Eligibility calculator

On this page:

Who is the calculator for?
Using the calculator
New deduction – criminal legal aid contribution payments
Data protection
For more information

Who is the calculator for?

This calculator is designed for LSC service providers. We advise members of the public to use the Legal Aid Calculator on the Community Legal Advice website.

This tool helps work out eligibility for those levels of help where the provider is responsible for means assessment.

Providers should be aware that a change has been made to the civil legal aid means test (for all levels of service including Legal Help) to coincide with the introduction of means testing to the Crown Court. Find out more.

Providers should also refer to LSC forms CW1, CW2, CLS MEANS 6 and CLS MEANS 7 which contain the relevant means information.

The calculator is also useful to work out eligibility for levels of service where the LSC is the assessing authority.

The calculator is not a replacement for the detailed financial eligibility guidance in Volume 2F of the LSC Manual. This information is particularly useful for those levels of service which are not subject to a means test.

It is available as a pilot application and results cannot be taken as a final indication of whether the client will receive legal aid.

Using the calculator

The calculator guides users as you work through it. Some tips:

enter figures into the boxes provided using your computer keyboard
where check boxes are provided select your options by clicking with your mouse in the box or by using the Tab, Space and Enter keys on your computer keyboard
boxes for which you do not need to type in a figure will appear in grey
what boxes are provided will depend on the questions you answer at the beginning of the calculator
at the end of the calculator you can print out the results page, which includes the figures entered and eligibility result. You can also print out a copy of certain LSC forms with the relevant sections filled in
if ineligible for CLS funded help, the client could use the results page from the calculator when applying for Pro Bono help, for example
if you cannot see Next and Back buttons at the bottom of your screen, it is possible that the calculator window has not filled the whole screen. To maximise the window, double-click the very top bar of the screen (which says Legal Aid Calculator) with the left button of your mouse.

Important note

A problem has recently been reported about the income and capital contributions functionality of the calculator.

We are working to rectify this issue. Please ensure that all results are cross referenced to the guidance in Volume 2 part F of the Manual, which is attached to this calculator.

New deduction – criminal legal aid contribution payments

A change has been made to the civil legal aid means test (for all levels of service including legal lelp) due to the introduction of Crown Court Means Testing.

For assessments carried out from 11 January 2010 onwards you should disregard any monthly payment that the client (or their partner, if applicable) has to make under a contribution order towards the costs of representation in their criminal case.

The amount will be taken with other deductions for income tax, national insurance payments, housing costs etc when assessing disposable income.

There is no change to the rules for assessing gross income or to the upper eligibility limits for gross income, disposable income or capital.

The client’s gross income therefore must not exceed £2675 per month limit.

If the client’s income is within this limit, disposable income should be assessed taking account of the above change (where appropriate). See keycard 45 for details of eligibility limits.

Data protection

For data protection reasons none of the information entered into the calculator is saved. When you close the calculator window, or your browser, the information is deleted.

Please print the results at the end of the calculator if you want to keep the information.

For more information

Detailed information on financial eligibility for civil legal aid is in Volume 2F of the LSC Manual.

Send feedback on the calculator to the Direct Services team.

This team cannot provide advice on eligibility. Advisers should contact their regional office for queries regarding client eligibilty.

Members of the public should visit the Community Legal Advice website to:

use the legal aid eligibility calculator
use the CLS Directory to find a legal adviser
view legal information leaflets.

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Last updated: 15 February 2010