 

Learn how to apply for a fee waiver.

Note: If you were ordered to pay court costs The fees for going to court, including filing, serving, and getting transcripts (called “assessments”) in a criminal case and cannot afford them, use the criminal court assessments fee waiver form.