By James Stevens, Director and Solicitor, Go To Court Lawyers. Last reviewed 10 April 2026.
Key points
- Legal Aid WA pays for a lawyer to represent you on an ongoing basis only if it gives you a grant of aid. It normally decides applications on three tests: the type of matter, your means, and the merits of the case.
- No dollar limits are published. Legal Aid WA says it uses the National Means Test, and its grant guidelines page (reviewed 27 November 2024) describes the income and asset thresholds in words only.
- Income: it works out your "spare income" after allowances for outgoings such as childcare, spousal maintenance, child support and mortgage or rent, and asks whether that would meet the full cost of a private lawyer for your matter. If you can pay part, a contribution is normally imposed.
- Assets: you are allowed "a certain amount of equity in property" before you become ineligible. Legal Aid WA does not publish the amount.
- To find out whether you qualify, ring the Legal Aid WA Infoline on 1300 650 579, 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday.
- Not eligible, or not sure? A 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Western Australia is a fixed $295. Call 1800 577 015 at any hour for free general legal information, or request a consultation.
Legal Aid WA does not publish dollar income or asset limits: its grant guidelines page, reviewed 27 November 2024, describes its means test in words only, so the way to find out whether you qualify is to ask Legal Aid WA.
Everything this page says about Legal Aid WA was read on 22 October 2026 from its own website: the "Grant guidelines" page (reviewed 27 November 2024), the "Applying for a grant of aid" page (reviewed 1 June 2016), and two guideline documents, the State Eligibility Guidelines (last amended 27 April 2021) and the National Commonwealth Legal Aid Guidelines (last amended 13 August 2012). None of them gives a dollar threshold for the means test. Legal Aid WA decides each application itself; this page is not a promise of eligibility.
How Legal Aid WA decides an application
You need a grant of aid for Legal Aid WA to pay for a lawyer to represent you on an ongoing basis. Legal Aid WA says applications are normally decided on three tests:
- The matter test: is your legal problem in a category it funds, and how high is its priority? There are separate guidelines for matters under Western Australian law and under Commonwealth law.
- The means test: based on your income and assets, how much can you pay for a lawyer?
- The merits test: given the circumstances of your case, including its chance of success where that is relevant, is it appropriate for Legal Aid WA to pay for a lawyer?
The means test, in Legal Aid WA's words
Legal Aid WA says: "All Legal Aid Commissions use the National Means Test to determine if a person is financially eligible for a grant of legal aid, or whether they can afford to hire their own lawyer." The test looks at the income and assets of the applicant and of anyone else who gives them financial support. Legal Aid WA says its thresholds and allowances are based on national economic and social data. It does not publish them.
| Part of the test | What Legal Aid WA says | Dollar figure published? |
|---|---|---|
| Income | It compares your income, after allowances for outgoings, with an allowable amount, and treats the difference as your "spare income". The allowances include childcare, spousal maintenance, child support and mortgage or rent payments. You are eligible if your spare income would not meet the full cost of hiring a private lawyer, taking into account the legal services you need and how long the matter will take. If you can pay something from it, a contribution will normally be imposed. | No |
| Assets | "The asset threshold measures the amount of equity in assets (for example, property or savings) that a person is allowed to have before they are ineligible for a grant of aid." | No |
| Your home and other property | "Applicants are allowed a certain amount of equity in property before becoming ineligible for a grant of aid." Where there is some equity below the threshold, a contribution secured against the property will normally be imposed. | No |
| NDIS appeals | Applications for help with National Disability Insurance Scheme appeals are not subject to the means test. | Not needed |
So the answer depends on your matter as well as your income: the test asks whether your spare income could pay for the legal work your matter needs, over the time it will take.
If you have seen dollar limits for Legal Aid WA
We looked for a dollar threshold in everything Legal Aid WA publishes about grants of aid: the grant guidelines page, the "Applying for a grant of aid" page, the State Eligibility Guidelines and the National Commonwealth Legal Aid Guidelines. None gives one. So a weekly income limit or an asset limit for Legal Aid WA printed on another website cannot be checked against Legal Aid WA. Do not rely on it to decide whether to apply. Ask Legal Aid WA instead.
How to find out whether you qualify
- Ring the Legal Aid WA Infoline on 1300 650 579, 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday. Have ready what your legal problem is, any court date, and your income, outgoings and assets, and those of anyone who supports you financially.
- Legal Aid WA says it is best to get legal advice before you apply for a grant of aid.
- Lawyers on Legal Aid WA's practitioner panels can lodge an application for a grant of aid for you. You can name the lawyer you want on the application form.
- If you are unhappy with a decision, including a refusal, you might be able to ask Legal Aid WA to reconsider or review it.
If you do not qualify for legal aid
- Ask the Infoline what other help there is for your problem.
- 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 Western Australia 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.
Some other legal aid commissions do publish figures. Legal Aid Queensland, for example, does not normally grant aid to a single person in the workforce with no children earning more than $1,040 gross a week (see legal aid eligibility in Queensland), and Legal Aid NSW's simplified test for some matters passes a single person earning less than $670 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 Western Australia 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 WA and cannot decide a legal aid application.
General information only, not legal advice. Updated 22 October 2026. Read on 22 October 2026 from Legal Aid WA's "Grant guidelines" page (reviewed 27 November 2024), its "Applying for a grant of aid" page (reviewed 1 June 2016), its State Eligibility Guidelines (last amended 27 April 2021) and the National Commonwealth Legal Aid Guidelines (last amended 13 August 2012).