The short answer
This is every official source the site relies on, with the date each was last checked. It is published so that you can audit the claim rather than take it on trust. Where the sources disagree with each other, which happens more than it should, we say so here and on the page concerned.
Key points
- Everything is checked against primary sources: legislation, the Legal Aid Agency, GOV.UK.
- Sources are linked next to the figure, not in a list at the bottom of the page.
- The whole site is reviewed every three months.
- Two conflicts between official sources are recorded below. Both are live.
The means test and eligibility
| Source | Used for | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Civil legal aid: means testing, and eligibility keycard 62 | Income, disposable income and capital limits, allowances, SMOD cap | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Lord Chancellor’s guidance on determining financial eligibility for controlled work and family mediation | The mediation means test, SMOD in practice, non-contributory status | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Civil Legal Aid (Financial Resources and Payment for Services) Regulations 2013 | Passporting benefits, pensioner disregard, contributions | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Check if you can get legal aid | The official checker we point readers to | 5 Aug 2026 |
Scope, gateways and the statutory charge
| Source | Used for | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| LASPO 2012 | What came out of scope in 2013, and what stayed | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Civil Legal Aid (Statutory Charge) Regulations 2013 | Why the charge never applies to family mediation | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Civil Legal Aid (Merits Criteria) Regulations 2013 | Merits test, Help with Family Mediation scope | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013 | The Help with Family Mediation fixed fees | 5 Aug 2026 |
| LAA evidence requirements for private family law | The accepted domestic abuse evidence list | 5 Aug 2026 |
Fees, vouchers and benefits
| Source | Used for | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| MoJ fee announcement and SI 2026/642 | Family court fees from 13 July 2026 | 5 Aug 2026 |
| GOV.UK, injunctions: protection from domestic abuse | Confirmation there is no fee for an FL401 | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Family Mediation Council, mediation vouchers | The £500 voucher, scope and status | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Help with court fees | The separate fee remission scheme | 5 Aug 2026 |
| SI 2025/1148 and SI 2026/409 | Abolition of Income Support, income-based JSA and income-related ESA | 5 Aug 2026 |
Where the official sources currently disagree
Two live conflicts. We record them rather than quietly picking a side.
1. Passporting benefits. Regulation 6(2) still lists five benefits, and the Legal Aid Agency’s current keycard reproduces all five. But Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance were abolished on 1 April 2026, and income-related Employment and Support Allowance ended on 1 July 2026 for almost everybody. Nobody can be receiving them, so nobody can be passported by them. How we handle it.
2. Contributions. The regulations setting contributions were removed on 27 June 2025 as a temporary measure and have not been reinstated. The current keycard still prints the contribution bands. We do not publish a figure for either position. How we handle it.
How to tell us we are wrong
If a figure here is out of date, or a source has moved, tell us. We would rather be corrected quickly than be right most of the time. Our corrections policy.