SC · rules

S.C. E-Filing Attorney Guide: ARG-17-Indigent Parties Business Process

ARG-17-Indigent Parties Business Process

activein force · 2026-10-02 – presentcompiled-edition

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 1

Reference Guide Contents:

❖ Indigent Plaintiffs................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 1

o Initiate the Case................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 1

o Add Initiating Document to the Filing................................ ................................ .......... 2

o Add the Certification of Indigency................................ ................................ ............... 4

o Review, Approve and Select Waiver................................ ................................ .......... 7

❖ Indigent Defendants................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 8

o Access the Case................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 8

o Upload First Responsive Document................................ ................................ ........... 9

o Review, Approve and Select Waiver................................ ................................ ........ 12

Note

The purpose of this guide is to detail the process of filing on behalf of an indigent

client for whom you will be submitting a Certification of Indigent Representation. It

is not intended to address self-represented litigants who may be filing an Informa

Pauperis Motion and Affidavit.

Indigent Plaintiffs

This guide assumes the reader is already familiar with how to initiate a case and file to an existing case.

If additional information regarding this subject is required, please refer to the video or reference guide

entitled Initiating a Case and the video or reference guide Filing to an Existing Case.

Initiate the Case

1. After adding your basic case information and the names of your Plaintiff(s) and Defendant(s),

click Next to continue to the Add a Document screen. (See ARG 6 Steps 1-15 to get to this

screen)

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

Add Initiating Document to the Filing

1. Select an Action Type.

2. Select an Action.

3. Click Choose File to locate your document.

4. Click the Add button, and the document is placed in the grid.

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 2

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

5. Select the case party or parties that this document is being filed On Behalf of. For multiple

plaintiffs, you can select All My Parties, and all case parties are added to this filing.

6. Click the Add button to add the case party name(s).

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 3

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

Add the Certification of Indigency

1. Select the Action Type of Filing.

2. Select the Action description Certification/Certification of Indigent Representation. It is very

important that you select only this Action Type and Action when filing a Certification of Indigent

Representation.

3. Click Choose File to locate your document.

4. Click the Add button, and you will be directed to the Indigent Status page.

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 4

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

5. Select the party for whom you are filing the Certification of Indigent Representation.

6. Click Next to return to the Add a Document page.

If you are representing multiple indigent plaintiffs (for example, a husband and

wife) you MUST upload a Certification of Indigent Representation for each of

Note them—even if both parties are included on the original document. In such a

situation you would upload the same document and file it on behalf of each of the

named parties.

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 5

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

7. Select the case party that this document is being filed On Behalf of.

8. Click the Add button to add the case party name(s).

9. Click Next to proceed to the Review and Approve page.

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 6

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

Review, Approve and Select Waiver

On the Review and Approve page, you will see that the standard fees have been assessed. This is

because the E-Filing System cannot automatically "approve" your client's indigency status. That activity

is the responsibility of the Clerk of Court when approving your filing. To request a waiver for indigency

and submit the filing, perform the following steps:

1. Add a Client # (optional). This number is not used by the court but will assist you in tracking

your filings.

2. Select the On Behalf of case party. Even though you are requesting a waiver of payment, you

must still choose one of your clients in this On Behalf of field so the waiver can be properly

recorded in the Case Management System.

3. Click the Waiver - Indigency radio button that is notated "Use when filing with Certification

of Indigent Representation". This is the only waiver selection that results in your client being

flagged as indigent throughout the life of the case.

4. Click Submit the Filing, and a message prompt opens.

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 7

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

5. Click OK to continue. Because you have selected a waiver button, the usual payment screens

will not open. You will be immediately taken to the Submission Confirmation page.

Once your filing has been received and accepted by the Clerk, your designated client (or clients) for

whom you filed a Certification of Indigent Representation will be flagged as indigent throughout the life

of the case. It will not be necessary to request a waiver for future motions or other actions which would

normally require a fee, as no fee will be assessed. Please note that this is on a case-by-case basis

only, and if you represent the same client in multiple cases, you must file the Certification and request a

waiver in each case.

