By James Stevens, Director and Solicitor, Go To Court Lawyers. Last reviewed 11 April 2026.
Key points
- Legal Aid Queensland pays for a lawyer to represent you only if you pass a means test, your matter is one it funds, and in most cases it passes a merits test. Legal information and advice need no application: call 1300 65 11 88, 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
- Income: a single person with no children pays no income contribution up to $695 gross a week and is normally refused above $1,040 a week. People who rely on full Centrelink payments pass the income test.
- Assets: the home you live in is not counted if your equity is $146,000 or less; a car is not counted unless you have more than $16,000 equity in it; the first $2,000 of savings is not counted. Other assessable assets over $930 ($1,880 if someone helps you financially or you are single with dependent children) can mean refusal or a contribution.
- These figures have not changed since at least November 2022. Queensland's Audit Office reported in June 2026 that the income thresholds had not been updated since 2018, and the home-equity threshold since 1997.
- Duty lawyers are free at most Magistrates Courts on the day, with no application, but not for traffic offences or a first or second drink or drug driving charge on its own unless jail is likely.
- Over the limit? A 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Queensland is a fixed $295. Call 1800 577 015 at any hour for free general legal information, or request a consultation.
Legal Aid Queensland's means test treats a single person with no children as contribution-free up to $695 gross a week, normally refuses aid above $1,040 a week, and counts home equity above $146,000, figures unchanged since at least November 2022.
Every figure on this page was read on 22 October 2026 from Legal Aid Queensland's own website and its "Can I get legal aid?" factsheet (May 2026), with the Queensland Audit Office's report "Accessing Legal Aid Queensland's representation services" (June 2026) for the history. Legal Aid Queensland decides each application itself; this page is not a promise of eligibility.
The income test
Legal Aid Queensland counts the gross weekly income of you and anyone who helps you financially, unless your matter is a dispute with that person. Salary or wages, investment income, insurance income such as accident or disability benefits, Family Tax Benefit, child maintenance and child support all count. Below the first figure there is no income contribution; between the two figures aid can be granted with a contribution that rises with income; above the second figure aid is not normally granted.
| Household | Children | No contribution up to (gross a week) | Not normally granted above (gross a week) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single person or sole parent, in the workforce | 0 | $695 | $1,040 |
| Single person or sole parent, in the workforce | 1 | $855 | $1,210 |
| Single person or sole parent, in the workforce | 2 | $1,030 | $1,410 |
| Single person or sole parent, in the workforce | 3 | $1,220 | $1,610 |
| Single person or sole parent, in the workforce | 4 | $1,410 | $1,810 |
| Single person or sole parent, in the workforce | 5 or more | $1,690 | $2,010 |
| Couple, one in the workforce | 0 | $855 | $1,200 |
| Couple, one in the workforce | 1 | $1,030 | $1,410 |
| Couple, one in the workforce | 2 | $1,220 | $1,550 |
| Couple, one in the workforce | 3 | $1,550 | $1,810 |
| Couple, one in the workforce | 4 | $1,690 | $2,015 |
| Couple, one in the workforce | 5 or more | $2,010 | $2,200 |
| Couple, both in the workforce | 0 | $855 | $1,180 |
| Couple, both in the workforce | 1 | $1,030 | $1,355 |
| Couple, both in the workforce | 2 | $1,220 | $1,515 |
| Couple, both in the workforce | 3 | $1,550 | $1,690 |
| Couple, both in the workforce | 4 | $1,690 | $1,880 |
| Couple, both in the workforce | 5 or more | $2,010 | $2,070 |
If you rely on full Centrelink payments for your income, you are treated as passing the income test. Your assets are still assessed.
The assets test
Counted: real estate, cash, shares, debentures and other investments, and the assets of anyone who helps you financially, unless you need aid because of a dispute with that person. Equity means the asset's value less what you owe on it.
| Not counted | Limit |
|---|---|
| The home you live in | Equity of $146,000 or less |
| Cash saved to buy a home, or land you own | Equity of $146,000 or less, and only if you signed the contract to buy or build before you knew about your legal problem |
| Household furniture, and tools you need for your job | Unless exceptionally valuable |
| Your car or cars | Unless you have more than $16,000 equity |
| Savings | The first $2,000 |
If your assessable assets are more than $930 (or $1,880 if you receive financial help from another person or are single with dependent children), you may not be eligible or may have to pay towards your legal costs. Aid is not approved if your contribution would be more than the value of the grant.
| Special case | Limit |
|---|---|
| Family law property settlement or domestic violence matter | An interest of up to $200,000 in allowable assets that are in dispute with the other party |
| Aged 60 or over, on an income-tested allowance or benefit, and lived in the home 5 years or more (or moved because of disability or illness) | Home equity up to $292,000 |
| Farmer or small business owner who owns their home | Farm or business equity up to $236,500 with financial help from another person, $166,750 without |
| Farmer or small business owner who does not own their home | Farm or business equity up to $357,500 with financial help, $287,750 without |
People experiencing domestic violence, living in a remote area, or with an intellectual, psychiatric or physical disability or other disadvantage may be assessed under separate special-circumstances guidelines, which relate to assets only and may carry a condition such as a contribution or a security over property.
