How to Fill Out New Jersey Form CN-11257 (w/Examples) + FAQs

New Jersey Form CN-11257 is the Application and Supporting Certification for Fee Waiver used by the New Jersey Judiciary to allow people who cannot afford court fees to file or respond to a case without paying. Any self-represented litigant, attorney filing pro bono, or party receiving public benefits can submit it under Rule 1:13-2 of the New Jersey Court Rules.

Each year, the New Jersey Judiciary processes more than 120,000 fee waiver applications, and roughly one in five gets rejected the first time because of missing income proof or unsigned certifications. The current revision date printed on the form is Revised 09/2024, and using an older version is the most common reason a clerk returns the packet.

Here is what this guide covers:

• 📝 The exact purpose of Form CN-11257 and which courts accept it
• 💼 Every document you need before you open the PDF
• 🖊️ A line-by-line walkthrough of every box, field, and signature line
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Three real-world filled-out examples for divorce, eviction defense, and domestic violence filings
• ⚖️ How to file by paper, mail, or through the JEDS portal, plus what happens after a judge decides

What Form CN-11257 Is and Who Must File It

Form CN-11257 is the official New Jersey Judiciary application that asks the court to waive filing fees, motion fees, service fees, and other court costs for someone who cannot pay them. The form lives on the New Jersey Courts forms library and is accepted in the Superior Court (Family, Civil, and Chancery Divisions), the Special Civil Part, the Tax Court, and the Appellate Division.

You must file Form CN-11257 if you want the court to excuse a fee you would otherwise owe under N.J.S.A. 22A:2-1 through 22A:2-12, which lists the standard fees New Jersey courts charge. People who receive Work First New Jersey, Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, SNAP, or who fall under 150% of the federal poverty line generally qualify. Litigants represented by Legal Services of New Jersey through the LSNJ-LAW Hotline also use this form, but their attorney signs Section 4 instead of the litigant.

You do not need a lawyer to file CN-11257. Self-represented filers (“pro se” litigants) submit it with their underlying pleading, such as a divorce complaint, a tenant’s answer in a landlord-tenant action, or a temporary restraining order request. Filing the waiver does not pause your case; the clerk still date-stamps your filing while the judge reviews the application.

The judge who reviews your waiver looks at three things: your monthly income, your assets, and your monthly expenses. A misconception worth correcting is that the form is automatic for anyone unemployed; the judge can still deny the waiver if your savings or property suggest you can pay.

Before You Start: Documents and Information You Need

Gather every supporting document before you open the PDF, because the form asks for exact dollar amounts that you cannot guess. The clerk will reject the packet if your numbers do not match the proofs you attach, and re-filing pushes your case back by one to two weeks in most vicinages.

Use this pre-filing checklist of at least eight items:

• Photo ID. A New Jersey driver’s license, non-driver ID, or passport. Without it, the clerk cannot match you to the certification you sign.
• Most recent pay stubs. Bring your last three pay stubs covering 90 days. Missing pay stubs lead the judge to assume higher income and deny the waiver.
• Benefits award letters. SSI, SSDI, SNAP, TANF, or Work First New Jersey letters dated within the last 12 months. These letters trigger the automatic-eligibility box in Section 2.
• Tax return from last year. Your 2025 federal Form 1040 if you filed one. The judge cross-checks line 11 (adjusted gross income) against your stated income.
• Bank statements. Last two months for every checking, savings, and money market account. Hidden accounts found later can void the waiver.
• Lease, mortgage, or rent receipts. Proof of housing cost goes on the expenses page, and missing proof drops the expense total the judge accepts.
• Utility bills. Most recent gas, electric, water, and phone bills. These support the “Utilities” line in Section 3.
• Childcare and medical bills. Recurring expenses raise your deductions and improve your odds of approval.
• The underlying pleading. Your divorce complaint, FD docket motion, eviction answer, or appellate notice that the fee waiver pairs with.
• Docket number, if any. If your case is already open, write the docket number across the top of CN-11257 in black ink.

