I-485 Filing Fees in 2026: What Marriage-Based Applicants Actually Pay

If you are about to file a marriage-based green card application from inside the United States, the first thing you want to know is simple. How much does this cost? Understanding I-485 filing fees in 2026 is the difference between a clean, accepted package and one bounced back over a payment shortfall. Couples in Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton make the same budgeting mistake, because the published "headline" number is not the number they actually pay. As of August 2026, the fee schedule in 8 CFR 106.2 that took effect April 1, 2024 is still in force for family-based adjustment. This guide walks through it form by form: the package total, the 2025 H.R. 1 fees that do not reach marriage cases, fee waivers, payment rules, and the costs beyond USCIS.

The I-485 Fee in 2026: $1,440, and What It Includes

Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, is the form your spouse files to become a lawful permanent resident without leaving the country. For an applicant 14 or older, the fee is $1,440 under 8 CFR 106.2(a)(21)(i), unchanged since April 1, 2024, when the current USCIS fee rule (89 FR 6194) took effect.

The most important detail is what the $1,440 includes. Under the older schedule, applicants paid a separate $85 biometric services fee for the fingerprint and photo appointment. That separate charge is gone for adjustment applicants; biometrics are folded into the I-485 fee. A package with an extra $85 check is a package with the wrong fee.

The under-14 tier

A child under 14 who files an I-485 concurrently with a parent's I-485 pays $950 under 8 CFR 106.2(a)(21)(ii). A child who files alone, or after the parent, pays the full $1,440.

The I-130 fee: $675 by mail, $625 online

A marriage green card is two cases stacked together: USCIS must approve the relationship through Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, filed by the U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse, before it approves the I-485. The I-130 fee is $675 on paper (8 CFR 106.2(a)(6)) and $625 online, because 8 CFR 106.1(g) takes $50 off most forms filed electronically. When the immigrant spouse is already in the United States and eligible to adjust, the two forms are usually filed together in one paper package, called concurrent filing. USCIS opened online I-485 filing in April 2026 only for certain employment-based applicants; a family-based I-485 is still a paper filing, so most concurrent filers pay the $675 paper rate for the I-130. Filing the I-130 online first and the I-485 later is a strategy question covered in our guide to adjustment of status versus consular processing for spouses.

I-765 Fee With I-485 and I-131 Fee: The Costs Most Couples Forget

For years, an adjustment applicant got a work permit and travel permission at no extra charge while the case was pending. The 2024 fee rule unbundled them. Today Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, each carry their own fee even when they are in the same envelope as the I-485.

• I-765 fee with I-485: $260. The standard I-765 fee is $520 on paper or $470 online, but 8 CFR 106.2(a)(44)(i) sets a $260 fee for an applicant who filed an I-485 with a fee on or after April 1, 2024 and whose I-485 is still pending. The $260 rate covers the initial permit and renewals for as long as the I-485 is pending, with no online discount.
• I-131 fee with I-485: $630. Advance parole for a pending adjustment applicant is $630 under 8 CFR 106.2(a)(7)(iii). There is no reduced rate and no online discount.

Neither form is required. A spouse who already holds a work-authorizing status, such as H-1B, may not need the I-765. A spouse who will not travel before approval can skip the I-131, and after Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, 29 I&N Dec. 830 (BIA 2026), travel on advance parole carries new risk for anyone with prior unlawful presence, so the $630 decision deserves a conversation with counsel. Both together add $890 to the package.

How Much Does a Marriage Green Card Cost in 2026? The Full Table

Here is the USCIS fee math for a spouse filing the I-130 and I-485 together on paper, as nearly every marriage-based package from Pennsylvania is.

• Full package (I-130 + I-485 + I-765 + I-131): $675 + $1,440 + $260 + $630 = $3,005
• Work permit, no travel document (I-130 + I-485 + I-765): $675 + $1,440 + $260 = $2,375
• Travel document, no work permit (I-130 + I-485 + I-131): $675 + $1,440 + $630 = $2,745
• Mandatory forms only (I-130 + I-485): $675 + $1,440 = $2,115
• I-485 alone, on an I-130 already filed or approved: $1,440, plus $260 and/or $630 for the I-765 and I-131

Each form is a separate fee, and under 8 CFR 103.2(a)(1) filing fees are non-refundable whether the case is approved, denied, or withdrawn. A returned package over a fee error is lost weeks in a process that already tests everyone's patience.

Filed Your I-485 Before April 1, 2024? The Old Bundle Still Protects You

If your I-485 was filed on or after July 30, 2007 and before April 1, 2024, and you paid the I-485 fee, you are still under the old bundled rule while that I-485 remains pending. Under 8 CFR 106.2(a)(44)(ii)(A) your initial I-765 is free, under 8 CFR 106.2(a)(44)(iv)(A) so are renewals, and under 8 CFR 106.2(a)(7)(iv) your I-131 advance parole is free as well. The protection follows the I-485, not the calendar: a couple who filed in 2023 and renews a work permit in 2026 owes nothing, and sending $260 is sending the wrong fee.

The reverse trap exists too. If the old I-485 was denied or withdrawn and you refile in 2026, the new filing is under the new rule: $1,440 again, plus $260 and $630 if you want the work permit and advance parole.

Not sure which forms your marriage green card package actually needs?

A wrong fee gets the whole package rejected, and USCIS can now deny incomplete filings without a second chance. We build the full fee picture into every adjustment case before it goes in the mail.

Talk to a Marriage Green Card Attorney

Or call (484) 763-4984

The 2025 H.R. 1 Fees: What Does Not Apply to Marriage-Based Applicants

In July 2025, Congress enacted H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act), which added new statutory immigration fees on top of the USCIS schedule. Several involve work permits and parole, but a marriage-based adjustment applicant owes none of them.

• The H.R. 1 work permit fees do not apply to (c)(9) adjustment applicants. H.R. 1 set a $550 initial and $275 renewal EAD fee, adjusted for inflation to $560 initial and $275 (asylum) or $280 (parole and TPS) renewal effective January 1, 2026 (90 FR 52693). Those fees reach only asylum applicants, parolees, and Temporary Protected Status holders. A spouse whose work permit is based on a pending I-485, category (c)(9), pays the $260 fee in 8 CFR 106.2. USCIS's interim final rule implementing H.R. 1 (91 FR 22952, effective May 29, 2026) did not touch the I-485, the (c)(9) I-765, or advance parole.
• The H.R. 1 parole fee does not apply to advance parole from a pending I-485. H.R. 1 created a $1,000 fee, inflation-adjusted to $1,020 effective January 1, 2026 (90 FR 52085), for a grant of parole into the United States. The statute excepts a pending section 245 adjustment applicant returning from temporary travel abroad (Public Law 119-21, section 100004(b)), so an adjustment applicant re-entering on an approved I-131 advance parole document is not charged $1,020 at the airport, and the I-131 itself remains $630. Carry the I-485 receipt notice with the advance parole document, because CBP applies the exception at the port of entry.

Fee Waivers, Reduced Fees, and the Forms That Cost Nothing

For almost every marriage-based case, the answer to "can I file a Form I-912 fee waiver" is no. Under 8 CFR 106.3(a)(3)(iv), the I-485 fee (and the I-601 fee) can be waived only for an applicant who is exempt from the public charge ground of inadmissibility, such as VAWA self-petitioners, U and T visa holders, asylees, and special immigrant juveniles. A spouse adjusting through a U.S. citizen or permanent resident must instead file Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, showing income at or above 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and a fee waiver based on inability to pay contradicts that showing. The I-130 fee is not on the waivable list at all. The I-765 fee is technically waivable under 8 CFR 106.3(a)(3)(ii)(F), but the same I-864 problem applies, so in practice the $260 I-765 rate and the under-14 I-485 tier are the only reduced fees in a marriage-based package.

Several forms carry no fee:

• Form I-864, Affidavit of Support: no fee (8 CFR 106.2(a)(55)). Our post on the 2026 I-864 income requirements covers what the sponsor must show.
• Form I-693, medical examination: no USCIS fee (8 CFR 106.2(a)(39)), though the civil surgeon charges for the exam.
• Form G-28 and Form G-1145: no fee.

Two other fees belong in the budget when they apply. Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, is $1,050 (8 CFR 106.2(a)(33)) and applies only when the immigrant spouse has an inadmissibility problem such as certain criminal history or misrepresentation. Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion, is $800 (8 CFR 106.2(a)(16)) for a motion to reopen or reconsider after a denial. Premium processing is not available for the I-130, the I-485, or a family-based I-765, so there is no way to buy a faster decision.

How to Pay, Where Pennsylvania Filers Send It, and Why Wrong Fees Get Rejected

Under 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(D), a benefit request submitted without the correct fee is rejected, and a rejected package does not keep a filing date.

1. Choose check, money order, or credit card

For paper filings at a lockbox, pay by personal check, cashier's check, or money order drawn on a U.S. bank, payable to "U.S. Department of Homeland Security." Spell it out; payments made out to "USDHS," "DHS," or "USCIS" are rejected. To pay by card, include Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, for each fee. Under 8 CFR 106.1(e), card payments to USCIS cannot be disputed or charged back, and under 8 CFR 106.1(c), a bounced check voids the receipt and the filing date.

2. Use a separate payment for each form

Write one check or one G-1450 per form: $675 for the I-130, $1,440 for the I-485, $260 for the I-765, $630 for the I-131. A single lumped $3,005 check is the most common self-inflicted rejection we see: if one form is defective, USCIS cannot accept the others without their own payment.

3. Mail it to the Elgin lockbox

Family-based I-485 packages from Pennsylvania go to the USCIS Elgin, Illinois lockbox, not the Chicago lockbox that older guides still list. The lockbox uses one P.O. box for USPS and a different street address for FedEx, UPS, and DHL, and USCIS moves lockbox assignments with little notice, so copy the address from the USCIS "Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485" page the day you mail.

