Table of contents
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Table of contents
- 1 – Introduction
- 2 – Types of matters that may be assisted
- 3 – Criminal law guidelines
- 4 – Commonwealth family law and child support guidelines
- 5 – Commonwealth civil law guidelines
- 6 – State family guidelines
- 7 – State civil law guidelines
- 8 – Public interest and strategic litigation
- 9 – Standard grants assessment process
- 10 – Simplified grants assessment process
- 11 – Referral and practitioner panels
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12 – Means test
- Whose income and assets are assessed in the means test?
- Income test
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Assets test
- How the initial contribution is calculated based on assets
- How the value of assets is calculated
- What is included as assets
- Allowable assets
- Farm or business – special rule for calculating equity
- Documentary proof of means
- 13 – Commonwealth merits test
- 14 – State reasonableness test and interests of justice test
- 15 – Special circumstances
- 16 – Applying for a grant of legal assistance
- 17 – Decision to grant or refuse assistance
- 18 – Reconsideration and review of decisions
- 19 – Standard terms and conditions
- 20 – Contributions and overdue payments
- 21 – Abandoning legal assistance
- 22 – Finalising grants of legal assistance
- 23 – Allocation of work to lawyers and law firms
- 24 – Payments to lawyers and service providers
- 25 – Compliance reviews
- 26 – Privacy protection
- 27 – Complaints and feedback
- Topic index
- Invoice, worksheets and forms
- Contact us
Farm or business – special rule for calculating equity
If the person applying for the grant of legal assistance has a farm or business which is their main source of income, VLA will use Table 4 to calculate the maximum amount of equity in the farm or business which VLA may exclude from the total value of the person’s assets.
Table 4 – Calculating a person’s equity in a farm or business
| Circumstances of person applying for a grant of legal assistance | Maximum amount of equity that may be excluded from the value of assets |
|---|---|
| The person does not have a financially associated person (FAP), but does have equity in a home which is not included in the value of the farm or business. | $161,500 |
| The person does not have an FAP, and does not have equity in a home other than the one included in the value of the farm or business. | $278,500 |
| The person’s shares equity in a home not included in the value of the farm or business with an FAP. | $229,000 |
| The person shares equity only in a home included in the value of the farm or business with an FAP. | $336,500 |