Practising certificate fees
The standard practising certificate fee is £995, plus the Compensation Fund contribution. If your earnings were less than £20,000, you may qualify for a low income fee reduction. You may also qualify for a maternity leave fee reduction.
There is a variety of ways to pay.
Fees for solicitors and registered European lawyers
| Your circumstances and reduced fee category | Issue date of certificate | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov - 31 Dec 08 | 1 Jan - 31 Mar 09 | 1 Apr - 30 Jun 09 | 1 Jul - 31 Oct 09 | |||
| You have never held a practising certificate | C | £750 | £750 | £500 | £250 | |
| You have not practised in the last 12 months | B | £500 | £375 | £250 | £125 | |
| You qualify for the low income fee reduction | B | £500 | £375 | £250 | £125 | |
| You qualified while registered as a European lawyer | n/a | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
| You were on maternity leave in the last practising year | E | £500 | – | – | – | |
| You are on maternity leave or equivalent | D | £500 | – | – | – | |
| You work for the CPS | A | £665 | £495 | £330 | £165 | |
| Any other solicitor | n/a | £995 | £750 | £500 | £250 | |
There is a different fee structure for registered foreign lawyers.
Compensation Fund contribution
Schedule 2 of the Solicitors Act 1974 requires most solicitors to contribute to the Compensation Fund. There are different contribution rates for registered foreign lawyers.
The contribution depends on
- the number of practising certificates held previously (including this one you are applying for) —not your date of admission or registration
- whether you held or received client money in the last practising year (1 November 2007 to 31 October 2008 for applications for the 2008/09 year)
- in some cases, whether your firm held or received client money. (See rules 2 and 13 of the Solicitors' Accounts Rules for definitions)
Solicitors working for the Crown Prosecution Service are exempt from the Compensation Fund contribution.
Applications for 2007/08 practising year
| Number of practising certificates held | Compensation Fund contribution | |
|---|---|---|
| No client money held | Client money held | |
| 1 to 3 | £0 | £0 |
| 4 to 6 | £25 | £75 |
| 7+ | £50 | £150 |
Low income fee reduction
The low income fee reduction applies if your gross fees or gross income from the provision of legal services as a practising solicitor was £20,000 or less during the 12 months prior to the date you want your new practising certificate to start.
- If you practised both as a solicitor and as a lawyer in another jurisdiction, your combined income must be less than £20,000 to qualify.
- If your employment changed during the twelve month period so that you were only practising as a solicitor for part of that time, and your income for that time was less than £20,000, you qualify for the reduction.
- If you were employed in commerce, industry, the public service or the voluntary sector and part of your responsibilities involved work as a solicitor and part did not, the whole of the income from that employment should be taken into account.
Maternity leave fee reduction
If you were on statutory maternity leave (or equivalent) between 1 November 2007 and 31 October 2008, you are entitled to a reduced fee for the next full practising year (2008/09).
You must apply for your practising certificate before 31 December, otherwise the normal fees apply and you may be eligible for the reduction from 1 November 2009. You may be entitled to the low income fee reduction until then.
To link to this page, please use www.sra.org.uk/pc-fees.