Welcome to the LFO Calculator Project
The Legal Financial Obligation (LFO) Calculator was built to help Washington State judges adjudicate cases involving LFOs. The calculator:
- reflects the most recent legislation in Washington State
- incorporates multiple ways to accurately convey ability to pay, including mechanisms for determining indigence
- includes calculators to determine reasonable payment options
- allows for the incorporation of all costs and payment options faced by the defendant
- allows for substituting or converting fines to restitution and community service hours, including customizable reimbursement rates
- provides prompts for judges to guide proper questioning, as well as access to a formal "Declaration of Financial Status" form that can be submitted on a defendant's behalf for consideration by the court
The Washington State Supreme Court's Minority and Justice Commission created the LFO calculator as part of a Department of Justice grant under a program called "Price of Justice: Rethinking the Consequences of Justice Fines and Fees." Microsoft joined the effort as part of their Corporate Responsibility mission, bringing technical resources and funding to the table in order to build and deliver this as a publicly available resource and bring awareness to LFOs.