Civil legal-aid programs offer free or low-cost help with problems like eviction, debt, family matters, and benefits — often for households under an income line set at 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. Enter your household size and income to see that line for your family, then find the legal-aid organizations that serve your state. Income is only the first screen: programs also weigh your assets, the type of case, and local rules, and some serve specific groups regardless of income.
Civil legal aid is free or low-cost help from nonprofit organizations — many funded by the Legal Services Corporation — for non-criminal legal problems. That covers things like eviction and housing, debt collection, family and custody matters, public benefits, and protection from domestic violence. These programs are staffed by real lawyers and advocates, and their help is free to people who fall under their income and case guidelines. Civil legal aid does not cover criminal charges; if you are charged with a crime and can't afford a lawyer, you ask the court for a public defender instead.
Most legal-aid programs start with an income screen tied to the federal poverty guidelines that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publishes each year. Legal Services Corporation-funded programs set that line at 125% of the poverty guidelines, adjusted for household size, under federal regulation 45 CFR §1611.3. Some programs serve households above that line — often up to 200% of poverty — and many also look at your assets, not just income. The figures shown here are for the 48 contiguous states and DC; Alaska and Hawaii use higher guidelines.
Income is only the first filter. Programs weigh the type of legal problem, your assets, and local priorities, and many serve specific groups regardless of income — domestic-violence survivors, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and tenants facing eviction often qualify for help on that basis alone. The only way to know what's available to you is to contact a program directly. Use the organizations listed for your state, or the national LawHelp.org and Legal Services Corporation directories, to find the office that covers where you live and the kind of problem you have.
Disclaimer: NotALawyer.com provides general legal information, not legal advice, and is not a law firm. Using a tool does not create an attorney–client relationship. Laws change and vary by situation — verify anything important with the official source or a licensed attorney in your state.