How to Qualify for Legal Aid in Mississippi: Income and Asset Limits

To qualify for legal aid in Mississippi, your household’s gross monthly income generally must fall at or below 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, your countable assets must be limited, you must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen, and your legal problem must be a civil matter the program handles.¹ Two organizations split the state: the Mississippi Center for Legal Services covers 43 counties in central and southern Mississippi, and North Mississippi Rural Legal Services covers the north.² Each gate has its own quirks, and a few of them trip people up.

The 2026 Income Limits

The cutoff is based on your household’s total gross income before taxes, not your take-home pay.¹ For 2026, the monthly ceilings at 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines are:³

1 person: $1,662.50 per month ($19,950 per year)
2 people: $2,254.17 per month ($27,050 per year)
3 people: $2,845.83 per month ($34,150 per year)
4 people: $3,437.50 per month ($41,250 per year)
5 people: $4,029.17 per month ($48,350 per year)
6 people: $4,620.83 per month ($55,450 per year)
7 people: $5,212.50 per month ($62,550 per year)
8 people: $5,804.17 per month ($69,650 per year)

Income means everything coming in: wages, salaries, self-employment earnings after business deductions, Social Security, unemployment, worker’s compensation, veterans benefits, alimony, child support, pensions, insurance annuities, and rental income.¹ If anyone else living in your home contributes financially, their income counts in the household total too.⁴

When the Income Limit Is Higher or Waived

Some grant-funded programs raise the ceiling to 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Others drop the income requirement entirely for people aged 60 and older, and for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.¹ If you’re near or above the standard line but you fit one of those categories, call before you count yourself out.

Asset Limits

Income is only half of the financial test. Legal aid also looks at what you own. Assets that can be turned into cash — stocks, bonds, savings and checking balances, money market accounts, long-term certificates of deposit — count toward a separate limit.¹ Your primary home is excluded. Other real property you own is not.

The specific dollar thresholds aren’t published alongside the income chart, so the intake worker will walk through your situation on the call. Pull your recent bank statements and account balances before you dial; it saves you a callback.

Citizenship and Immigration Status

Both Mississippi legal aid programs are funded in part by the Legal Services Corporation, and federal rules limit who they can represent based on immigration status. U.S. citizens qualify automatically. Eligible non-citizens include lawful permanent residents (green card holders), refugees, people granted asylum, and certain family members of U.S. citizens with pending applications to adjust to permanent resident status.⁵

Separate protections apply regardless of status. Non-citizens who have been battered, subjected to extreme cruelty, or who are victims of sexual assault or trafficking, and non-citizens who qualify for a U-visa, can receive help on matters related to the abuse. The same extends to parents whose children have been victimized. Citizens of the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands qualify, as do Canadian-born American Indians who are at least 50% Indian by blood.⁵

What Kind of Case You Have

Legal aid in Mississippi handles civil matters only. No criminal defense, no traffic tickets. Within civil law, the most common areas are:

Family law: divorce, custody, visitation, child support, domestic violence protective orders, guardianships, adoptions, and name changes⁶
Housing: evictions, foreclosure prevention, landlord-tenant disputes, and housing discrimination⁷
Public benefits: Social Security, Medicaid, SNAP appeals, and unemployment compensation
Consumer issues: debt collection, consumer fraud, and bankruptcy
Other civil matters: expungement, estate planning, wills, and education-related cases⁷

One exclusion catches people off guard. Legal aid generally won’t take cases where a private attorney would earn a fee — personal injury, worker’s compensation claims, and other matters typically handled on contingency are excluded because private counsel is already available.⁸ If you can document that no private attorney will take your case, some programs can make an exception.

How to Apply

Which organization you call depends on where your legal issue is located. You don’t strictly have to live in the service area; if the case arises there, the local program may still help.¹

Mississippi Center for Legal Services (MCLSC), covering 43 central and southern counties: 1-800-519-2915.²
North Mississippi Rural Legal Services (NMRLS), covering the northern counties: 1-800-898-8731, Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Calling is the reliable route. MCLSC’s online intake was suspended as of early 2026.⁹ Expect to stay on the line while an intake worker runs you through the eligibility questions.

What to Have Ready Before the Call

You’ll be asked about each of these during the call. Missing something won’t automatically disqualify you, but it slows things down.

Proof of income: recent pay stubs, Social Security benefit letters, unemployment statements, or documentation of any other income source for everyone in the household
Asset information: recent bank statements, investment balances, and anything on real property beyond your home
Identification: names and birthdates of all household members
Case documents: eviction notices, court summons, denial letters, protective orders, or anything tied directly to the legal problem

If You Don’t Qualify

A denial doesn’t leave you with nothing. Legal aid staff will often give brief advice even when they can’t take the case, and they should point you to other options.

Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP): pairs low-income Mississippians with pro bono attorneys for uncontested divorces, guardianships, adoptions, expungements, foreclosure prevention, wills, and other matters. 601-960-9577.
Mississippi Free Legal Answers: an online service where you post a civil legal question and a volunteer attorney responds, at ms.freelegalanswers.org.¹⁰
Free legal clinics sponsored by the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission, which handle family law matters like guardianships, child support, uncontested divorces, and name changes. Registration is required in advance; dates are posted on the Commission’s site. Some clinics serve people earning up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.⁶¹¹

If your income is above the 125% cutoff but a private attorney is out of reach, the MVLP and the clinics are the next places to look. And if the barrier is specifically court filing fees, Mississippi lets you file an affidavit of poverty asking the court to waive them, whether or not a legal aid attorney is representing you.

1
Mississippi Center for Legal Services. MCLSC FAQs
2
Mississippi Center for Legal Services. Mississippi Center for Legal Services Locations
3
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
4
Mississippi Center for Legal Services. Do I Qualify
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eCFR. 45 CFR Part 1626 – Restrictions on Legal Assistance to Aliens
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State of Mississippi Judiciary. Civil Legal Assistance
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United States District Court Northern District of Mississippi. Legal Aid Resources in Mississippi
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eCFR. 45 CFR 1609.2 – Fee-Generating Cases
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Mississippi Center for Legal Services. Apply for Help
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ABA Free Legal Answers. Mississippi Free Legal Answers
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Mississippi Access to Justice Commission. Events