What does the N-400 cost, and who pays the reduced fee?

Three prices for one form

Naturalization is the final step for most permanent residents, and its fee has three settings. The regulation, 8 CFR 106.2(b)(3), prints $760 as the general fee. The first exception is no fee at all for an applicant who meets the requirements of INA 328 or 329 with respect to military service. The second is a reduced fee of $380 for an applicant whose documented household income is less than or equal to 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and the paragraph adds that the online filing discount does not apply to it. The USCIS schedule, edition 10/26/26, agrees on all three and adds the online price, $710, for the general row.

How the reduced fee works

The reduced fee is not the same thing as a fee waiver. It is a partial price break tied to a ceiling of 400 percent of the poverty guidelines, and USCIS asks for supporting documentation. The schedule says the applicant must submit documentation with the application. It also says plainly that you cannot file online if you are requesting a fee waiver or a reduced fee, so the paper form is the only route. Because the Federal Poverty Guidelines are an HHS publication updated periodically, the dollar income ceiling moves, and this page does not print one. Use the USCIS poverty guidelines page for the number that applies on your filing date.

The waiver sits below the reduced fee

If the household cannot pay even the reduced amount, 8 CFR 106.3(a)(3)(i)(I) lists the N-400 among the forms whose fee may be waived without condition. The tests are in 106.3(a)(1): receipt of a means-tested benefit, household income at or below 150 percent of the guidelines, or extreme financial hardship. The request is written, must give the reasons and evidence, and a denial of the waiver request cannot be appealed. Pick the right door: a household between 150 and 400 percent of the guidelines is looking at the reduced fee, not the waiver.

The online filing discount and its limit

Section 106.1(g) makes the online fee $50 lower than the amount in 106.2 unless the part provides otherwise. That is why the schedule prints $710 against $760. The reduced fee paragraph carves itself out of the discount, which means an applicant who qualifies for the reduced fee does not save another $50 online, and in practice has to file on paper anyway.

Nearby naturalization-family fees

People who search for the N-400 often need one of its neighbours. The regulation prints $830 for an N-336 hearing request after a denial, with no fee in certain military denial cases; $555 for an N-565 replacement document ($505 online in the schedule); $420 for an N-470 to preserve residence; and $1,385 for an N-600 certificate of citizenship ($1,335 online). Each has its own exemptions in the text, and the table above gives the amounts the sources print.

Where the poverty guideline number comes from

Both income tests depend on the Federal Poverty Guidelines, which 8 CFR 106.1(f)(4) defines as the guidelines the Department of Health and Human Services updates periodically in the Federal Register under 42 U.S.C. 9902(2). The regulation measures the waiver tests at the time of filing, and the reduced fee turns on documented household income. USCIS keeps a poverty guidelines page, linked from the fee pages, that lists the dollar figures. This page does not copy those figures because they change, and a stale one would be worse than none.

Worked example

A household of four reports income below the 400 percent line and has the documents to show it. The N-400 fee for the primary applicant is $380 under both sources, filed on paper. If the same household instead had no income evidence, the fee would be $760 on paper or $710 online. A different applicant who served in the armed forces under INA 328 pays $0. Use the date-stamped table to read each row as the source prints it, and recheck the schedule edition on filing day.

Sources

• eCFR, 8 CFR § 106.2 USCIS fees (title 8, issue date October 14, 2026; eCFR up to date as of October 29, 2026). Read November 2, 2026.
• eCFR, 8 CFR § 106.3 Fee waivers and exemptions (title 8, issue date October 14, 2026; eCFR up to date as of October 29, 2026). Read November 2, 2026.
• eCFR, 8 CFR § 106.1 Definitions and online discount (title 8, issue date October 14, 2026; eCFR up to date as of October 29, 2026). Read November 2, 2026.
• USCIS Form G-1055, Fee Schedule, edition 10/26/26, and the G-1055 PDF. Read November 2, 2026.

Editions read: eCFR title 8 as of the October 14, 2026 issue date, and Form G-1055 edition 10/26/26. Both were read on November 2, 2026. Fees in this area changed repeatedly in 2024, 2025 and 2026; where the two sources differ, this page says so and does not choose between them. If you need to rely on an amount, confirm it with the official USCIS fee calculator on the day you file, and talk to an immigration attorney or accredited representative about your own case.