Affordable testing & care
What Would I Pay at a Sliding-Scale Clinic?
Community health centers set their fees by your income using one number: your Federal Poverty Level percent. Enter your household size and income to see the exact tier you fall in, privately, before you ever call.
Every community health center must offer this discount, regardless of insurance or immigration status, and you never have to pay before you are seen.
Sliding-scale cost calculator
Your income vs. poverty level
Typical FQHC fee tier
How this number was worked out
This is a dated, cited estimate based on the 2025 HHS Poverty Guidelines, not a price quote. Each health center sets its own nominal fee and discount schedule within the federal rules, and the guidelines update every January. Confirm the exact fee with the clinic you choose.
The basics
What "sliding scale" actually means
A sliding scale means the price of your visit slides up or down with your income instead of being a single fixed rate. The lower your income relative to your household size, the less you pay. It is not charity you have to plead for and it is not a coupon: at a community health center it is a federal requirement.
Federally Qualified Health Centers, usually called FQHCs or community health centers, receive HRSA funding and in exchange must run a sliding fee discount program for anyone at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. That covers STD testing and treatment along with primary care. On our clinic cards we flag centers that offer sliding-scale and FQHC pricing so you can spot them fast.
The math
How FQHCs set your fee
The front desk compares your annual household income to the poverty guideline for your household size, turns it into a percentage, and reads your tier off a schedule. This calculator does the same three steps. Here is the tier structure every center works from:
At or below 100% FPL
Only a small nominal fee, often a flat charge in the low tens of dollars per visit.
101% to 200% FPL
A partial discount on a sliding schedule: the closer you are to 100 percent, the larger the discount.
Above 200% FPL
Generally the center's full standard fee, though other $0 routes may still apply to you.
The 2025 poverty guideline for the 48 contiguous states and DC starts at $15,650 for one person and rises $5,500 for each additional person: $21,150 for two, $26,650 for three, $32,150 for four, and so on. Alaska and Hawaii use higher figures.
Qualifying
What to bring to qualify
Centers verify household size and income, not insurance or immigration status. Bring what you can, but do not skip the visit if you are missing something: many clinics will still see you and let you complete the paperwork later.
Proof of household size
A simple count of yourself, a spouse or partner, and dependents. Some centers ask for a recent tax return, which shows both size and income at once.
Proof of income
Recent pay stubs, a tax return or W-2, or a benefits letter. Self-employed or paid in cash? A signed statement of your income is usually accepted.
The sliding fee application
Ask the front desk for it by name. It is short and it is what puts you in a discount tier for future visits, not just today.
No insurance or ID hurdle
You do not need insurance, and your immigration status does not affect the discount. The discount can also apply to your out-of-pocket share if you are insured.
Above 200% FPL
Other $0 routes if you don't qualify for the discount
A tier above 200 percent does not mean you are stuck paying full price. Three routes cover most people:
- Title X clinics. Federally funded family planning sites run their own sliding scale for STD testing, often reaching $0 for low incomes, on separate rules from the FQHC program.
- Insurance preventive coverage. Under the ACA most STD screening is covered with no copay. You can also ask that results skip an itemized explanation of benefits, which is the main privacy worry when using a parent's or partner's plan. See confidential testing by state.
- At-home test kits. A flat, predictable price with no visit fee, sometimes the cheapest route when you do not qualify for a discount. Compare options on at-home STD tests.
Next steps
Keep planning your testing
Find testing & care
Clinics near you, with sliding-scale and FQHC options flagged.
Cost of testing
Out-of-pocket range by venue and insurance, plus every $0 pathway.
At-home STD tests
Flat-price kits compared, when a clinic isn't the cheapest route.
Confidential testing
Minor-consent and insurance-privacy rules for your state.
Sources
Where this guidance comes from
The tiers use the 2025 HHS Poverty Guidelines and the HRSA Health Center Program's sliding fee discount requirement. Dollar figures are estimates that change each January; we don't reinterpret the rules.
Medically Reviewed & Fact-Checked · Updated
Reviewed by EasySTD Editorial Team
Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines →
3 Sources
Data & references
- HHS: 2025 Poverty Guidelineshttps://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines
- HRSA: Health Center Program (sliding fee discount requirement)https://bphc.hrsa.gov/
- HRSA: Find a Health Centerhttps://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/
EasySTD is an information and comparison directory, not a healthcare provider. This calculator is general information based on published federal guidelines: it is not a price quote, a bill, medical advice, or a diagnosis, and it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Confirm your actual fee with the clinic you choose.
Good to Know
Sliding-scale pricing: frequently asked questions
Who qualifies, what to bring, and why you never pay before being seen.
Do I really pay less at a community health center?
Yes, if your income qualifies. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are legally required by the HRSA Health Center Program to run a sliding fee discount program. Your charge is scaled to your household income measured against the Federal Poverty Level. At or below 100 percent of poverty you pay only a small nominal fee; between 101 and 200 percent you get a partial discount that shrinks as your income rises; above 200 percent you generally pay the center's full standard rate. This estimator runs the same math the front desk runs.
Does insurance or immigration status change whether I qualify?
No. The sliding fee discount is based on your household size and income, not on whether you have insurance and not on your immigration status. An FQHC must offer the discount to everyone who qualifies, including people who are uninsured and people who are undocumented. If you do have insurance, the discount can apply to what you would owe out of pocket. Bring proof of income, not proof of coverage or citizenship.
Do I have to pay before I am seen?
No. Federal rules bar an FQHC from turning you away because you cannot pay that day, and you never have to pay in full up front to be seen. If you are not sure of your income or forgot paperwork, go anyway and ask the front desk for the sliding fee application. Many centers can enroll you on the spot or set up a payment arrangement. Getting tested today matters more than sorting out the bill first.
This is only an estimate, right?
Right. This tool shows the Federal Poverty Level tier your income falls in using the published 2025 HHS guidelines, which is the framework every FQHC uses. It is not a price quote. Each health center sets its own nominal fee and its own discount schedule within the federal rules, and the guidelines update every January. Treat the result as a well-grounded ballpark, then confirm the exact fee with the clinic you choose.
What if I earn too much to get a discount?
If you are above 200 percent of the poverty level you will likely pay a center's standard fee, but you still have low-cost and free routes. Title X family planning clinics offer STD testing on their own sliding scale. If you have insurance, most STD screening is covered as preventive care with no copay, and you can ask that results avoid an itemized explanation of benefits for privacy. At-home test kits are another flat-price option. Our cost guide walks through each pathway.
Is anything I type here saved or sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your household size and income are never sent to a server, stored, or shared, and nothing is linked to you. Close the tab and the numbers are gone. This is educational information, not a bill, a diagnosis, or a promise of a specific price.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.