I-751 Filing Fee: What $750 Covers, Waivers, and Payment

The I-751 filing fee is $750, and that single payment covers biometric services, so you do not owe a separate biometrics charge. The amount is the same whether you and your spouse file jointly or you file individually with a waiver of the joint filing requirement.¹

What the $750 Covers

The fee is set by the USCIS fee schedule at 8 CFR 106.2, which took effect after the January 2024 fee rule update. Before that change, USCIS billed biometrics separately on top of the base filing fee. The agency now bundles biometrics into the $750 for most filers, so you write one payment.¹

The fee is generally non-refundable. USCIS keeps it whether your petition is approved or denied, with narrow exceptions for agency errors, such as USCIS collecting the wrong amount or an error that caused you to file when you did not need to.²

Rejection and denial are different, and only one gets your money back. A rejected package never enters the system; USCIS returns your payment along with the paperwork. A denied petition was accepted, reviewed, and decided against you, and the fee stays with USCIS.

How to Pay

USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper filings unless you qualify for a specific exemption.³ Older guides that tell you to mail a money order will get your package rejected. What works now depends on how you file.

Filing Online

You can file Form I-751 online through your USCIS account.⁴ The system walks you through paying by credit card, debit card, prepaid card, or a direct bank withdrawal through the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Pay.gov portal.³ Online filing avoids most payment-related rejections that come up with paper.

Filing by Mail

Paper filers have two standard payment options. To pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card, complete Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, and place it on top of your filing package so the intake officer sees it first. USCIS will reject the package if the cardholder name, card number, expiration date, or amount is missing or wrong.⁵ To pay directly from a U.S. bank account, use Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions.³

You cannot split the $750 across multiple cards, and you cannot combine a card payment with a check in the same package.³

Paper Check Exemption

If you lack access to banking services or electronic payment systems, you can ask USCIS to let you pay by paper. File Form G-1651, Exemption for Paper Fee Payment, alongside your petition. If USCIS grants the exemption, you may pay by personal check, business check, certified check, cashier’s check, or money order. Paper payments must be drawn on a U.S. financial institution, payable in U.S. funds, made payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” and dated within the previous 365 days.³

Fee Waiver for Low-Income Filers

If you cannot afford the $750, file Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, with your I-751 petition.⁶ USCIS evaluates fee waiver requests under three pathways.

Means-tested benefit. You, your spouse, or a household member currently receives a government benefit that already required a low-income determination, such as SNAP or Medicaid. Submit a letter or agency document showing the recipient’s name, the benefit, and proof it is active.⁶
Income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For a two-person household in 2026 in the 48 contiguous states, 150% of the poverty level is $32,460 per year. The threshold is higher in Alaska ($40,575) and Hawaii ($37,335). Federal tax transcripts from your most recent filing year are the primary documentation for income-based requests.⁷
Financial hardship. Even if your income exceeds 150% of the poverty guidelines, you can show that paying the fee would prevent you from meeting basic living expenses, with detailed records of monthly costs like rent, medical bills, and utility statements.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.-1), signed into law on July 4, 2025, created additional non-waivable fees for certain immigration forms. Form I-751 is not on that list, so the standard fee waiver process still applies.⁶

Do Children Add to the Cost?

Usually, no. If your child received conditional permanent resident status at the same time you did, or within 90 days of when you did, you can include them on your I-751 at no extra cost.⁸ List each child’s name and Alien Registration Number in Part 5 of the form, and include copies of the front and back of their Permanent Resident Cards.⁹

A child who falls outside that 90-day window must file a separate I-751 and pay the full $750.⁴

Does the Fee Change If You File Without Your Spouse?

No. USCIS allows you to file individually and request a waiver of the joint filing requirement if your spouse has died and you entered the marriage in good faith, if your marriage ended in divorce or annulment and you entered in good faith, if you or your child experienced battery or extreme cruelty from your U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse, or if termination of your status would cause extreme hardship. The $750 fee applies to each of those categories.¹⁸

One practical difference is timing, not price. A waiver filer can submit the petition at any point before conditional residence expires, rather than being limited to the 90-day window that applies to joint filers.⁸

1
eCFR. 8 CFR 106.2 – Fees
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 3 – Fees
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Pay With a Credit Card by Mail
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
7
HHS ASPE. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Removing Conditions on Permanent Residence Based on Marriage
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence