Pauper's oath

A pauper's oath is a sworn statement or oath by a person of being completely destitute or a pauper, without much money or property.

A person without the ability to pay court costs, also known as "being indigent", has the option to swear a pauper's oath to file a lawsuit without paying filing fees. Prisoners filing legal actions often use a pauper's oath because persons in prison are often completely without money or any means of acquiring any.

Historically, especially during the Great Depression, the pauper's oath was required as a prerequisite for receiving welfare in the United States.

One pauper's oath used when establishing indigent status under US federal law is as follows:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I have not any property, real or personal, exceeding $20, except such as is by law exempt from being taken on civil process for debt; and that I have no property in any way conveyed or concealed, or in any way disposed of, for my future use or benefit.

"So help me God," at the end, is optional.

See also

• Bankruptcy
• Poverty
• In forma pauperis