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Cost of the service
If you wish to obtain legal advice, you must pay a contribution. It may be as low as €10 if your disposable income is less than €11,500. If your disposable income exceeds €11,500, the amount is calculated on the basis of one-tenth of the difference between your disposable income and €11,500, subject to a maximum of €150.
If you obtain legal aid, you must pay a contribution based on your disposable income and your disposable capital, if any. The minimum income contribution for legal aid is €50, if your disposable income is less than €11,500. If it is above that amount, the actual contribution is calculated on the basis of €50 plus one-quarter of the difference between your disposable income and €11,500. You should note that if you are granted a legal aid certificate for the purpose of court proceedings, you will have to pay a contribution of at least €50 before
a solicitor can represent you in court.
You may also be liable for a capital contribution depending on the extent of your disposable capital. The contribution is assessed as follows:
| Disposable capital | Contribution |
| €4,000 or less | no contribution |
| €4,001 to €54,000 | 2.5% of amount over €4000, (a maximum of €1,250) |
| €54,001 or more | €1,250 plus 5% of the amount over €54,000. |
If you are liable for a contribution above the minimum contribution, the actual contribution that you will pay may relate to the cost to the Board of providing legal services in your case. Your local law centre will advise you of the actual amount that would be payable in your case.
A separate contribution is payable for each application for legal services, for example, if you are involved in two separate court cases, contributions will be payable in respect of each of them.
Example 1
Example 2
Changes in financial circumstances
Persons in receipt of legal services are required to notify the Board of any change in their financial circumstances in order that the Board can ensure that the person remains entitled to legal services. Failure to notify the Board of any change may lead to a withdrawal of services and may result in you being liable for the cost of the services provided.
For further information on contributions and costs payable you can contact your local law centre. | 
