U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services funds itself almost entirely from fees: the fee for each form is set to recover the cost of adjudicating it, and the fee schedule is revised by rulemaking every few years. The schedule in force today is the April 2024 fee rule, which raised most fees, separated fees that had been bundled, and introduced a $50 discount for online filing. The schedule is form-by-form, with different fees for paper and online filing, for adults and children, and for standalone and concurrent filings — and the cost of a case is the sum of its forms, which is where the surprises live. This guide states the schedule as it stands, works two whole-case totals, and flags the two things that are not yet law: a proposed rise in the naturalisation fee, and a separate layer of statutory fees enacted in 2025 whose implementation is still developing. Neither is priced here as current.

The schedule: the forms most people file

The April 2024 rule (effective 1 April 2024) set the fees that remain in force. I-130, Petition for Alien Relative: $675 paper, $625 online. I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status: $1,440 for an adult paper filing, $1,390 online; a child under 14 filing with a parent pays $950 paper, $900 online. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization: $520 paper, $470 online as a standalone filing, and $260 when filed with a pending I-485. I-131, Application for Travel Document: $630 paper, $580 online. N-400, Application for Naturalization: $760 paper, $710 online. The $50 online discount is per form, so a multi-form case filed online saves $50 on each form that offers it — $150 on a three-form online package, $200 on four.

Two structural points matter. First, the April 2024 rule unbundled the I-485: before it, the I-765 and I-131 filed with an I-485 carried no separate fee; since it, they carry their own fees ($260 for the I-765 with a pending I-485, the full I-131 fee), and the headline I-485 fee fell as the bundle was broken apart. Comparing the pre-2024 and post-2024 totals without accounting for the unbundling understates the change. Second, biometrics is included: the separate $85 biometrics fee was abolished in the April 2024 rule, and the form fee now covers the biometric services appointment. A fee calculator or guide that adds $85 on top of the April 2024 fees is double-counting.

Whole-case totals: the package, not the form

Families file packages, and the package total is the number that matters. A paper adjustment-of-status package — I-130 ($675) + I-485 adult ($1,440) + I-765 with a pending I-485 ($260) + I-131 ($630) — totals $3,005. Filed online, the same package is $2,855 (I-130 $625 + I-485 $1,390 + I-765 $260 + I-131 $580), the $150 saving being the $50 online discount on the three discount-eligible forms. The naturalisation case is a single form: $760 paper, $710 online, with a reduced fee available for applicants with household income between 150% and 400% of the federal poverty guidelines who file the fee-reduction request, and a fee waiver for those at or below 150% or receiving a means-tested benefit.

Fee waivers and reductions are part of the schedule, not favours: Form I-912 requests a waiver for specified forms (including the N-400 and I-485 in the circumstances the instructions state), and the reduced N-400 fee is requested on the N-400 itself with the income evidence. A waiver request filed with the wrong evidence, or for a form the waiver does not cover, delays the case — and the fee must be correct at filing, because USCIS rejects a filing with the wrong fee rather than billing the difference. The USCIS fee calculation on this site sums the package from the schedule and the filing method, which is the arithmetic the package total needs.

Paying: method, rejection, and premium processing

Fees are paid by cheque, money order, credit card (Form G-1450, with the card limits the form states), or through the online account for online filings — and the payment must be for the exact amount, payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with the form number and the applicant’s name on the payment instrument. A cheque for the wrong amount, a card declined, or a payment sent to the wrong lockbox address produces a rejection of the whole filing, and the rejection restarts the clock on any deadline the filing was meant to meet. The lockbox address depends on the form and the filing method, and the form instructions’ “Where to File” section is the authority, not a general USCIS address.

Premium processing (Form I-907) is a separate, optional fee that buys a guaranteed processing clock — 15, 30, or 45 business days depending on the form — for specified employment-based and other petitions. It does not change the underlying fee, it does not guarantee approval, and it is available only for the forms the premium processing schedule lists; it is not available for family petitions or naturalisation. The premium fee is paid separately from the form fee, and the two must not be combined on one payment instrument.

What is not yet the schedule: proposals and the 2025 statutory layer

Two developments must not be priced as current fees. A proposed rise in the N-400 fee to $1,330 has been discussed in rulemaking proposals; it is not final, it is not in force, and the fee in force remains $760 paper / $710 online until a final rule says otherwise. Separately, the 2025 reconciliation legislation (H.R. 1) enacted statutory fees — additional charges for certain immigration benefits and processes, including asylum, parole, and temporary protected status applications — that sit alongside the USCIS fee schedule as a separate layer, with implementation through Federal Register notices and agency guidance that is still developing. The two layers interact, and the total cost of an affected case is the schedule fee plus any applicable statutory fee, as the current guidance states it. This guide does not price the statutory layer, because its implementation is incomplete and a figure printed now would be wrong by the time it is read; the USCIS fee schedule page and the Federal Register notices for the statutory fees are the sources to check before filing an affected case.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the USCIS fee for form I-485?

Under the April 2024 schedule, $1,440 for an adult paper filing, $1,390 online. A child under 14 filing with a parent pays $950 paper, $900 online. Biometrics is included in the fee — there is no separate $85 biometrics fee since April 2024. The I-765 and I-131 filed with a pending I-485 carry their own fees ($260 for the I-765 with pending I-485; the full I-131 fee), because the April 2024 rule unbundled them.

Is it cheaper to file USCIS forms online?

Yes, by $50 per form for the forms that offer online filing: I-130 $625 online against $675 paper, I-485 $1,390 against $1,440, I-765 $470 against $520, I-131 $580 against $630, N-400 $710 against $760. A four-form package filed online saves $150 against the paper package. Online filing also gives immediate receipt confirmation.

How much does naturalization (N-400) cost?

$760 paper, $710 online, under the April 2024 schedule. A reduced fee is available for applicants with household income between 150% and 400% of the federal poverty guidelines, and a fee waiver for those at or below 150% or receiving a means-tested benefit. A proposed rise to $1,330 is not final and is not in force.

What happens if I pay the wrong USCIS fee?

USCIS rejects the filing. The fee must be the exact amount, payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, sent to the correct lockbox address for the form and filing method. A rejection restarts the clock on any deadline the filing was meant to meet — the filing is not held while the fee is corrected. Check the form instructions’ fee and “Where to File” sections before sending.

What is premium processing?

An optional separate fee (Form I-907) that buys a guaranteed processing clock — 15, 30, or 45 business days depending on the form — for specified employment-based and other petitions. It does not change the underlying fee, does not guarantee approval, and is not available for family petitions or naturalization. It is paid separately from the form fee.

Are there fee waivers for USCIS forms?

Yes, for specified forms and circumstances, requested on Form I-912 with the evidence the instructions state — including the N-400 and I-485 for applicants at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines or receiving a means-tested benefit. The reduced N-400 fee is requested on the N-400 itself. A waiver for a form the waiver does not cover, or with the wrong evidence, delays the case.