How Much Does It Cost to Apply for US Citizenship? N-400 Fees, Reductions and Waivers

Citizenship is the one immigration fee that ends the cycle. No more renewals, no more conditions, no more work permits. So the question is not really whether it is worth it, but what the number is and whether you have to pay all of it. As of September 2026 the answer is one form, one fee, and two ways to pay less.

The short answer

Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, costs $710 filed online or $760 on paper. If your household income is at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines you can pay $380, on paper only, with proof of income. If you qualify for a full fee waiver, or you are applying through military service, the fee is $0. Biometrics are included; there is no separate $85 any more.

The same $710 and $760 apply whether you qualify after five years as a permanent resident or after three years married to a US citizen. The path changes the paperwork, not the price.

Form N-400 price online vs on paper

Online is $50 cheaper and gives you a receipt at once, so it is the default for anyone paying the standard fee. The catch is the other way round: you cannot file online if you are asking for the reduced fee or a fee waiver. Those applications go on paper with the supporting documents attached.

For most families we file this for, the decision is simple. Paying the full fee? File online. Qualifying for $380 or $0? Paper, with the income evidence organised before the form is printed. Our guide to the N-400 process covers what happens after filing.

Who pays $380: the reduced fee

The reduced fee is for applicants whose documented annual household income is not more than 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for their household size. The dollar line moves every year and depends on how many people are in the household, so check the current figure on the USCIS I-912P table before assuming either way. A family of four in 2026 clears the bar on a fairly ordinary two-income household, which surprises people.

What you attach: your most recent federal tax return or IRS transcript for each household member with income, or pay stubs if you did not file. USCIS decides from the documents, not the form, so a reduced-fee application with thin evidence is rejected, not reviewed.

Who pays nothing: the fee waiver

Form I-912 waives the whole fee if you receive a means-tested benefit such as Medi-Cal, SNAP or SSI, if your household income is at or below 150% of the poverty guideline, or if you can show financial hardship. Approval is not automatic and a denied waiver returns the whole N-400, which costs weeks. If you are close to the line, the reduced fee is often the faster route. Military applicants under INA 328 or 329 pay nothing without a waiver.

Costs around the application

The N-400 fee is usually the only government fee. A few things sit beside it.

One line in that table saves people money: if your green card is about to expire while you apply, you usually do not need the $415 I-90. For N-400 applications filed on or after 12 December 2022, the receipt notice itself extends the card for 24 months. Our guide to green card renewal explains when that is and is not enough.

Is it cheaper to stay a permanent resident?

Over a lifetime, no. A green card is renewed every ten years at $415 online, indefinitely, and a resident still needs a Pakistani passport and a NICOP kept current for travel home. Citizenship is paid once. The comparison that matters is the rights, not the fee, and our guide to permanent resident vs citizen sets those out; for the full price of getting the green card in the first place, see how much a green card costs.

Mistakes that make citizenship cost more

• Filing on paper at the full fee when online was open: $50 and a slower receipt.
• Asking for a waiver with weak evidence. The whole application comes back; the reduced fee would have gone through.
• Counting the wrong household. The 400% test uses household size and total household income, not just yours.
• Paying for an I-90 that the N-400 receipt notice would have replaced.
• Applying too early. The N-400 can be filed 90 days before the residence requirement is met; earlier than that it is denied and the fee is not refunded.
• Undisclosed trips or tax issues that turn a $710 application into a $780 hearing. Our document checklist lists what the N-400 needs, including the tax and travel evidence.

The verdict

The price of US citizenship is $710 for most people, $380 for a good many, and nothing for some. What decides which line is yours is your household income and the evidence you can attach, so work that out before the form, not after a rejection notice.

Then file online if you are paying in full, on paper if you are not, and keep the receipt notice safe: it is also your green card extension while you wait. Our N-400 processing time guide covers what that wait looks like.