The single most common pre-filing mistake is starting the form before pulling bank statements. Filers guess balances, the judge sees the proof, and the numbers do not match. Always pull the proof first, then write the number.

Where to Get the Form and How to Access It

The official, current Form CN-11257 lives on the New Jersey Courts forms page, and a Spanish version is published as CN-11257-Spanish on the same library. Always download a fresh copy for each filing because the Judiciary updates the income thresholds and the federal poverty line table inside the form every January.

You can fill the PDF on a computer using free tools like Adobe Acrobat Reader or print it and hand-write the answers in black or blue ink. The Judiciary also embeds the form inside its Self-Help Resource Center, which links it from the divorce, landlord-tenant, and domestic violence packets so filers do not have to search separately.

If you do not have a computer or printer, every county courthouse has an ombudsman who will print the form for you for free. Call your county’s vicinage ombudsman before you visit, because some courthouses require an appointment after the post-pandemic scheduling rules took effect in 2023. The ombudsman cannot fill the form out for you, but they will hand you the current revision and point you to the right boxes.

A common misconception is that the federal court (U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey) accepts CN-11257. It does not. Federal court uses Form AO 240 instead. CN-11257 is strictly a state-court form.

Step-by-Step: How to Fill Out Form CN-11257 Line by Line

The form is six pages long in the 09/2024 revision, broken into a caption block, four numbered sections, and a final certification page. Work through each H3 below in order, and do not skip a box even if it looks unnecessary.

Caption Block: Court, County, Docket Number, and Case Caption

The caption sits at the very top of page 1 and tells the clerk where your case belongs. It asks for the court (Superior Court of New Jersey), the division (Chancery, Law, or Special Civil Part), the county (vicinage), the docket number, and the names of the plaintiff and defendant.

Write the court name as Superior Court of New Jersey, the division on the next line, and the county in all caps (for example, ESSEX COUNTY). Format the docket number exactly as the clerk issued it, such as FM-07-1234-26 for a Family Part dissolution case. If your case has not been filed yet, leave the docket number blank — the clerk will write one in when they accept the underlying complaint.

For example, Maria Lopez writes MARIA LOPEZ on the plaintiff line and CARLOS LOPEZ on the defendant line for her divorce complaint in Essex County. The nuance: in a landlord-tenant case, the landlord is always the plaintiff regardless of who is filing the waiver, so a tenant filing CN-11257 still puts the landlord’s name on the plaintiff line.

A common mistake here is reversing plaintiff and defendant. The consequence is that the clerk’s docketing system attaches your waiver to the wrong party, and the judge may deny the waiver because the captioned party “already paid.” A misconception is that you can use a nickname; the caption must match your legal name on the underlying pleading exactly.

Section 1: Personal Information of the Applicant

Section 1 collects your full legal name, current address, daytime phone number, and email. The form asks for the address where the court can mail decisions, not necessarily where you sleep at night.

Write your name in the order First, Middle, Last with no commas. Use a street address if you have one; if you do not, use a P.O. Box or the address of a trusted friend or shelter. Format the phone number as (973) 555-0142 and write your email in lowercase to avoid scanning errors.

For example, Janet Williams, a 58-year-old filing for divorce after a long marriage, writes Janet Marie Williams, 412 Clinton Avenue, Newark, NJ 07108, (973) 555-0142, and janet.williams@example.com. The nuance: domestic violence survivors can use a confidential address program through the New Jersey Address Confidentiality Program and write that substitute address here instead of their real one.

The most common mistake is writing a former address because the filer just moved. The consequence is that court mail, including the order granting or denying the waiver, gets returned, and the case stalls. A misconception is that you must use the address on your driver’s license; you do not — you must use the address where you currently receive mail.

Section 2: Public Benefits Eligibility (Automatic Qualification Box)

Section 2 contains six checkboxes for public benefits programs that automatically qualify you for the fee waiver. The programs listed are Work First New Jersey/TANF, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid (NJ FamilyCare), SNAP/Food Stamps, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and Lifeline.

