What is the asset requirements testing?
Legal Aid looks at all your assets, such as cash, bank accounts, stocks, bonds, and RRSPs to see if you can pay for all your legal fees. The Legal Aid office will also include anything that you can sell or easily convert into cash.
Depending on your situation, you may be expected to use some of your assets to help pay for your legal aid fees.
Legal Aid offices will also look at other assets, such as houses and property. Normally if you own a house or property, you are expected to borrow against it to pay for legal fees and legal aid. If you cannot borrow against it, they will ask you to agree to sign a lien against the property.
You must provide proof of your assets.
What is the income test?
Legal Aid will ask you to give information about all of your sources of income, for your dependant children, your spouse, common-law spouse or same-sex partner.
Income includes worker's compensation, employment income, employment insurance, pensions, social assistance, commissions, self-employed earnings, child tax benefits, rental income, etc.
To determine your net income, Legal Aid will deduct any payroll deductions, day care costs and child support payments from your gross income.