Eligibility for Civil Legal Aid
If you are in receipt of one of the following Isle of Man benefits, you will automatically qualify for free Legal Aid:
- Employed Person’s Allowance
- Income Support
- Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance
If you are not in receipt of one of the above benefits, the Legal Aid Office will need to calculate your net resources to check whether you are financially eligible to receive Legal Aid.
Our online calculator can give you an indication of whether you are likely to pass the financial test, however this is only a rough indication and you should still submit your financial information for assessment.
Financial Means and Legal Merits Test
Before Legal Aid can be granted, every application must pass both the Financial Means and Legal Merits Tests:
- Financial means test to determine whether your resources mean that, according to the law, you cannot afford to pay for legal representation
- Legal merits test to determine whether it is reasonable for your legal representation to be funded
If you are unhappy with the decision you can ask for our decisions to be reviewed.
Benefit fraud is a criminal offence. If you suspect that someone is claiming Social Security benefits they are not entitled to, you can report them via our Benefit Fraud page.