Check every box that applies to you and attach the most recent award letter for each. Do not check a box for a program you applied to but have not yet been approved for. If you check at least one box and attach the letter, the judge can grant the waiver without a deep review of Sections 3 and 4.

For example, Aisha Bennett, a single mother applying for a domestic violence TRO, checks the SNAP and Medicaid boxes and attaches her county welfare board approval letters dated 02/15/2026. The nuance: child-only TANF cases (where the parent is not on the grant but the children are) still count, but you must attach the case narrative showing the household receives the benefit.

A common mistake is checking a box for unemployment insurance, which is not a means-tested benefit and does not qualify you under Section 2. The consequence is that the judge ignores Section 2 and pushes you into the full income analysis, where unemployment income often disqualifies the filer. A misconception is that Social Security retirement counts as SSI; it does not. SSI is needs-based, while Social Security retirement is earnings-based.

Section 3: Monthly Income from All Sources

Section 3 is a monthly income worksheet with separate lines for wages, self-employment, unemployment, Social Security, child support received, pensions, rental income, and “other.” Convert every number to a true monthly figure before you write it.

To convert weekly pay, multiply by 4.33. For bi-weekly pay, multiply by 2.17. Write each amount in dollars and cents, like $1,847.50, not rounded. If a line is zero, write $0 instead of leaving it blank, because a blank line tells the clerk you skipped the question.

For example, Marcus Johnson, a part-time warehouse worker filing an answer to an eviction, earns $620 every two weeks. He writes $1,345.40 on the wages line ($620 × 2.17). The nuance: tips, side gigs, and cash work all count as income; under-reporting is the fastest way to get the waiver denied or revoked.

A common mistake is reporting gross weekly pay as the monthly figure. The consequence is that the judge sees a monthly income four times lower than reality, finds the application not credible, and denies the waiver. A misconception is that food stamps go on the income line; they do not — SNAP triggers Section 2, not Section 3.

Section 4: Monthly Expenses, Assets, and Debts

Section 4 is the largest part of the form. It asks for monthly rent or mortgage, utilities, food, transportation, childcare, medical costs, and debt payments, plus a list of every bank account, vehicle, and piece of real property you own.

Write each expense as a monthly average using the last three months of bills. For assets, list every account with the bank name, the last four digits of the account number, and the current balance. List every vehicle with year, make, model, and the Kelley Blue Book trade-in value, not what you paid.

For example, Janet Williams lists her 2014 Honda Civic with a trade-in value of $5,200 and her Bank of America checking account ending 4471 with a balance of $612.18. The nuance: a home you live in is still an asset and must be listed, but the judge usually excludes primary-residence equity when deciding the waiver because forcing a sale defeats the purpose.

A common mistake is leaving credit card debt off the form because it feels embarrassing. The consequence is that your expense-to-income ratio looks artificially healthy, and the judge denies the waiver. A misconception is that retirement accounts are exempt; they must be listed, even though the judge generally does not count locked-up 401(k) balances against you.

Certification and Signature Block (Page 6)

The final page is the sworn certification under N.J. Court Rule 1:4-4(b), which carries the same weight as a notarized affidavit. By signing, you swear under penalty of perjury that everything on the form is true.

Sign in blue or black ink, print your name underneath, and date the form using MM/DD/YYYY format. Do not pre-sign the form before completing the income and expense sections, because any change after the signature requires a fresh signature and date.

For example, Carlos Ramirez, filing a custody motion, signs Carlos M. Ramirez, prints CARLOS M. RAMIREZ, and dates 03/14/2026. The nuance: if you cannot sign your name due to disability, you may make a mark in front of two witnesses who also sign, per Rule 1:4-4.

A common mistake is signing electronically with a typed name in a paper filing. The consequence is that the clerk rejects the packet and your underlying pleading sits unfiled. A misconception is that the certification needs a notary; it does not, because Rule 1:4-4(b) replaces notarization with a perjury certification.

Three Filled-Out Examples Using Real Scenarios

The three scenarios below show the most common reasons New Jersey filers use CN-11257. Each scenario follows one named person from the caption block to the signature.

