Guidance

Legal Aid Agency payments to providers

Check dates for processing (crime and civil) and planned BACS payments, get financial statements, switch to variable monthly payments.

From:
Legal Aid Agency
Published
1 June 2014
Last updated
321 MayNovember 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England and Wales

Proposal to remove standard monthly payments from future contracts

We are seeking your views on the advantages of moving all providers on to a single system of monthly payments. This would mean removing the option of standard monthly payments (SMP) from future legal aid contracts. All providers would instead be moved to variable monthly payments (VMP).

We are inviting representative bodies and all providers to take part in an engagement exercise, which includes a questionnaire.

The engagement exercise will close on 30 June 2023.

We will publish a response to the engagement exercise in August 2023.

Read our SMP impact assessment (PDF, 237 KB, 8 pages).

Read SMP engagement exercise (PDF, 395 KB, 19 pages) for further information and how to provide feedback.feedback.</div>

Management information online service

Using the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) MI online service, you can access, download and print financial statements from your own office or from the whole firm.

This service is only available if you’re signed up to use to LAA online.

PSOA dates 20232024

The PSOA gives you a summary document of all account transactions.

PSOA delivery date | Period covered -|-
68 January 2023December 20222023
35 February 2023January 20232024
34 March 2023February 20232024
78 April 2023March 20232024
3 May 2023April 20232024
25 June 2023May 20232024
58 July 2023June 20232024
35 August 2023July 20232024
74 September 2023August 20232024
4 October 2023September 20232024
24 November 2023October 20232024
65 December 2023November 20232024
56 January 2024December 20232024

BACS payments

Once your bill is ready for payment, it might take up to 8 working days for the money to reach your account if you’re paid by BACS.

Help us process claims more quickly by waiting 8 days before contacting our customer services team about payments.

You’ll normally receive remittance advice on the payment date, unless there are problems with the postal system.

We make contract payments in the first week of the month (payment 1).

Note: the payment date stated on remittance advice slips will appear as 3 working days before you receive funds, due to additional processing time.

Monthly payment dates 20222023 - 20232024
Monthly payment 1Monthly payment 2Monthly payment 3Monthly payment 4Monthly payment 5
504 Dec1211 Dec1918 Dec2822 Decn/a
302 Jan908 Jan1615 Jan2322 Jan3029 Jan
605 Feb1312 Feb2019 Feb2726 Febn/a
604 Mar1311 Mar2018 Mar2725 Marn/a
302 Apr1108 Apr1715 Apr2422 Aprn/a29 Apr
207 May813 May1520 May2128 May30 Mayn/a
503 Jun1210 Jun1917 Jun2624 Junn/a
301 Jul1008 Jul1715 Jul2422 Jul3129 Jul
705 Aug1412 Aug2119 Aug2927 Augn/a
402 Sep1109 Sep1816 Sep2523 Sepn/a30 Sep
207 Oct914 Oct1621 Oct2328 Oct30 Octn/a
604 Nov1311 Nov2018 Nov2725 Novn/a
402 Dec1109 Dec1816 DectbdTbdtbdTbd

Monthly LAA payment process

PDF, 144 KB, 4 pages

Variable monthly payments guidance

You can choose variable monthly payments if you provide civil (legal help) and crime (lower) work.

Guidance on LAA variable monthly payments scheme

PDF, 417 KB, 10 pages

Switch to the LAA variable monthly payments scheme (MS Word Document, 33 KB)

Civil processing

Check LAA timescales and targets for processing applications for civil legal aid funding.

Crime processing

Check LAA timescales and targets for processing applications for criminal legal aid funding.

Update your details

Note: we hold your details in a database.

Send any changes to your details in writing to:

Provider Records
Legal Aid Agency
102 Petty France
Area 13 Floor
Westminster
London
SW1H 9AJ

Email: ProviderRecords-London@justice.gov.uk

Published 1 June 2014
Last updated 321 MayNovember 2023 + show all updates

  1. 2023-2024 dates updated

  2. 2023-2024 dates updated

  3. 2023/2024 dated updated

  4. Published details of an engagement exercise to obtain providers’ views on our proposal to remove standard monthly payments from future contracts.

  5. Tables have been updated with information on dates for 2023

  6. Postal address and email address for Provider Records updated.

  7. Updated Monthly payment dates 2021 - 2022

  8. Updated the PSOA delivery date

  9. Updated the PSOA delivery date

  10. Monthly payment dates updated.

  11. Correction to the list of monthly payment dates for the weeks beginning 3 August and 1 September.

  12. PSOA dates updated.

  13. Monthly payment dates updated.

  14. Monthly payment dates updated.

  15. Provider Statement of Account delivery dates have been updated.

  16. Updated monthly payments

  17. Updated monthly payments

  18. Monthly payments dates updated.

  19. Dates updated.

  20. Monthly BACS payment dates updated.

  21. Provider payment dates updated.

  22. Monthly payment dates updated.

  23. New monthly payment dates added

  24. New provider statement of account dates added

  25. First published.

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