The short answer
Three schemes get confused with each other constantly, and they are not alike. Mediation legal aid is means tested and nothing else. The £500 voucher is not means tested at all. Solicitor legal aid needs a gateway as well as the means test. Pick any two or three below and compare them row by row.
Choose what to compare
| Mediation legal aid | The £500 voucher | Solicitor legal aid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Means tested? | Yes, and that is the whole test | No. Income and savings are irrelevant | Yes, and you also need a gateway |
| Do you need evidence of abuse? | No. It forms no part of the test | No | Usually yes, or a child protection concern |
| How much is covered | The full cost of your mediation | Up to £500 per family, including VAT | Your solicitor’s work, at the level funded |
| Covers the MIAM? | Yes | No | Not applicable |
| What disputes | Any family dispute suitable for mediation, including finance only | Child arrangements, or finances where there is also a child dispute. A finance-only case does not qualify | Only cases in scope: abuse, child protection, care proceedings |
| Is there a contribution? | No. Never has been | No | Possibly. The sources currently disagree |
| Paid back at the end? | Never. The statutory charge does not apply | No | Often. The statutory charge can take it from what you keep |
| Who decides | The mediator, at the MIAM. Usually the same day | Your mediator claims it for you | The Legal Aid Agency, for full representation |
| Where to read more | Mediation legal aid | The voucher scheme | Solicitor legal aid |
This runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is submitted, stored or transmitted. Figures are correct as at August 2026 and each one is sourced on the page it comes from.
The three differences that cost people the most
- Abuse is not part of the mediation test. People who would qualify never ask, because they have read about the solicitor scheme and assume the same rules apply.
- The voucher does not cover the MIAM. Anyone budgeting on the voucher alone still has the assessment meeting to pay for.
- Only one of the three is ever paid back. Mediation legal aid is never recovered. Solicitor legal aid often is, through the statutory charge, and in a financial case that usually means the house.
This one is free
Mediation legal aid is not a loan
The statutory charge is how the government gets its money back out of what you keep at the end of a funded case. It is the reason legal aid for a solicitor can feel like a loan rather than a gift.
It does not apply to family mediation. Mediation is excluded outright. It is also, unlike legal help, not one of the services that gets pulled back into the charge if you later need a solicitor. So the cost of your mediation is never recovered from you, whatever happens next.
One qualification. If you use Help with Family Mediation and then go on to full representation on the same dispute, the cost of that legal advice can be added to the charge. The mediation itself still cannot.
Source: Civil Legal Aid (Statutory Charge) Regulations 2013, regulation 4. Family mediation is excluded by regulation 4(1)(d) and is not listed in the regulation 4(2) claw-back. Checked 5 August 2026.
Can you use more than one?
Yes, and the combination is worth knowing. If one of you qualifies for mediation legal aid, that covers the MIAM and the first joint session for both of you. The person who is not eligible can then claim the £500 voucher in their own right, because their income is irrelevant to it.
That often gets a couple through the assessment and three or four sessions before anyone pays anything. The sequence, step by step.
Where to go next
- The route finder, if you want to be pointed at one rather than compare all three
- The means test, which two of the three depend on
- What to do if none of them apply
- All free tools