4. Confirm the fee the day you mail

Form G-1055, the USCIS fee schedule, is the authoritative list, and the fee in force on the date USCIS receives the package is the fee you owe. Check the form edition too: a new 09/18/26 edition of Form I-485 becomes mandatory on September 18, 2026, with no grace period, so an older edition postmarked on or after that date will be rejected. If the case is accepted and later draws a Request for Evidence, our RFE Rescue service exists for exactly that stage.

Costs USCIS Does Not Charge You: Medical Exam, Translations, and Attorney Fees

The immigration medical exam. Every adjustment applicant needs Form I-693 completed by a USCIS-designated civil surgeon, who sets the price. In the Lehigh Valley the exam often runs $200 to $500, and more with catch-up vaccinations or lab work. Since December 2, 2024, the sealed I-693 must be filed with the I-485, and USCIS can reject an I-485 that arrives without it.

Certified translations. Any supporting document not in English, such as a foreign birth certificate, marriage certificate, or divorce decree, needs a certified English translation, usually priced by the page. See our 12-document bona fide marriage checklist for what actually belongs in the package.

Attorney fees. Legal fees vary widely by firm and by complexity: an overstay, a prior marriage, a criminal record, or a sponsor who needs a joint sponsor all take more work than a clean case. We do not quote a firm-wide number here because it would be wrong for half the readers; we give a written flat-fee quote for your specific case in a free case review, and our USCIS filing fee lookup page tracks the government fees above from the current G-1055. Whatever firm you consider, ask whether the quote is flat or hourly and whether it covers the I-765, the I-131, and an RFE response.

What This Means in the Lehigh Valley

Couples in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and Reading mail their packages to the Elgin lockbox, and any interview is scheduled at the USCIS Philadelphia Field Office. A rejected package also restarts the I-765 clock, which hurts most when a paycheck depends on it.

The stakes went up on August 5, 2026, when USCIS updated Volume 1, Part E, Chapter 6 of its Policy Manual to restore officers' discretion to deny an application without first issuing a Request for Evidence or a Notice of Intent to Deny when the initial filing does not establish eligibility. The package you mail is now the package that gets decided. A missing I-864 tax transcript, an unsigned form, or a missing I-693 can end a $3,005 filing with no refund. If a Notice of Intent to Deny does arrive, the response window is 30 days with no extensions; our post on responding to a marriage green card NOID covers that scenario.

We build the full fee picture into every marriage-based filing, write the checks form by form, and confirm the lockbox and fee schedule the day the package ships. For the whole process, start with our marriage green card lawyer in Allentown page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the I-485 filing fee in 2026?

The I-485 fee is $1,440 for an applicant 14 or older, set by 8 CFR 106.2(a)(21) and unchanged since April 1, 2024. That amount includes biometrics; there is no separate $85 fee. A child under 14 filing together with a parent's I-485 pays $950. A family-based I-485 cannot be filed online, so there is no online discount.

How much does a marriage green card cost in total with USCIS fees?

For a spouse filing the I-130 and I-485 together on paper, the mandatory USCIS fees are $675 plus $1,440, or $2,115. Adding the I-765 work permit ($260) brings it to $2,375, and adding the I-131 advance parole ($630) as well brings the full package to $3,005. The medical exam, translations, and attorney fees are separate.

Is the I-765 fee really $260 when filed with an I-485?

Yes. Under 8 CFR 106.2(a)(44)(i), an applicant who filed an I-485 with a fee on or after April 1, 2024 pays $260 for the I-765, for the initial permit and for renewals while the I-485 is pending. If your I-485 was filed before April 1, 2024 and is still pending, the I-765 and the I-131 are free. The $560 H.R. 1 work permit fee applies only to asylum, parole, and TPS applicants.

Can I get a fee waiver for a marriage-based I-485?

Generally no. Under 8 CFR 106.3(a)(3)(iv), the I-485 fee can be waived only for applicants exempt from the public charge ground, such as VAWA self-petitioners, U and T visa holders, and asylees. A spouse sponsored by a U.S. citizen or permanent resident must file an I-864 showing adequate income, which is inconsistent with a claim of inability to pay. The I-130 fee cannot be waived at all.

What happens if I send the wrong fee with my I-485 package?

USCIS rejects the filing under 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(D) and mails the package back without a receipt date, and if a fee changed in the meantime you owe the new amount. Use a separate check or Form G-1450 for each form, payable to "U.S. Department of Homeland Security," and confirm the fee on Form G-1055 the day you mail.

Get Help With Your Marriage Green Card Fees and Filing

The I-485 filing fees in 2026 are knowable, and a well-prepared couple can budget for them to the dollar. What no fee chart can tell you is which optional forms your case needs, whether an I-601 waiver belongs in the package, or how to present the evidence so an officer who no longer has to send an RFE approves it on the first look. Lehigh Valley Immigration Law offers a free bilingual consultation for couples across the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Call (484) 763-4984 or reach us through our contact page, and we will walk through the real cost of your case. No outcome can be promised in any immigration matter, but the right forms, fees, and evidence give your case its best chance.

This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. USCIS fees change periodically, so confirm current amounts on the official USCIS fee schedule before filing.