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
1217 December 20232024 — 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.</div>feedback.

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 2024

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

PSOA delivery date | Period covered -|-

8 JanuaryDecember 2023
5 FebruaryJanuary 2024
4 MarchFebruary 2024
8 AprilMarch 2024
3 MayApril 2024
5 JuneMay 2024
8 JulyJune 2024
5 AugustJuly 2024
4 SeptemberAugust 2024
4 OctoberSeptember 2024
4 NovemberOctober 2024
5 DecemberNovember 2024
6 JanuaryDecember 2024

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 2023 - 2024

Monthly payment 1Monthly payment 2Monthly payment 3Monthly payment 4Monthly payment 5
04 Dec11 Dec18 Dec22 Decn/a
02 Jan08 Jan15 Jan22 Jan29 Jan
05 Feb12 Feb19 Feb26 Febn/a
04 Mar11 Mar18 Mar25 Marn/a
02 Apr08 Apr15 Apr22 Apr29 Apr
07 May13 May20 May28 Mayn/a
03 Jun10 Jun17 Jun24 Junn/a
01 Jul08 Jul15 Jul22 Jul29 Jul
05 Aug12 Aug19 Aug27 Augn/a
02 Sep09 Sep16 Sep23 Sep30 Sep
07 Oct14 Oct21 Oct28 Octn/a
04 Nov11 Nov18 Nov25 Novn/a
02 Dec09 Dec16 Dec22Dec 
02Jan24Jan    

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

Updates to this page

Published 1 June 2014
Last updated 1217 December 20232024 + show all updates

  1. Dates updated

  2. 22nd Dec then 2nd Jan 24 now added

  3. 2023-2024 dates updated

  4. 2023-2024 dates updated

  5. 2023/2024 dated updated

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

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

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

  9. Updated Monthly payment dates 2021 - 2022

  10. Updated the PSOA delivery date

  11. Updated the PSOA delivery date

  12. Monthly payment dates updated.

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

  14. PSOA dates updated.

  15. Monthly payment dates updated.

  16. Monthly payment dates updated.

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

  18. Updated monthly payments

  19. Updated monthly payments

  20. Monthly payments dates updated.

  21. Dates updated.

  22. Monthly BACS payment dates updated.

  23. Provider payment dates updated.

  24. Monthly payment dates updated.

  25. New monthly payment dates added

  26. New provider statement of account dates added

  27. First published.

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