By James Stevens, Director and Solicitor, Go To Court Lawyers. Last reviewed 10 April 2026.
Key points
- A grant of legal aid from Victoria Legal Aid depends in part on its means test, which looks at your income and assets. You can phone Victoria Legal Aid on 1300 792 387, 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.
- Income: the test uses your assessable income, which is your income minus allowable expenses. Less than $360 a week, with assessable assets under $1,095, meets the test with no contribution.
- From $361 a week you can meet the test with a contribution, up to $469 a week for a low-cost matter or $540 for a medium-cost matter. A low-cost matter does not meet the test above $470 a week, and a medium-cost matter above $540.
- Assets: up to $500,000 of equity in the home you live in is not counted, nor up to $20,000 of equity in your car or cars, nor cash savings up to $1,095 ($2,190 with a partner or dependants).
- Not means tested: some applicants and matters, for example applicants aged 18 or younger in the Children's Court (Family Division) or in Commonwealth family law matters.
- Over the limit? A 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Victoria is a fixed $295. Call 1800 577 015 at any hour for free general legal information, or request a consultation.
Victoria Legal Aid's means test, applied to assessable income after allowable expenses, is met with no contribution when that income is less than $360 a week and assessable assets are less than $1,095, and it does not count up to $500,000 of equity in your home, according to Victoria Legal Aid's handbook (chapter 12, updated 19 October 2026).
Every figure on this page was read on 22 October 2026 from Victoria Legal Aid's handbook: chapter 12, "Means test" (updated 19 October 2026), and its pages on means test definitions, means test guideline exemptions and commonly asked questions about the means test (each updated 25 August 2025). Victoria Legal Aid decides each application itself, and the means test is only one part of that decision; this page is not a promise of eligibility.
The income test
Victoria Legal Aid works out your assessable income: your income minus allowable expenses. It subtracts income tax, the Medicare levy and business expenses, and these amounts:
| Allowable expense | Most that is subtracted (a week) |
|---|---|
| Housing costs | $400 in metropolitan areas; $300 in outer metropolitan areas; $240 in regional areas |
| Childcare | $310 per household |
| Child support you pay | $130 per child |
| A partner or first dependant | $130 |
| Each further dependant | $125 |
The limits then depend on whether Victoria Legal Aid treats your matter as low-cost or medium-cost:
| Assessable income (a week) | Low-cost matter | Medium-cost matter |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $360 | Meets the test, no contribution | Meets the test, no contribution |
| $361 to $469 | Meets the test, with a contribution | Meets the test, with a contribution |
| Above $470, up to $540 | Does not meet the test | Meets the test, with a contribution |
| Above $540 | Does not meet the test | Does not meet the test |
The no-contribution row also needs assessable assets of less than $1,095.
The assets test
Assessable assets of less than $1,095, together with assessable income under $360 a week, mean you meet the test with no contribution. Victoria Legal Aid does not count:
| Asset | How much is not counted |
|---|---|
| The home you live in (your principal place of residence) | Up to $500,000 of equity in total |
| Your car or cars | Up to $20,000 of equity in total |
| Cash savings | Up to $1,095 if single; $2,190 with a partner or dependants |
| Farm or business equity, if you have other property | $161,500 if single; $229,000 if partnered |
| Farm or business equity, if you have no other property | $278,500 if single; $336,500 if partnered |
If you are over 60, receive an income-tested pension, allowance or benefit, and have lived in your home for five years or more (or bought another home because of disability or ill health), your home is generally not counted even if your equity is over $500,000. Victoria Legal Aid then asks to place a caveat on the property.
Who is not means tested
The means test does not apply to some applicants and matters, for example:
- applicants aged 18 or younger in the Children's Court (Family Division) or in Commonwealth family law matters;
- applicants aged 21 or younger in criminal matters that start in the Children's Court;
- crimes mental impairment reviews; and
- war veterans' and NDIS appeal matters.
Victoria Legal Aid's phone line
| Line | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria Legal Aid | 1300 792 387 | 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday |
If you earn too much for legal aid
- Phone help is still available from Victoria Legal Aid on 1300 792 387.
- Community legal centres give free help to some groups of people and in some areas of law.
- A private lawyer. Go To Court Lawyers arranges a 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Victoria 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 standard test, for example, passes an applicant whose net assessable income is $450 a week or less; Legal Aid Queensland does not normally grant aid to a single person with no children earning more than $1,040 gross a week.
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 Victoria 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 Victoria Legal Aid and cannot decide a legal aid application.
General information only, not legal advice. Updated 22 October 2026. Figures read on 22 October 2026 from Victoria Legal Aid's handbook pages "Means test" (chapter 12, updated 19 October 2026), "Means test definitions", "Means test guideline exemptions" and "Commonly asked questions about the means test" (each updated 25 August 2025), and its "Paying for a lawyer" page (updated 12 February 2026).