Published by the FreeLegalIQ Editorial Team · Method reviewed September 9, 2026
What our calculators are designed to do
FreeLegalIQ calculators provide an early budgeting range. They combine fixed charges, such as a published government filing fee, with variable expenses, such as professional fees and optional services. The result is an educational planning estimate—not a quote, prediction, court calculation, settlement valuation, or legal opinion.
How an estimate is built
- Fixed public charges: We look first for the responsible court or government agency's published fee schedule.
- Variable market costs: Attorney, mediator, course, service, and insurance figures are shown as broad planning ranges because providers and cases differ.
- User-selected factors: The calculator applies only the choices shown on the page. It cannot identify unentered facts, exceptions, local practices, eligibility, or deadlines.
- Range rather than certainty: When the source data varies, the result is displayed as a range and accompanied by the principal limitations.
- Private calculation: Calculator inputs are processed in the visitor's browser and are not submitted to FreeLegalIQ.
Authoritative starting sources
These official directories and fee resources are the preferred verification points. Individual calculator pages may identify additional topic-specific sources.
- Bankruptcy: U.S. Courts Bankruptcy Basics, the federal bankruptcy fee schedule, and the Justice Department's approved counseling information.
- Immigration: USCIS filing-fee information, Form G-1055, and the USCIS Fee Calculator.
- Child support: The federal Office of Child Support Services state and tribal agency directory, followed by the selected state's official guideline worksheet or calculator.
- State courts and small claims: USA.gov's state-court directory and the applicable court's current rules and fee schedule.
- Traffic and impaired driving: The applicable state motor-vehicle and court websites, starting with USA.gov's motor-vehicle directory, plus NHTSA impaired-driving information.
- LLC formation: The business-filing agency for the formation state, the SBA's business-registration guide, and the IRS Employer Identification Number resource.
- Finding qualified help: LawHelp.org for civil legal-aid resources and the Justice Department's immigration pro bono directory.
Limitations by calculator type
State-law calculators
Child support, divorce, DUI, traffic, estate, LLC, personal-injury, and small-claims rules vary by state and sometimes by county. A state selector does not mean the tool reproduces the jurisdiction's complete legal formula.
Professional-fee estimates
Attorney and other professional fees are not government-set prices. Ranges may differ substantially by location, experience, billing structure, complexity, and the amount of work required.
Settlement estimates
No formula determines what a personal-injury claim is worth. The settlement calculator is a scenario model that illustrates how documented losses, injury severity, available coverage, fault rules, and fees can change a hypothetical range.
Time estimates
Published waiting periods are not predictions of completion time. Court workload, service, evidence, disputes, requests for information, and individual eligibility can materially change a timeline.
Updates, corrections, and monetization
We change a review date only when the page's underlying sources, assumptions, formula, or explanatory material have been substantively checked. We do not change dates merely to make a page appear fresh.
If you find a possible error, send the page URL, the statement or calculator result, and an authoritative source to support@freelegaliq.com. See our Editorial Policy for the correction process.
Advertising and affiliate relationships do not change calculator formulas or editorial conclusions. Affiliate links are disclosed near the recommendation, and no affiliate click is required to receive a complete result.