Form I-765 Filing Fee: 2026 Increases, Waivers, and Payment Rules

The Form I-765 filing fee is $520 if you mail a paper application and $470 if you file online. If you’re submitting the I-765 together with a Form I-485 adjustment-of-status application filed on or after April 1, 2024, the fee drops to $260.¹ Several categories owe nothing, a few now owe more, and the way you pay changed at the end of 2025.

The biometrics fee that USCIS used to charge on top of the filing fee was eliminated for most filings under the April 2024 fee rule and folded into the base amount, so there’s no separate biometric charge for the I-765.² If you have an I-485 filed before April 1, 2024 that is still pending, an associated I-765 renewal remains free.¹

Higher Fees for Asylum, Parole, and TPS Filings in 2026

Effective January 1, 2026, USCIS raised the I-765 fee for several specific categories. These amounts replace the standard fee for the filings listed:³

Initial EAD for an asylum applicant: $560
Initial EAD for a parolee: $560
Renewal or extension of a parolee EAD: $280
Initial EAD under Temporary Protected Status: $560
Renewal or extension of a TPS EAD: $280

Because fees now vary by category, confirm your amount on the USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055) before you file. Sending the wrong dollar figure gets the whole package returned.

Who Pays Nothing

Some applicants owe no fee at all, and the exemption comes from immigration status rather than income. No waiver request is needed.⁴

Refugees, category (a)(3): fee exempt.
Asylees, category (a)(5): first EAD is free; renewals and replacements cost the standard fee.
Withholding of deportation or removal granted, category (a)(10): fee exempt.
T-1 nonimmigrants (trafficking victims), category (a)(16): fee exempt.
VAWA self-petitioners and derivative children, category (c)(31): exempt for both initial applications and renewals.
Applicants with a Form I-485 filed before April 1, 2024 that is still pending: exempt on I-765 renewals filed while that I-485 stays pending.

The initial-versus-renewal split matters. Asylees sometimes assume their renewal will also be free and file without payment, which produces a rejection. VAWA self-petitioners stay exempt on every filing.¹

Fee Waivers Under Form I-912

If your category isn’t exempt but you can’t afford the fee, you can ask USCIS to waive it by submitting Form I-912 with your I-765. The waiver request must arrive with the application; you can’t send it separately or after the fact.⁵ A single I-912 covers both forms if you’re filing an I-485 and I-765 together.

You qualify by meeting any one of three tests:⁶

You or a qualifying family member currently receives a means-tested benefit such as Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, or SSI. Proof of the benefit is usually enough on its own.
Your adjusted gross household income falls at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for your household size.
You can document financial hardship such as unexpected medical bills, job loss, eviction, or another substantial setback, even if your income is above the 150% line.

For 2026, the 150% threshold in the 48 contiguous states starts at $23,940 for a household of one, $32,460 for two, $40,980 for three, and $49,500 for four.⁷ Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures; the current numbers are on Form I-912P.

Hardship claims need documentation. USCIS accepts medical bills, a termination letter or unemployment records, pay statements showing reduced income, an eviction notice, a letter from a homeless shelter, utility and mortgage bills, records of losses from a natural disaster or FEMA assistance, military deployment orders, and a divorce decree or death certificate showing lost household income.⁶ You’ll also list assets (bank accounts, stocks, bonds) and monthly expenses. Retirement accounts like 401(k) plans and IRAs don’t count as assets unless they’re your only source of income. If you have no formal income documentation, affidavits from religious institutions, nonprofits, or community organizations that support you can substitute.

DACA Filings Are Not Eligible for a Waiver

One exclusion catches people off guard. If you’re filing under category (c)(33) for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, you cannot request a fee waiver. USCIS states this explicitly and allows no exceptions.⁵

How to Pay After the 2025 Payment Overhaul

This is where the most outdated advice circulates. As of October 28, 2025, USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, cashier’s checks, money orders, or any other paper payment for forms filed by mail.⁸ Mail a check today and your application comes back unprocessed.

For paper filings, two payment options remain:⁹

Credit, debit, or prepaid card, using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, filed with your application. The card must be issued by a U.S. financial institution. USCIS accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, but not foreign-issued cards or gift cards.¹⁰
ACH bank transfer, using Form G-1650, which authorizes USCIS to withdraw the fee from a U.S. bank account.

If you cannot pay electronically because of a disability, lack of bank access, or another qualifying reason, you can request permission to pay with a paper check or money order by filing Form G-1651, Exemption for Paper Fee Payment, with your application.⁹

Online filers pay during submission with a credit card, debit card, or bank account, and no separate payment form is needed. Not every category can file online, though, so if yours isn’t listed on the USCIS online-filing page, you must mail the paper form at the $520 rate.¹¹

Premium Processing for OPT Applicants

Premium processing is available for the I-765 only if you’re an F-1 student filing for Optional Practical Training under category (c)(3)(A), (c)(3)(B), or (c)(3)(C). No other I-765 category currently qualifies.¹²

You request it by filing Form I-907 with your I-765. The premium processing fee rose to $1,780 effective March 1, 2026.¹³ It’s added to the standard filing fee, so an F-1 student filing online with premium processing pays $2,250 in total ($470 + $1,780). USCIS commits to a decision within 30 business days.

What Happens If Payment Is Wrong or Fails

If your payment is declined, the amount is off, or you used a method USCIS doesn’t accept, the agency rejects the entire application at intake and mails the package back. You don’t get credit for your original filing date. The clock resets to whenever USCIS accepts the corrected resubmission.

For EAD applicants, that gap can be serious. Depending on your category, a delay can leave you unable to work legally and can affect your underlying immigration status. Before you send anything, verify the fee amount for your category on the current schedule, confirm the card has sufficient funds, and make sure it was issued by a U.S. bank.

Fees Are Non-Refundable

Fees paid to USCIS are generally non-refundable regardless of whether the application is approved, denied, or withdrawn.¹⁴ USCIS may issue a refund if it made an administrative error that caused you to file incorrectly or if it collected the wrong fee, but those cases are rare. If you paid by card, USCIS does not honor chargebacks; disputing the charge with your bank won’t recover the money and can create additional problems with your case.

One category-specific trap on refunds: if you’re in category (c)(9) and eligible for a fee exemption, USCIS advises mailing a paper form rather than filing online. If you file online and pay, no refund will be issued.¹¹

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 2024 Final Fee Rule
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration Related Fees
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765 Instructions
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver, Form I-912
7
ASPE – HHS.gov. 2026 Poverty Guidelines: 48 Contiguous States
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Electronic Payments Policy Alert
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Pay With a Credit Card by Mail
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Available to File Online
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing?
13
Federal Register. Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part B, Chapter 3 – Fees