Scenario 1: Aisha Bennett, Domestic Violence TRO Petitioner

Aisha is a 29-year-old SNAP recipient seeking a temporary restraining order against her ex-partner in Camden County. She has two children and lives with her sister.

Form Section	What Aisha Enters
Court / Division / County	Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division – Family Part, CAMDEN COUNTY
Docket Number	(leave blank — TRO not yet docketed)
Section 1 — Name & Address	Aisha Renee Bennett, 88 Federal Street, Camden, NJ 08103
Section 2 — Public Benefits	☑ SNAP, ☑ NJ FamilyCare/Medicaid (award letter attached)
Section 3 — Monthly Income	Wages: $0; Child support: $240; Other: $0
Section 4 — Monthly Expenses	Rent share: $400; Utilities: $85; Food: $220; Transportation: $60
Section 4 — Assets	Wells Fargo checking ending 2210: $47.12; no vehicle
Certification	Signs Aisha R. Bennett, dates 04/02/2026

Aisha attaches her SNAP award letter, and the Family Part judge grants the waiver the same day she files her TRO request.

Scenario 2: Marcus Johnson, Tenant Defending an Eviction

Marcus is a 41-year-old part-time warehouse worker in Essex County facing a landlord-tenant complaint in the Special Civil Part. He earns $620 bi-weekly and is behind on rent.

Form Section	What Marcus Enters
Court / Division / County	Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division – Special Civil Part, ESSEX COUNTY
Docket Number	LT-002145-26
Section 1 — Name & Address	Marcus Daniel Johnson, 612 South Orange Avenue, Apt 3B, Newark, NJ 07103
Section 2 — Public Benefits	(none checked)
Section 3 — Monthly Income	Wages: $1,345.40; Other: $0
Section 4 — Monthly Expenses	Rent: $1,250; Utilities: $140; Food: $320; Transit pass: $89
Section 4 — Assets	PNC checking ending 9087: $112.40; 2008 Toyota Corolla: $2,400
Certification	Signs Marcus D. Johnson, dates 05/11/2026

Marcus attaches three pay stubs and his lease, and the judge grants the waiver because his expenses exceed his income, qualifying him under Rule 1:13-2.

Scenario 3: Janet Williams, Pro Se Divorce After 22-Year Marriage

Janet is a 58-year-old administrative assistant in Newark filing a complaint for divorce after a long marriage. She earns modestly but has shared assets with her spouse.

Form Section	What Janet Enters
Court / Division / County	Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division – Family Part, ESSEX COUNTY
Docket Number	(blank — to be assigned with complaint)
Section 1 — Name & Address	Janet Marie Williams, 412 Clinton Avenue, Newark, NJ 07108
Section 2 — Public Benefits	(none checked)
Section 3 — Monthly Income	Wages: $2,610.00; Other: $0
Section 4 — Monthly Expenses	Rent: $1,400; Utilities: $210; Food: $420; Medical: $185; Car loan: $295
Section 4 — Assets	Bank of America checking ending 4471: $612.18; 2014 Honda Civic: $5,200
Certification	Signs Janet M. Williams, dates 03/14/2026

Janet’s expenses leave her with about $100 of disposable income, and the judge waives the $300 divorce filing fee under N.J.S.A. 22A:2-12 after reviewing her pay stubs and bank statements.

How to File the Completed Form

You may file Form CN-11257 in person, by mail, or electronically through the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission system. Each channel has its own steps, fees (none, since you are asking the court to waive them), and proof-of-filing rules.

In person. Bring two copies of CN-11257 plus all attachments to the Civil or Family Division clerk at your county vicinage courthouse. The clerk date-stamps both copies and hands one back as your proof. Processing typically takes 2 to 5 business days for the judge to sign the order.

By mail. Send one original plus two copies to the vicinage Division Manager at the address listed on the vicinage directory page for your county. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope so the clerk can return your stamped copy. Mail filings take 7 to 14 days because of internal mail handling.

