Michigan Form MC 20 is the court form you use to ask a Michigan court to waive your filing fees because you cannot afford them. You download it from the Michigan Courts website or pick up a copy at any clerk’s office, fill in your case and financial information, check the box that matches your eligibility, sign it under penalty of perjury, and file it with whatever court papers you are submitting. The form itself is both your request and the order: the bottom section is where the clerk or judge records the decision.
Who Qualifies for a Fee Waiver
Michigan Court Rule 2.002 gives you three ways to qualify, and the form asks you to check the one that applies to you.
- You currently receive means-tested public assistance. The form lists the Food Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid (including Healthy Michigan, CHIP, and ESO), the Family Independence Program (TANF), WIC, Supplemental Security Income, or any other means-tested program.
- You are represented by a legal aid organization or a law school clinic because of low income.
- Neither of the above applies, but paying the fees would prevent you from covering basic living expenses like food, housing, and clothing.
Which box you check matters because it changes who decides. If you check box 1 or box 2 and the form is complete and signed, the clerk can approve the waiver on the spot without routing it to a judge.1Michigan Courts. State Court Administrative Office Policy on Indigent Waiver of Fees and Costs Box 3 requests go to a judge.
Income Thresholds for the Hardship Path
For box 3, the court generally looks at whether your gross household income is at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Using the 2026 guidelines:
- 1 person: $19,950 per year
- 2 people: $27,050 per year
- 3 people: $34,150 per year
- 4 people: $41,250 per year
Each additional household member adds roughly $7,100.2U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines If you earn more than that, a judge can still grant the waiver by finding that paying would cause genuine financial hardship, but you will need to lay out your expenses and obligations in enough detail that the court can see the full picture.1Michigan Courts. State Court Administrative Office Policy on Indigent Waiver of Fees and Costs
How to Fill Out the Form
Case Information
At the top, enter the court name (for example, “3rd Circuit Court” or “54-A District Court”) and the full legal names of all plaintiffs and defendants. If the clerk has already assigned a case number, put it in the case number field. If this is the very first filing in a new case, leave that field blank and the clerk will assign one.
Eligibility Checkbox
Check one of the three numbered boxes. If you checked box 1, also check each specific benefit you receive from the list underneath. If you are represented by legal aid or a law school clinic, check box 2. Otherwise, check box 3.3Michigan Courts. MC 20 Fee Waiver Request
Financial Information
Every filer completes this section regardless of which box they checked. Enter your gross household income (the total before any deductions) and circle whether that figure is per week, every two weeks, per month, or per year. Write the number of people in your household and name your income source: wages, Social Security, disability benefits, pension, and so on.3Michigan Courts. MC 20 Fee Waiver Request
Then list your assets and their approximate value. Bank balances, home equity, and vehicle values are the most common entries. Below that, list your monthly obligations: rent or mortgage, utilities, medical debt payments, child support, and other recurring expenses. The court is trying to see how much disposable income you actually have after the basics. If you checked box 3, this is where you make your case, so be thorough.
Signature
You sign the form under penalty of perjury, declaring that everything in it is true to the best of your knowledge.3Michigan Courts. MC 20 Fee Waiver Request Pull together recent pay stubs, benefit award letters, or bank statements before you sit down with the form. Courts verify these numbers, and a mismatch between what you report and what agency records show can delay or sink your request.
Filing the Form
In Person
Bring the completed, signed MC 20 to the court clerk’s counter together with the other papers you are filing: your complaint, answer, motion, or whatever the case calls for. Do not include payment for the filing fee. The clerk is required to accept your filing and stamp it with a filing date even though no fee is paid, as long as the fee waiver request is attached.3Michigan Courts. MC 20 Fee Waiver Request
Through MiFILE
Many Michigan courts accept electronic filings through MiFILE. If you are e-filing, do not upload your MC 20 with the rest of your documents. Upload your other court papers first. At the checkout screen, select “Request Fee Waiver,” choose the reason that matches your eligibility, and then upload the completed MC 20 at that step. If the court already granted you a fee waiver earlier in the same case and you are filing a later document, select the option indicating a waiver was already granted. You do not need to submit a new MC 20 for each filing in the same case.
What Happens After You File
How quickly you get an answer depends on which box you checked. For box 1 and box 2 filers with complete paperwork, the clerk can sign the “Clerk Waiver” section at the bottom of the form right at the counter or shortly after the e-filing comes through, and that is your proof the fees are waived.1Michigan Courts. State Court Administrative Office Policy on Indigent Waiver of Fees and Costs
For box 3, a judge reviews your finances. The judge may rule on the paperwork alone or set a short hearing to ask about your income and expenses. Bring supporting documents such as benefit letters, pay stubs, and bank statements to any hearing.1Michigan Courts. State Court Administrative Office Policy on Indigent Waiver of Fees and Costs When the judge decides, the order section at the bottom of the MC 20 is filled in and signed.
Once a waiver is granted, it stays in effect through the date of judgment unless the court orders otherwise. You do not need to refile for each new document in the same case.
If Your Request Is Denied
A denial does not end your case automatically. You have 14 days from the date on the order to either pay the full filing fee or ask the court to review the denial. To request review, file Form MC 114 (Request for Review of Denied Fee Waiver) with the same court.3Michigan Courts. MC 20 Fee Waiver Request If a clerk denied your request and you want a judge to look at the full picture, the MC 114 is how you get that second look.
If you neither pay nor request review within the 14 days, the court will not proceed and your original filing date is not preserved.
Special Rules If You Are Incarcerated
Filing from a Michigan prison or jail carries extra requirements. You must attach a certified statement of your trust account showing the current balance and a full 12-month history of deposits and withdrawals.3Michigan Courts. MC 20 Fee Waiver Request The court uses that record to decide whether you can pay the full fee, a partial fee, or nothing.
When a prisoner cannot pay the full fee upfront, the court may order a partial initial payment followed by monthly installments equal to 50 percent of deposits to the trust account until the fee is paid, with the Department of Corrections handling the withdrawals. If a partial fee is ordered, you typically have 21 days to pay and resubmit your filing with a copy of the order. Miss the deadline and the court returns your papers unfiled, and you cannot start a new case until outstanding fees are paid.4Michigan Courts. MC 20a Order Regarding Suspension of Prisoner Fees and Costs
Common Mistakes That Stall Approval
The most frequent reason a request stalls is incomplete financial information. Blank lines for income, assets, or obligations get the form sent back, even when the honest answer is zero. Write “$0” instead of leaving a line empty. A blank reads as missing information, not as a zero.
If you check box 1, also check the specific programs underneath it. Checking only the main box without naming a benefit forces the clerk to pause because they need to see an identified, means-tested program before signing off.
Keep a copy of everything. If you file in person, ask the clerk to stamp a second copy as your file-stamped duplicate. If you e-file, save or screenshot the confirmation page. Clear proof of your filing date matters if the waiver is later denied and the 14-day clock starts running.