- Official title
- Order on Court Fee Waiver (Superior Court)
- Issued by
- Judicial Council of California
- Revision
- Rev. September 1, 2019
- Use
- Mandatory
- Official PDF
- FW-003 on www.courts.ca.gov
An envelope arrives after a fee-waiver request was filed. The paper inside is not another application to complete. FW-003 is the court's order stating its decision about the request to file papers or receive services without paying court fees and costs. The court fills it out, and the form warns that every checked box is a court order. Pages 2 and 3 state, “This is a Court Order.”
This mandatory Judicial Council form is three pages. The current edition is “Rev. September 1, 2019,” became effective September 1, 2019, and cites Government Code section 68634(e) and California Rules of Court, rule 3.52. The fee-waiver guide places this returned order in the broader filing process; FW-001 is the request that comes before it.
This page explains what the statewide order says. It is general information, not legal advice about eligibility for a waiver or how to respond to a particular order.
What decision did the court make?
Item 4 supplies the answer. The form's grant language is “The court grants your request, as follows.” Its denial language is “The court denies your fee waiver request because.” A third path says, “The court needs more information to decide whether to grant your request.” That path requires the person to go to court on the date entered on page 3.
FW-003 does not label an outcome “granted in part.” It does allow the court to waive only the additional fees and costs it checks. If the court denies the request based on the information provided, the form gives 10 days after the clerk gives notice of the order to pay the fees and costs in full or the amount listed in item 4c, or to ask for a hearing on FW-006. The extracted order states the deadline as 10 days after notice rather than printing a calendar date for payment.
Which fees does a full waiver cover?
For a fee waiver, item 4a lists these court fees and costs:
- Filing papers in superior court
- Making copies and certifying copies
- Sheriff's fee to give notice
- A reporter's attendance at a hearing or trial when the court is not electronically recording and the person requests an official reporter
- An assessment for court investigations under Probate Code section 1513, 1826, or 1851
- Preparing, certifying, copying, and sending the clerk's transcript on appeal
- Holding the deposit for a reporter's transcript on appeal under rule 8.130 or 8.834
- Making a transcript or copy of an official electronic recording under rule 8.835
- A court fee for a phone hearing
- Giving notice and certificates
- Sending papers to another court department
For an additional fee waiver, only checked items are waived. The choices are jury fees and expenses, court-appointed expert fees, fees for a peace officer to testify, court-appointed interpreter fees for a witness, and an “Other” line.
What happens after a denial or a request for more information?
If the request is incomplete, FW-003 gives 10 days after the clerk gives notice to pay or file a revised request containing the missing items listed below item 4b(1) or on its attachment. When the court sets a hearing, page 3 provides fields for its date, department, time, and room. The order tells the person to bring reasonably available proof listed “Below” or “On Attachment 4c(2).”
Missing a required hearing means the judge will deny the request. The form then gives 10 days to pay the fees. If that deadline is missed, the court cannot process the papers filed with the request; a notice of appeal may be dismissed. The court directory links to the superior court handling the filing.
Can the waiver create duties later?
Yes. The notice says the court may ask questions about finances and later order repayment of waived fees. Nonpayment can result in the fees plus collection fees. If financial circumstances change during the case in a way that increases the ability to pay, the person must notify the trial court within five days using FW-010.
The order also says the court may require the other side to pay the fees if the person with the waiver wins. If a civil case settles for $10,000 or more, the trial court has a lien on the settlement for the waived fees and may not dismiss the case until the lien is paid. Those terms remain part of the returned FW-003 even when the immediate checked result is a grant.
Common questions
- Who completes California form FW-003?
- The court completes FW-003. It is the order stating what the court decided after reviewing a request to waive court fees or additional court fees.
- What can the court decide on FW-003?
- The form says the court may grant the request, deny it, or require more information and set a hearing. Every checked box on the returned form is part of the court order.
- How long is form FW-003?
- The September 1, 2019 edition is three pages. The third page contains the hearing date fields, signature, accommodations notice, and clerk’s certificate of service.
- What happens if the court says the request is incomplete?
- The form gives 10 days after the clerk gives notice of the order to pay the fees and costs or file a revised request containing the listed missing items.
- Is FW-003 available in Spanish?
- Yes. California Courts provides fw003s.pdf as a Spanish translation for reference. The English FW-003 is the form used by the court.
Sources
Checked on September 22, 2026. Where this page and a court’s own published material disagree, the court is authoritative.
