FINANCIAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Our services are for women and gender diverse people who meet our income and asset eligibility thresholds.

Our eligibility criteria are designed to ensure that women and gender diverse people who have minimal financial resources, or no safe access to their financial resources, can access legal support.

There are two different types of financial eligibility we take into consideration: both your income and your assets.

  • Due to the high need for free family law services in BC, we have income and asset eligibility criteria so that we can reach people who are economically disadvantaged, members of marginalized groups, and people seeking protection from family violence, who otherwise are unable to access legal help.

  • Income includes anything that needs to be reported on an individual’s income tax return, such as employment income, self-employment income, and spousal support received.

    • We do not consider child support received as income.

    • We deduct certain expenses from income when assessing eligibility, including

      • childcare costs incurred,

      • child or spousal support paid, and

      • medical expenses.

    • We consider recurring gifts from family (regular cash payments or deposits into the bank) with no expectations of repayment as income.

    • We consider rental income from properties as income.

  • Anything you own of value, such as (but not limited to): property (with exceptions for primary residences, see FAQ), savings accounts, investments, Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs), pension plans, and Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs).

  • Please complete Rise’s appointment request form and include this detail. Our legal navigators and program assistants are in the best position to gather more information and provide next steps.

Income Eligibility

Our current income eligibility guidelines, after tax deductions, are:

Table depicting household size, with corresponding monthly and annual incomes. For 1 person, $4058 Monthly Income & $48,694 annual income. For 2 persons, $4939 monthly income, $59,264. For 3 persons

Asset Eligibility

You may not be eligible for our services if:

  • you have safe access to more than $30,000, or,

  • where there is a legal claim in your matter
    to more than $800,000.

If you are not sure if you are eligible, or you have reasons for an exception, you can complete our online request form and our team will get in touch with you.

Please note that our services are dependent on the clinic’s capacity and expertise. Meeting our financial guidelines does not guarantee that a file will be opened at Rise, or that a particular type of service will be provided.

Rise retains the right to make changes to our financial eligibility guidelines.

    1. What is your income? How many dependents do you have? (Please check the table to see if you qualify for Rise services)

    2. Do you own any property or other assets (such as investments and secondary residences)? What is their value?

      (You may not be eligible for our services if you have safe access to more than $30,000)

    3.  Do you and the opposing party need to divide family property? What is the total value of the assets that need to be divided?

      (You may not be eligible for our services where there is a legal claim in your matter to more than $800,000)

Other frequently asked questions:

  • A primary residence, where an opposing party has a legal claim, is exempt for clients seeking services from Rise.

  • If your property is in your name and the opposing party does not have a legal claim, it is not exempt from asset eligibility.

  • Based on our insurance limits, we are unable to assist clients where the total financial claim is over $800,000. The legal navigator will discuss next steps and options with you.

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