How Much Does a Work Permit Cost? I-765 Fees and Waivers

A U.S. work permit costs $470 if you file Form I-765 online or $520 if you file on paper, and that base fee covers most applicants.¹ Certain categories, though, owe hundreds more on top. Others owe nothing. What you actually pay depends on why you qualify for a work permit and whether you can show you cannot afford the fee.

The Base Filing Fee

For an initial application, a renewal, or a replacement card, most applicants pay $470 online or $520 by mail.¹

There is one meaningful discount. If you already filed Form I-485 (the green card application) with a fee on or after April 1, 2024, and that application is still pending, you pay $260 for the work permit regardless of filing method.¹ The reduced rate exists because your I-485 payment already covered part of the processing cost.

Send the wrong amount and USCIS rejects the whole package, so pull up the current fee schedule before you print anything.² Fees adjust periodically for inflation.

Extra Fees for TPS, Asylum, Parole, and DACA

Several categories pay a surcharge on top of the base fee. An initial work permit under Temporary Protected Status, as an asylum applicant, or as a parolee carries an additional $560.³ The total for one of these initial applications comes to $1,030 online or $1,080 on paper.

Renewals cost less but still include a surcharge. TPS and parole renewals add $280, so the total is $750 online or $800 on paper. Asylum applicant renewals add $275.³ These additional amounts took effect January 1, 2026, and appear as a separate line on the fee schedule. Include both payments when you file.

DACA renewals work differently. The work permit portion is the standard $520 (paper) or $470 (online), and Form I-821D for deferred action consideration has its own fee on top.¹ No fee waiver is available for DACA. Some nonprofits offer zero-interest loans to help cover the cost.

When You Pay Nothing

A few groups are exempt from the filing fee entirely:

Refugees and asylees, on their initial EAD
N-8 and N-9 nonimmigrants (certain relatives of special immigrants)
T nonimmigrant status holders (victims of severe trafficking)

Exemption is automatic once USCIS identifies your category on the application. You do not submit a separate waiver request, but you still owe the paperwork; the exemption only removes the money.⁴

Fee Waivers for Applicants Who Cannot Pay

If your category is not exempt but paying the fee is genuinely out of reach, file Form I-912 with your application.⁵ You need to qualify under just one of three grounds.

The cleanest ground is income: household income at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, documented with tax returns or recent pay stubs.⁶ You can also qualify by receiving a means-tested public benefit like Medicaid or SNAP; attach a letter or notice from the granting agency that shows your name, the benefit type, and that it is currently active.⁵

The third ground is financial hardship from something like unexpected medical bills, job loss, or homelessness. Write a detailed explanation and attach evidence such as hospital bills or a termination notice.⁷ Officers want specifics: dollar amounts of debts, dates, monthly rent and food costs. Vague statements about being unable to pay tend to get denied.

The form asks you to list every household member and their income, plus cash and easily converted assets like bank accounts or stocks. Retirement accounts are excluded from that calculation.⁷ Not every category is waiver-eligible; DACA, again, is not.

Paying Extra to Speed Things Up

Premium processing is available for Form I-765, but only for applicants in OPT and STEM-OPT classifications. The fee is $1,780 as of March 1, 2026, on top of the base filing fee.⁸ Request it by filing Form I-907 with your I-765.

USCIS guarantees action within 30 business days: approval, denial, or a request for evidence.⁹ If USCIS asks for more evidence, the clock resets when you respond. Worth knowing: premium processing shortens the decision window, not the printing and mailing of the physical card. Add roughly two weeks for delivery after approval.

How to Pay

USCIS overhauled its payment rules in late 2025. Personal checks, money orders, and cashier’s checks are no longer accepted for most filers. Since October 28, 2025, paper filings must pay by credit or debit card using Form G-1450, or by ACH bank transfer using Form G-1650.¹⁰¹¹

For card payment, complete Form G-1450 and place it on top of the application package.¹² For ACH, fill out Form G-1650 with your bank’s routing number, account number, and the exact authorized amount. Common rejection triggers: missing card numbers, wrong payment amounts, and using both forms to split a single fee.¹³

Online filers pay through a secure portal by bank transfer or card. Payments must originate from a U.S. bank in U.S. currency; anything routed through a foreign bank gets rejected automatically.¹³

One risk to watch. A declined credit card is not retried. A bounced ACH is resubmitted once, but a second failure can lead to rejection or denial. And if a payment fails after USCIS has already issued a receipt, that receipt is void and any approval tied to it can be revoked.¹³

Attorney Fees

Hiring an immigration attorney is optional but common, especially in complex eligibility categories or when filing a fee waiver. Attorney fees for EAD help typically run $250 to $500, varying by location and case complexity, and they are separate from every USCIS fee above. Legal aid organizations and law school immigration clinics offer free help with straightforward applications if cost is a barrier.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
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. Employment Authorization Document
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-912 – Request for Fee Waiver
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Modernize Fee Payments with Electronic Funds
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form G-1450 – Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 3 – Fees