Electronically through JEDS. Upload the signed PDF through Judiciary Electronic Document Submission, which is free for self-represented litigants. JEDS emails you a confirmation receipt, which serves as your proof of filing, and judges typically rule within 3 business days. JEDS does not accept payment because the whole point of CN-11257 is fee waiver.

There are no payment methods to worry about because no fee accompanies CN-11257 itself. Keep your stamped copy or JEDS receipt forever, because it is the only proof you have that the court accepted your waiver.

What Happens After You File

Once the clerk dockets the form, a Superior Court judge or a designated court official reviews the application. The review focuses on whether your income, assets, and expenses meet the standards in Rule 1:13-2 and whether your supporting documents match the numbers on the form.

If the judge grants the waiver, you receive a signed Order Granting Application for Fee Waiver, which excuses the filing fee, motion fees through the end of the case, service of process by the Sheriff’s Office, and most transcript fees. The order does not waive fees in unrelated future cases — it covers only the case captioned on the form.

If the judge denies the waiver, you receive a written reason and 20 days to either pay the fee or file a motion to reconsider with new evidence. A denial does not dismiss your underlying case immediately, but failure to pay within the 20-day window does. You can also re-file CN-11257 if your financial situation changes during the case.

A misconception worth correcting is that approval is permanent. If the court later learns you misstated your income or hid an asset, the judge can revoke the waiver, charge back every fee, and refer the file for perjury under N.J.S.A. 2C:28-2.

Mistakes to Avoid When Filling Out the Form

Filers lose time and money by repeating the same errors. Here are the ten most common, each with the consequence the clerk or judge will impose.

• Using an outdated revision. The clerk rejects pre-09/2024 versions, and you must restart the packet.
• Leaving the docket number blank when you have one. The waiver gets stapled to the wrong file, delaying review by weeks.
• Reporting weekly income as monthly. The judge concludes the form is not credible and denies the waiver outright.
• Skipping Section 2 boxes when you receive benefits. You miss the automatic qualification path and force a deeper review.
• Forgetting to attach proof. No award letter, no pay stub, no waiver — the order will be marked “denied without prejudice.”
• Hiding a bank account. If discovered later, the judge revokes the waiver and may refer the file for perjury.
• Listing a former address. Court mail returns, and you lose the right to appear at hearings you never received notice of.
• Pre-signing a blank form. Any change voids the certification and the clerk rejects it.
• Confusing federal court fee waivers with state. Form AO 240 is for federal court; CN-11257 is rejected there.
• Missing the 20-day cure window after a denial. Your underlying case (divorce, eviction defense, motion) gets dismissed.

Do’s and Don’ts

These short rules summarize the habits of filers whose waivers get approved on the first try.

• Do download a fresh copy of CN-11257 from njcourts.gov the day you file because the form updates yearly.
• Do attach every proof referenced in Sections 2, 3, and 4, since judges treat unsupported numbers as zero.
• Do keep your stamped copy or JEDS confirmation in a safe place because it is your only proof of filing.
• Do call the vicinage ombudsman if any field confuses you, because they answer procedural questions for free.
• Do file CN-11257 at the same time as your underlying pleading so the clerk can route them together.
• Do update the form if your income changes mid-case, because stale numbers can void the waiver.
• Don’t sign the certification before filling in every income and expense line, because a blank-then-filled form fails the perjury rule.
• Don’t estimate bank balances; pull statements first to avoid mismatches with the proofs you attach.
• Don’t check Section 2 boxes for programs you only applied to, because pending applications do not qualify.
• Don’t mail the only copy you have, because lost mail can erase your filing record.
• Don’t file in federal court; use AO 240 instead.
• Don’t ignore a denial letter, because the 20-day cure period runs whether you read the letter or not.

Pros and Cons of Filing on Your Own vs. With Help

Many CN-11257 filers handle the form themselves, but Legal Services of New Jersey and the county bar associations also offer help. Each path has trade-offs.

