The Vermont Superior Court Family Mediation and Parent Coordination Programs have sliding fee scales to help participants afford the services of mediators and parent coordinators.

Sliding Fee Scale for the Mediation Program

The Vermont Superior Court Family Mediation Program  The Vermont Superior Court Family Mediation Program has adopted a sliding fee scale to help pay for mediation. The mediator determines who qualifies for a subsidy after reviewing the Mediation Subsidy Application:

If you are eligible for a subsidy, mediators in the program agree to charge you an out-of-pocket hourly fee so that the total of the hourly subsidy and the out-of-pocket hourly fee per person equals $60. The Judiciary helps pay for up to 10 hours of subsidized services with the mediator. If you are not eligible for the subsidy, you will pay the mediator's standard hourly fee, which varies from mediator to mediator.

As shown in the table below, the subsidy is available if your income is less than or equal to $50,000:

If your household income is at least ... And your household income is not above ... Then you qualify for an hourly subsidy of ... And your out-of-pocket hourly fee is ...
$50,000.01 No limit $0 Mediator's standard hourly fee
$45,000.01 $50,000.00 $20 $40
$40,000.01 $45,000.00 $25 $35
$30,000.01 $40,000.00 $30 $30
$27,000.01 $30,000.00 $35 $25
$24,000.01 $27,000.00 $40 $20
$0.00 $24,000.00 $45 $15

The Sliding Fee Scale for the Vermont Superior Court Family Mediation Program was last updated in May 2023.

To calculate your income, please refer to the instructions on the Mediation Subsidy Application.

Example: If your income is $20,000 per year, you qualify for a subsidy of $45 per hour, making your out-of-pocket fee $15 per hour.

Sliding Fee Scale for the Parent Coordination Program

Once you have determined your income, refer to the following chart for the subsidy*:

If your household income is at least ... And your household income is not above ... Then you qualify for an hourly subsidy of ... And your out-of-pocket hourly fee is ...
$50,000.01 No limit $0 $150**
$45,000.01 $50,000.00 $80 $40
$40,000.01 $45,000.00 $85 $35
$30,000.01 $40,000.00 $90 $30
$27,000.01 $30,000.00 $95 $25
$24,000.01 $27,000.00 $100 $20
$0 $24,000.00 $105 $15

* Each Parent pays for half of the total hours spent on parent coordination, based on the fee schedule listed in the above chart.

** Fees do not exceed $150 per person for ½ of the total hours spent on parent coordination.

The Sliding Fee Scale for the Vermont Superior Court Parent Coordination Program was last updated in May 2023.