Fee Waiver Of Criminal Court Assessment Instructions (form WA-I 602.4) is a two-page guide, posted among the Rock Island County courtroom forms, that explains how to ask a judge to waive or reduce the assessments charged in a criminal case. It answers who can ask, which forms to file, the 30-day deadline after sentencing and what happens after the judge decides. On FillingPDF you can fill out the form online and download or print the completed PDF; the official PDF is published on the Rock Island County website.
Last updated
What is WA-I 602.4?
Fee Waiver Of Criminal Court Assessment Instructions (form WA-I 602.4, 07/19) is a two-page question-and-answer guide, published through Rock Island County's courtroom forms, that explains how to ask a judge to waive or reduce criminal court assessments.
The guide defines the term. Assessments are costs charged to a defendant in a criminal case once the defendant is found guilty. They are court costs, not a property valuation. They do not include fines or restitution ordered by the judge, costs in civil and juvenile cases, or fee assessments resulting from violations of the Illinois Vehicle Code. The waiver may not apply to some court costs and fees associated with the case.
Two forms carry the request:
- Application for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments, which tells the judge whether you get public benefits and gives your income and expense information so the judge can decide if you are eligible.
- Order for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments, which the judge uses to say whether the application is granted or denied.
Depending on your circumstances, the judge may order that all of your assessments are waived, or that you pay 25%, 50% or 75% of any assessment. The guide notes that Illinois Supreme Court approved forms are listed at illinoiscourts.gov/Forms/approved/.
Who needs to file WA-I 602.4?
Anyone who must pay an assessment as part of a court case can ask the judge to waive it, according to the guide. You can ask for yourself or for a minor child, but not for anyone else.
You learn whether you owe an assessment from a document you receive in your case.
The guide sets limits on what the request covers:
- It concerns assessments charged after a guilty finding in a criminal case.
- It does not cover fines or restitution ordered by the judge.
- It does not cover costs in civil and juvenile cases.
- It does not cover fee assessments resulting from violations of the Illinois Vehicle Code.
- The waiver may not apply to some court costs and fees associated with your case.
People who receive public benefits and people who do not both may apply; the difference is the kind of proof the judge may ask for (see required documents).
When to file WA-I 602.4
In criminal cases, you must file the Application for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments no later than 30 days after the sentencing date. The deadline runs from sentencing, so check your sentencing date before anything else.
There is no cost for filing the Application. After you file, the judge reviews it and decides whether you must pay the assessments. The judge may need more information or may hold a hearing, and will notify you if you must provide more information or documents or appear. The Circuit Clerk tells you how and when you will get a copy of the Order.
If the judge orders you to pay all or part of the assessments, the order may allow you to defer payment, pay in installments or pay on other stated terms.
Documents you need
- Application for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments, original plus a copy for yourself; by mail, one copy of the form must accompany the original.
- Order for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments, filed with the Application; the judge completes it to grant or deny the request. By mail, include one copy.
- Current proof of eligibility and a benefits statement from the agency providing the benefit, if you get public benefits such as SSI, AABD, TANF, SNAP, General Assistance or Transitional Assistance; the judge may require this proof.
- Documents showing your income, the value of your belongings (for example, real estate) and your expenses, if you do not get public benefits; the judge may require proof of the information in your Application.
- A self-addressed, stamped envelope, only if you file by mail, so the Circuit Clerk can return your file-stamped copy.
How to fill out WA-I 602.4
Get the Application and Order
Obtain the Application for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments and the Order for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments from the Circuit Clerk in the county where the charges were filed, or at illinoiscourts.gov/Forms/approved/Circuit.asp.
Confirm you can ask and are on time
Check the document in your case that says whether you owe an assessment. You may ask for yourself or a minor child only, and the Application is due no later than 30 days after the sentencing date.
Complete the Application
Tell the judge whether you get any public benefits, and give your income and expense information so the judge can decide whether you are eligible for a waiver.
Gather proof for the judge
If you get public benefits, collect current proof of eligibility and a benefits statement from the agency. If you do not, collect documents showing income, the value of belongings such as real estate, and expenses.
Pair the Application with the Order
Include the Order for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments with the Application. The judge, not you, uses the Order to say whether the request is granted or denied.
Review, download and copy
Check your entries, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and make a copy for yourself. File the originals and copies as described under How to submit.
How to submit WA-I 602.4
File the completed Application and Order with the Circuit Clerk in the county where the criminal charges were filed, in person or by mail.
- In person: Go to the courthouse in the county where your case is filed. Give the Circuit Clerk your original forms and copies to stamp. The Clerk keeps the originals and gives your copies back.
- By mail: If you do not need to appear in person, mail the Application and the Order, plus one copy of each, to the Circuit Clerk. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope so the Clerk can mail the file-stamped copy back to you.
The courthouse address should be on the court papers you received, or you can look it up at illinoiscourts.gov/CircuitCourt/default.asp. The guide gives no separate mailing address. Make a copy of your original Application for yourself before filing. You can get the forms from the Office of the Circuit Clerk in that county or at illinoiscourts.gov/Forms/approved/Circuit.asp. Filing the Application costs nothing. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Filing the Application more than 30 days after the sentencing date; in criminal cases that is the stated deadline.
- Filing in the wrong place; the forms go to the Circuit Clerk in the county where the criminal charges were filed.
- Filing only the Application; the guide tells you to file the Application and the Order together.
- Asking for someone other than yourself or a minor child; the guide allows no one else.
- Mailing the forms without a self-addressed, stamped envelope, so the Clerk cannot send back the file-stamped copy.
- Handing over the only copy; the Circuit Clerk stamps and keeps the original, so make your own copy first.
- Expecting the waiver to cover fines, restitution, civil or juvenile case costs or Illinois Vehicle Code fee assessments, which assessments do not include.
- Putting false information in the Application; the judge can later make you pay any assessments that were waived.
- Missing payments the judge ordered; this may lead to collection, a Petition to Revoke the Sentence, contempt or extended probation, conditional discharge or supervision.
Frequently asked questions
What is form WA-I 602.4?
Form WA-I 602.4 is a two-page guide, Fee Waiver Of Criminal Court Assessment Instructions, explaining how to ask a judge to waive criminal court assessments. It points you to the Application and Order for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments, which you file with the Circuit Clerk.
Is this a Rock Island County assessor form?
No. It concerns criminal court assessments, the costs charged to a defendant in a criminal case after a guilty finding, and comes from the county's courtroom forms. It is a guide for asking a judge for a waiver, not a property document.
Who can ask the judge to waive criminal court assessments?
Anyone who must pay an assessment as part of a court case may ask. You can ask for yourself or for a minor child, but not for anyone else. Fines, restitution, civil and juvenile case costs and Vehicle Code fee assessments are not assessments.
What is the deadline to file the waiver application?
In criminal cases you must file the Application for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments no later than 30 days after the sentencing date. The guide states no other deadline for this request.
Do I have to pay to file the Application for Waiver of Criminal Court Assessments?
No. The guide says there is no cost for filing the Application. Separately, if the judge orders you to pay some or all of the assessments, that payment is due under the terms of the order.
What happens if the judge grants my waiver application?
Depending on your circumstances, the judge may order that all assessments are waived, or that you pay 25%, 50% or 75% of any assessment. If the judge later decides your Application contained false information, you can be made to pay any assessments that were waived.
Where do I file the criminal court assessment waiver forms?
File with the Circuit Clerk in the county where the criminal charges were filed, in person or by mail. By mail, send the Application, the Order and one copy of each, plus a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your file-stamped copy.
What if the judge says I must pay some of the assessments?
The judge may let you defer payment, pay in installments or pay on other terms in the order. If you fail to pay as ordered, the matter may be referred for collection, a Petition to Revoke the Sentence may be filed, or the judge may hold you in contempt.
Can I fill out this form online on FillingPDF?
You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service, not connected to Rock Island County, and it does not file anything with the court; you file through the Circuit Clerk.
Ready to fill out WA-I 602.4?
Fill out WA-I 602.4 now