ORDER

SUSAN RICHARD NELSON, District Judge.

Plaintiff Brock Fredin seeks to proceed in forma pauperis ("IFP") on appeal of the dismissal of this action. See ECF No. 117. Fredin became a prisoner during the pendency of this action, and his appellate IFP application (unlike his initial IFP application before this Court) is therefore subject to the requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b). This statute provides that:

According to this statute — which is part of the Prison Litigation Reform Act ("PLRA") — prisoners who are granted IFP status on appeal are not excused from paying the appellate filing fee altogether, as is the case for non-prisoner IFP appellants. Instead, a prisoner who is granted IFP status is merely granted permission to pay the appellate filing fee in installments, rather than paying the entire amount in advance. See Henderson v. Norris, 129 F.3d 481, 484-85 (8th Cir. 1997); cf. Ashley v. Dilworth, 147 F.3d 715, 716 (8th Cir. 1998) ("The purpose of the [PLRA] was to require all prisonerlitigants to pay filing fees in full, with the only issue being whether the inmate pays the entire filing fee at the initiation of the proceeding or in installments over a period of time"). Section 1915(b)(1) requires prisoner IFP applicants to pay an initial partial filing fee at the outset of the appeal, and § 1915(b)(2) requires that the remaining balance be paid in installments through regular deductions from the prisoner's trust account.

In this case, the "Certificate" section of Fredin's IFP application provides information derived from his inmate trust account — as required by § 1915(a)(2) — and shows that the amount of his average monthly deposits during the preceding six-month period was $295.25, while his average monthly balance during the same period has "never exceeded $300.00." See ECF No. 117 at 6. This Court will therefore assume that the average monthly deposits amount exceeds the average monthly balance, and Fredin's initial partial filing fee for his appeal, under the formula prescribed by 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1), will be 20% of the average monthly deposits, or $59.05. This initial partial filing fee is due immediately. If Fredin elects to pursue his appeal, the remaining balance of the $505.00 appellate filing fee will have to be paid in later installments, and jail officials will be authorized to deduct funds from Fredin's trust account, as provided by § 1915(b)(2). Fredin will be required to pay this filing fee regardless of the outcome of his appeal.

Finally, Fredin requests that he be provided, at no cost to himself, with a transcript of a hearing conducted in this matter. See ECF No. 121. IFP status does afford a litigant in some circumstances to transcripts at the expense of the government, but only where the transcript is required by the reviewing court. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(c). Should the appellate court be in need of a hearing transcript from this matter, Fredin may request that the specific transcript be prepared and printed at no cost to him. The appellate court has not yet indicated a need for transcripts, however, and Fredin therefore is not yet entitled to such transcripts under § 1915(c).

ORDER

Based on the foregoing, and on all of the files, records, and proceedings herein, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT: