FAQs

How do I bill an account?

Depending on the charges, you can bill either the minimum fixed fee or hourly. You cannot bill both. If you choose to bill hourly, please ensure that you have broken down and separated all court and preparation time. For each file, there is a maximum number of preparation hours billable based on the most serious charge of the appointment.

My client has come up with more charges. Can I still represent him/her and get paid for them if they aren't listed on the appointment I received?

If your file is still open, you can contact the area office that originally appointed you. They will contact Head Office and an amendment letter will be sent to you confirming that the new charges will be covered under your original appointment. If the file work has concluded and you have completed the Report of Lawyer, please contact the Area Office for a new appointment.

How long does it take to get paid from the date I submit my account?

Depending on the volume of appointments, it can take up to 6 weeks from date of receipt to process for payment. In order to keep taxing time to a minimum there are a few things that can be done to help us:

1. Ensure that court time and preparation time are broken down and separated complete with dates. These should be broken down in portion of hours (for example, .20 hours rather than 12 minutes)
2. Ensure that all absence fees, mileage, and other disbursements are billed according to the tariff applicable (date of appointment).
3. Ensure that receipts for process servers, hotels, etc. are submitted with your account. Please note that we do not reimburse the GST/HST on these bills as Legal Aid Saskatchewan is GST/HST exempt.
4. Ensure that your bill (schedule C) is complete. This includes court dates, charges and whether they are indictable or summary in nature, and the remark section.

My absence fees/mileage was adjusted on my account. Why?

When calculating any absence fees or mileage for a bill submitted, we total the number of kilometers from town to town. This does not include travel within a city centre. These kilometers are then calculated at a rate of 100 km/hour for travel. (ex. 300 km = 3 hours of travel time). If you are travelling somewhere and the roads are bad or there is extreme weather that slows you down, please advise us of such on your bill.

I have withdrawn from the file. What do I do?

Please advise Head Office as soon as possible by email to pboffice@legalaid.sk.ca. Submit your bill as you normally would.