Legal Aid Ontario raising financial eligibility for duty counsel and criminal certificate services
Published: January 28, 2025
This March, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is expanding its financial eligibility thresholds to help more low-income Ontarians access legal aid services.
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On March 3, 2025, LAO’s income threshold to qualify for family and criminal duty counsel services increases to $45,440 for families of up to four people. The asset threshold for duty counsel services also increases to $15,000, regardless of family size. Financial eligibility for family sizes of five or more remains the same.
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On March 31, 2025, LAO is raising the income threshold for criminal certificate services to $45,440 for families of up to four people. The LAO asset threshold for criminal certificate services also increases to $15,000, regardless of family size. Financial eligibility for family sizes of five or more remains the same.
| Family size | Current criminal certificate / duty counsel income thresholds | Expanded income thresholds for duty counsel / criminal certificates | Expanded asset thresholds for duty counsel / criminal certificates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $18,795 / $22,720 | $45,440 | $15,000 |
| 2 | $32,131 / $32,131 | $45,440 | $15,000 |
| 3 | $39,352 / $39,352 | $45,440 | $15,000 |
| 4 | $45,289 / $45,440 | $45,440 | $15,000 |
| 5+ | $50,803 / $50,803 | $50,803 | $15,000 |
LAO’s expansion to its financial eligibility thresholds will be in effect until spring 2028.
The increases mean that more people will receive advice from duty counsel lawyers in court. They will also allow more people facing criminal charges to hire a legal aid lawyer, lowering the number of individuals who represent themselves in court. With the support of defense counsel, clients can have their cases resolved faster, eliminating the stress of handling legal matters on their own, and supporting the province’s goal to reduce the backlog in criminal courts.