Indigent Defendants

Access the Case

When representing an indigent client who is a defendant in a case, you will very likely file the

Certification of Indigent Representation together with your Notice of Appearance or first responsive

document. Since you will not yet be a named party to the case, you will need to click Cases on the E-filing Home page. The Cases page will open.

1. On the Cases page, enter the full Case Number.

2. Select the County the case is filed in from the County dropdown.

3. Select the Court Agency from the Court Agency dropdown.

4. Click E-File to proceed to the Add a Document page.

2025 © South Carolina Judicial Branch 11/2025 8

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

Upload First Responsive Document

On the Add a Document page, add and upload your first responsive document as you normally would.

(You may refer to the video entitled E-Filing to an Existing Case or the reference guide entitled Filing

Initial Responsive Pleadings for further information, if required.) You may also file any other motions,

memos, and letters (etc.) that may be required. You must add and upload a Certification of Indigent

Representation at some point in the process.

1. Select the Action Type of Filing.

2. Select the Action description Certification/Certification of Indigent Representation. It is very

important that you select only this Action Type and Action when filing a Certification of Indigent

Representation.

3. Click Choose File to locate your document.

4. Click the Add button, and you will be directed to the Indigent Status page.

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

5. Select the party for whom you are filing the Certification of Indigent Representation.

6. Click Next to return to the Add a Document page.

If you are representing multiple indigent defendants (for example, a husband and

wife) you MUST upload a Certification of Indigent Representation for each of

Note them—even if both parties are included on the original document. In such a

situation you would upload the same document and file it on behalf of each of the

named parties.

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

7. Select the case party that this document is being filed On Behalf of.

8. Click the Add button to add the case party name(s).

9. Click Next to proceed to the Review and Submit Filing page.

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

Review, Approve and Select Waiver

On the Review and Approve page, you will see that the standard fees have been assessed. This is

because the E-Filing System cannot automatically approve your client's indigency status. That activity

is the responsibility of the Clerk of Court when approving your filing. To request a waiver for indigency

and submit the filing, perform the following steps:

1. Add a Client # (optional). This number is not used by the court but will assist you in

tracking your filings.

2. Select the On Behalf of case party. Even though you are requesting a waiver of payment,

you must still choose one of your clients in this On Behalf of field so the waiver can be

properly recorded in the Case Management System.

3. Click the Waiver - Indigency radio button that is notated "Use when filing with

Certification of Indigent Representation". This is the only waiver selection that results in

your client being flagged as indigent throughout the life of the case.

4. Click Submit the Filing, and a message prompt opens.

ARG-17: Indigent Parties Business Process

Attorney Reference Guide

5. Click OK to continue. Because you have selected a waiver button, the usual payment screens

will not open. You will be immediately taken to the Submission Confirmation page.

Once your filing has been received and accepted by the Clerk, your designated client (or clients) for

whom you filed a Certification of Indigent Representation will be flagged as indigent throughout the life

of the case. It will not be necessary to request a waiver for future motions or other actions which would

normally require a fee, as no fee will be assessed. Please note that this is on a case-by-case basis

only, and if you represent the same client in multiple cases, you must file the Certification and request a

waiver in each case.

Provenance

Source: www.sccourts.org
Retrieved: 2026-10-02
Edition: supplied-sc-08-19-arg-17-indigent-parties-business-process-2026-10-02
Content hash: 0537c4dcc77c052ae529a22dc0c11d3794a619010286538e53328395ff2db516

View the official source →

The link goes to the issuing authority’s own document — the one we read to produce this record. Where a source publishes whole titles rather than sections, your browser may need a moment to jump to the provision.

Unofficial copy of government-published law, reproduced from official sources with full provenance. Not an official publication; verify against official sources before relying on it in a filing. Records in the 'guidance' corpus, and only that corpus, are sub-regulatory (interpretive guidelines, survey procedures) and are not binding law. Validity bounds follow each jurisdiction's declared temporalBasis.

Coverage · API docs