USCIS Filing Fees and Fee Waivers for Form I-765

The Form I-765 filing fee and fee waiver rules break down like this: most applicants pay $520 on paper or $470 online, some immigration categories pay nothing automatically, and applicants who cannot afford the fee can request a waiver on Form I-912 by showing they receive a means-tested benefit, earn at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, or face extreme financial hardship. DACA applicants are a notable exception with no standard waiver available.

What You Pay to File Form I-765

The base fee is $520 for a paper filing.¹ Filing online through a USCIS account cuts $50 off, bringing the total to $470 under the flat electronic-filing reduction in 8 CFR 106.1(g).²

Two situations change the number if you have a pending Form I-485 (adjustment of status):

If you filed and paid for the I-485 on or after April 1, 2024, and it is still pending, the I-765 fee is $260. The $50 online discount does not stack on top, so the amount is $260 whether you file on paper or online.¹
If you filed and paid for the I-485 between July 30, 2007, and March 31, 2024, and it is still pending, you owe nothing for your initial EAD or any renewals under that pending I-485.

Your eligibility category on the I-765 controls both the fee and any exemption, so identify the correct code before you calculate what to send.

Categories That Pay No Fee

Some applicants owe nothing and do not need to request a waiver. The exemption is automatic, but it does not apply the same way to every filing.¹

Refugees pay nothing for initial, renewal, or replacement EADs.
Asylees and asylum applicants are exempt on the initial EAD only. Renewals and replacements require the standard fee, though you can request a waiver.³
People granted withholding of deportation or removal are exempt for initial, renewal, and replacement EADs.
N-8 and N-9 nonimmigrants (parents and children of certain international organization employees) are exempt.
Citizens of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, or Palau are exempt for initial, renewal, and replacement EADs.
Dependents of certain foreign government, international organization, or NATO personnel are exempt.
Taiwanese dependents of TECRO E-1 employees are exempt.
Current or former U.S. armed forces service members are exempt for initial, renewal, and replacement EADs.

The refugee-versus-asylee distinction trips people up. Refugees never pay. Asylees get one free EAD and pay full price after that unless a pending I-485 qualifies them for the reduced or zero-fee structure above. If you are exempt, indicate that on the form per the Form I-765 instructions and leave the payment section blank.⁴

DACA Applicants Cannot Use the Standard Waiver

If your I-765 is tied to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (category (c)(33)), you cannot request a standard fee waiver. The regulation excludes DACA applicants from waiver eligibility, and USCIS confirms this directly.⁵⁶

A very narrow fee exemption exists. You must send a letter and supporting documentation showing one of the following, and USCIS must approve the request before you file without a fee:

You have a serious chronic disability, cannot care for yourself, and your income is below 150% of the federal poverty level.
You have $10,000 or more in unreimbursed medical debt from the past 12 months and income below 150% of the poverty level.
You are under 18 with income below 150% of the poverty level and are homeless, in foster care, or without parental or family financial support.

Filing a DACA request without payment before that approval will result in rejection.

Three Ways to Qualify for a Fee Waiver

If you are not automatically exempt and are not filing under DACA, you can request a waiver by showing an inability to pay. Under 8 CFR 106.3, meeting any one of three tests is enough.⁵

You Receive a Means-Tested Benefit

If you, your spouse, your parent (when you are under 21 or disabled), a sibling, or a child living with you currently receives a means-tested government benefit, that alone establishes inability to pay. Qualifying programs include Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and public housing or Section 8 assistance.⁷

Several common programs do not count. Medicare, unemployment, Social Security retirement, Social Security Disability Insurance, and student financial aid are all excluded because they are not means-tested.

Your Household Income Is at or Below 150% of the Poverty Guidelines

The second pathway is showing total household income at or below 150% of the current Federal Poverty Guidelines. The thresholds rise with each additional household member and are higher in Alaska and Hawaii than in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C.⁸ Check the guideline amount for your household size in the year you file.

You Face Extreme Financial Hardship

Even with income above the threshold and no means-tested benefit, extraordinary expenses can qualify you. This is the most subjective pathway and demands strong documentation. Hospital bills, emergency home repairs, or sudden job loss can all support a hardship claim, but the evidence has to show that paying the fee would create a real financial crisis, not an inconvenience.

Documenting a Waiver Request

Fee waiver requests go on Form I-912. Download the current version from USCIS before you start, because outdated form editions get rejected automatically.⁹ The form asks for household size, combined annual income, and the specific basis for the request, and every claim needs supporting evidence.

For income, the primary document is your most recent federal tax return. If you did not file, or if the return no longer reflects your situation, submit consecutive pay stubs covering at least the past month, a recent W-2, an SSA-1099, or a letter on employer letterhead showing your wages.⁷ Every adult in the household whose income is counted must sign the form.

For a means-tested benefit, include an official letter or notice from the granting agency showing the recipient’s name, the specific program, the type of benefit, and evidence that it is currently active, such as effective or renewal dates.⁹

For financial hardship, gather detailed records of the extraordinary expenses driving your claim: medical bills, insurance statements, evidence of lost income. The picture has to be that paying the fee is genuinely beyond your means right now.

How to Pay if You Are Paying

USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper filings.¹⁰ Two options remain for paper applications:

Credit or debit card, using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, included with the application.
ACH bank transfer, using Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions, to debit a U.S. bank account.¹¹

If you file online, you pay through your USCIS account during submission and save the $50.

A declined credit card kills the filing. USCIS rejects the entire application for lack of payment and will not run the card a second time.¹² Confirm the available balance and the billing address before you send anything in.

Fee waiver requests generally cannot be filed online. Mail the paper Form I-912 together with a paper Form I-765 to the appropriate USCIS lockbox address.¹³

If Your Fee Waiver Is Denied

A denial does more than send you a bill. USCIS rejects both the waiver request and the underlying I-765, returning the whole package.¹⁴ There is no appeal.

Timing is the real cost. A rejected application does not keep its original filing date. When you resubmit with payment, USCIS treats it as a new filing with a new receipt date.¹⁵ If your current EAD is close to expiring, that gap can leave you without work authorization. Filing a waiver does not pause any deadlines either.¹⁴

You can resubmit a denied waiver with stronger documentation, and USCIS treats corrected resubmissions without prejudice.¹⁵ If time is tight, resubmitting with full payment may be the safer call.

1
eCFR. 8 CFR 106.2 – Fees
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 106.1 – Fee Requirements
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765 Instructions
5
eCFR. 8 CFR 106.3 – Fee Waivers and Exemptions
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-912 Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver
8
United States Courts. 150% of the HHS Poverty Guidelines for 2026
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Mandate Electronic Payments for Applications
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Authorization for Credit Card Transactions (Form G-1450)
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Manual – Volume 1 – Part B – Chapter 6 – Submitting Requests