The merits test, and what Legal Aid Queensland funds
The merits test asks whether the case is more likely than not to succeed, whether a sensible person paying their own way would risk their money on it, and whether the benefit to you justifies spending limited public funds.
- Funding priorities: criminal proceedings in the District and Supreme Courts, indictable offences in the Childrens Court, appeals to the Court of Appeal or High Court, committal hearings where the maximum penalty is more than 14 years, and bail applications; child protection, domestic and family violence and discrimination matters; urgent family law matters where a child's or your safety is at risk or a child may be taken overseas or to a remote place, separate representation of children, parenting plans and orders, location and recovery orders, and family violence injunctions.
- Not funded for representation: company, business and commercial matters; employment contracts; tenancy; buying and selling real estate; wills and powers of attorney; shares and investments; tax and superannuation; workers' compensation; planning and local government disputes. Personal injury is not funded generally, but the Civil Law Legal Aid Scheme may help in some cases.
Duty lawyers
A Legal Aid Queensland duty lawyer is free, and no legal aid application is needed. Duty lawyers help on the day your case is listed: criminal matters in the Magistrates Court, family law in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, child protection in the Childrens Court, and domestic and family violence matters in the Magistrates Court. Arrive when the court opens and ask the court staff. The criminal duty lawyer can help with guilty pleas in less complex matters, adjournments, bail applications and variations, and breaches of bail or probation. They do not help with traffic offences, a first or second drink or drug driving charge on its own (unless you are likely to go to jail), committal hearings, trials, complex sentences, or a case that is not listed that day.
How to apply
- Speak to a lawyer about your problem first; Legal Aid Queensland recommends it.
- Complete the application form, from Legal Aid Queensland's website, any of its 14 offices, or by calling 1300 65 11 88 and asking for one to be mailed. A preferred supplier law firm can lodge it for you online.
- Attach the documents: your latest Centrelink statement; pay slips for the past four weeks for you and anyone who helps you financially; if self-employed, tax returns and assessments, profit and loss statements and balance sheets for two financial years; bank statements for the past three months for every account; and any court or legal documents.
- Lodge it by mail to GPO Box 2449, Brisbane Qld 4001, by email to submit.application@legalaid.qld.gov.au, or in person at any office.
- Legal Aid Queensland aims to assess about 80 percent of applications within five days; complex ones can take two weeks or more. Contact it if you have had no response 14 days after lodging. You can appeal a refusal in writing within 28 days of the decision letter.
Legal Aid Queensland's phone lines
| Line | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Information Line | 1300 65 11 88 | 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Information Line | 1300 65 01 43 | Not published separately |
| Youth Legal Advice Hotline (under 18) | 1800 527 527 | 8am to 9pm Monday to Thursday, and from 8am Friday to 5pm Sunday (except Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day) |
| Questions about an existing application | 1300 383 900 | Not published |
| Interpreter: call the Translating and Interpreting Service and ask it to contact Legal Aid Queensland | 13 14 50, then 1800 998 980 | Not published |
| Deaf, or with a hearing or speech impairment: use the National Relay Service | Ask for 1800 998 980 | Not published |
If you earn too much for legal aid
- Free legal information is still available from the Legal Information Line, and a duty lawyer can still help on your court day.
- Community legal centres give free help to particular groups and in particular areas of law: Caxton Legal Centre (1800 229 866) for people who are disadvantaged or on a low income; Women's Legal Service Queensland (1800 957 957) for women; the Youth Advocacy Centre ((07) 3356 1002) for young people; LawRight ((07) 3846 6317) for people representing themselves in civil cases. Community Legal Centres Queensland lists all 32 centres.
- A private lawyer. Brisbane firms that publish their prices charge from $99 plus GST to $660 for a first consultation of an hour or so. Go To Court Lawyers arranges a 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Queensland for a fixed $295, by phone, video or in person, and the lawyer tells you what any further work would cost before you commit. Call 1800 577 015 at any hour, or request a consultation.
Legal aid in other states uses different figures. Legal Aid NSW's simplified test for some matters, for example, passes a single person earning less than $670 gross a week; Victoria Legal Aid's test uses assessable income after allowable expenses.
How Go To Court Lawyers can help
Our free line, 1800 577 015, answers at any hour. Jen, our AI legal information assistant, gives general legal information and takes your details; Jen is not a lawyer and does not give advice about your case. If you want advice, a 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Queensland is a fixed $295, by phone, video or in person. Requests are taken at any hour; how soon a lawyer can see you depends on who is available. Go To Court Lawyers is not part of Legal Aid Queensland and cannot decide a legal aid application.
General information only, not legal advice. Updated 22 October 2026. Figures read on 22 October 2026 from Legal Aid Queensland's "Can I get legal aid?" page and factsheet (May 2026), its Grants Policy Manual, "Help at court", "Help over the phone" and "Legal problems we can't help with" pages, and the Queensland Audit Office report tabled 30 June 2026.