If paying would be a hardship, ask for a fee waiver.

A custody record should not depend on having $14.75 a month to spare. If paying for Custody Proof would be a hardship, you can apply for a fee waiver: free Documentation access for a set number of months — usually 3, 6 or 12 — with no card and no documents to upload.

Documentation is the full private record: a custody calendar built from your order, a dated log of exchanges and incidents, an encrypted evidence vault, a child-expense ledger, and PDF reports for your attorney. The only thing it leaves out is Vero, the AI assistant on the Case Builder plan.

Who it is for

A parent whose household receives SNAP, Medicaid, TANF or SSI.
A parent between jobs, on a single income, or paying for a custody case out of savings.
A parent who has been told to “start documenting” and cannot add another monthly bill right now.

There is no fixed cutoff. A real person reads every application and looks at the whole picture you describe.

How to apply

Create an account at custodyproof.com/signup — or sign in if you have one. No card is needed to get this far.
On the plan page, choose “Apply for a fee waiver” under the plan cards. If you already pay, the same link is in Settings → Subscription → Discounts.
Answer four short questions. How many people are in your household, your approximate monthly household income, whether anyone receives SNAP, Medicaid, TANF or SSI, and anything else you want us to know. Confirm the information is true and send it.
Watch your email. We reply with the decision, usually within two business days. Approved applications name the end date; a denial can be reapplied for if your situation changes.

The plan page with the two plan cards and, under them, “Military families: 20% off · Apply” and “Can’t afford it? Apply for a fee waiver” — The plan page: the fee-waiver link sits right under the plan cards.

The fee-waiver application: household size, monthly income band, public-assistance question, an optional note and a confirmation checkbox — The application: four questions and a confirmation. No uploads.

What happens when you are approved

Your account switches to free Documentation access for the number of months named in the email. Settings shows the end date from then on, and the Discounts card carries any note our team added to the decision.

Settings after approval: “Access provided by your fee waiver until April 30, 2027 (Documentation)” — After approval: the Settings notice and the Discounts card with the decision.

If you were not paying yet, the free months start right away.
If you already pay, your subscription is set not to renew. You keep the time you paid for, you are not charged again, and the free months start when the paid period ends.
When it ends, nothing is deleted. Your calendar, evidence, expenses and reports stay in your account. To keep adding records, choose a plan, or apply again if paying is still a hardship.

Good to know

A fee waiver has no cash value and cannot be combined with a code from your attorney while that code is running — a code already means there is nothing to pay. See attorney access codes.
Military families can take 20% off a paid plan instead, or after a waiver ends.
Reminder emails (the two-week notice before free access ends) can be turned off in Settings → Profile.
The other parent is never contacted about your account, your application or your records.

Common questions

Do I need to send proof of income?

No documents are needed to apply. The form asks for your household size, an income band and whether anyone in your household receives SNAP, Medicaid, TANF or SSI. We may email you to ask for something that confirms it.

How long does a fee waiver last?

Usually 3, 6 or 12 months of Documentation access. The approval email names the end date, and Settings shows it for the life of the waiver. About two weeks before it ends we send one reminder.

What if I already pay?

If you are approved while you already pay, your subscription is set not to renew: you keep the time you paid for, you are not charged again, and the free months start when that paid time ends.

Does a fee waiver include Vero, the AI assistant?

No. A fee waiver gives Documentation access — the calendar, the logs, the evidence vault, expenses and reports. Vero is part of Case Builder, which you can choose as a paid plan at any time.

Can I apply again when it ends?

Yes. When free access ends nothing is deleted, and the plan page offers the fee waiver again if paying is still a hardship. A waiver given on information that was not true can be ended.

Apply

Create an account, then choose “Apply for a fee waiver” under the plan cards. Questions first? Email support@custodyproof.com. Every paid plan also carries a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first charge.

Custody Proof is a documentation tool, not a law firm. Nothing on this page is legal advice. Whether and how a record is used in a case is a question for your attorney.