Pros of filing pro se:

• It is free, with no attorney fees attached to the waiver itself.
• You control the timing and can file the same day you draft your underlying pleading.
• The form is short enough that motivated filers finish it in one evening.
• Vicinage ombudsmen answer procedural questions at no charge.
• You learn the court system, which helps with later motions in the same case.

Cons of filing pro se:

• You bear all the risk of a denial if you misstate income or skip a proof.
• You may miss deductions that lower your expense-to-income ratio, like medical co-pays.
• Court staff cannot give legal advice, only procedural guidance.
• Judges hold pro se filers to the same standard as lawyers under Rule 1:1-1.
• A denied waiver puts the underlying case in 20-day jeopardy, which is stressful without a lawyer.

Pros of filing with Legal Services of New Jersey:

• Free representation for income-eligible clients, including help with CN-11257.
• LSNJ attorneys know the local judges’ preferences for proof formatting.
• Approval rates rise sharply with attorney-prepared waivers, often above 90%.

Cons of filing with help:

• Income limits exclude many working-poor filers above 200% of the federal poverty line.
• LSNJ caseloads create wait times of 2 to 4 weeks for intake.
• Some attorneys require you to bring documents in person rather than email them.

Filing Channel Comparison

The table below compares the three channels available for CN-11257 so you can pick the one that fits your situation.

Filing Channel	Key Details
In Person	Same-day stamping, 2–5 day judge review, requires courthouse visit at your vicinage
By Mail	7–14 day total turnaround, requires self-addressed stamped envelope, lowest barrier for rural filers
JEDS Online	3-day average review, free JEDS portal, email confirmation, accepts PDF uploads

FAQs

Is Form CN-11257 the only fee waiver form New Jersey accepts?

Yes. CN-11257 is the unified Judiciary fee waiver form for Superior Court, Special Civil Part, Tax Court, and Appellate Division filings as standardized by the Administrative Office of the Courts.

Do I need to pay anything to file CN-11257?

No. The form itself carries no fee, and no court charges a processing cost for filing the waiver application in any vicinage.

Can I e-file Form CN-11257 through JEDS?

Yes. Self-represented filers upload the signed PDF through the JEDS portal for free, and JEDS issues an email confirmation as proof of filing.

Do I write my maiden name or married name in Section 1?

Yes, write the legal name listed on your underlying pleading; if you sue in your married name, use the married name; if your divorce restored your maiden name, use that.

Do I check the SNAP box if my children get SNAP but I don’t?

Yes. Household-based benefits like SNAP qualify the household head, so check the box if anyone in your household receives SNAP and attach the case award letter.

Do I list my home in Section 4 if I live in it?

Yes. List your primary residence as an asset, although judges usually exclude home equity when deciding waivers because forcing a sale would defeat fairness.

Does unemployment income disqualify me automatically?

No. Unemployment counts as monthly income in Section 3, but if expenses exceed income, the judge can still grant the waiver under Rule 1:13-2.

Can I refile CN-11257 if I get denied?

Yes. You have 20 days to file a motion to reconsider with new evidence, or you may file a fresh CN-11257 if your finances changed materially.

Does the waiver cover my Sheriff’s service fees?

Yes. A granted waiver covers Sheriff’s Office service of process within the same captioned case, including substituted service and posting fees.

Do I need a notary for the certification on page 6?

No. The certification under Rule 1:4-4(b) replaces a notary, so signing under penalty of perjury is enough.

Is Form CN-11257 valid in federal court?

No. Federal court uses Form AO 240 for in forma pauperis applications; CN-11257 is strictly a New Jersey state form.

Will the waiver follow me into a future appeal?

Yes. A granted waiver covers appellate fees in the same case, but you must file a fresh CN-11257 if you start an entirely new matter later.

Does Section 2 require pending benefit applications?

No. Pending applications do not qualify; you must already be approved and able to attach a current award letter dated within 12 months.

Can my attorney sign Section 4 for me?

Yes, if you are represented by Legal Services of New Jersey or another nonprofit pro bono program, the attorney signs the certification block on your behalf.