Civil Legal Aid Fees Set for Significant Increase from December 2025

The Civil Legal Aid (Procedure and Remuneration) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, due to come into force on 22 December 2025, introduce long-awaited increases to civil legal aid remuneration. For firms undertaking Controlled Work, particularly in the housing and immigration sectors, the reforms represent a material shift in funding levels.

Controlled Work Uplifts

The Regulations provide substantial uplifts to Controlled Work fees:

• Housing-related Controlled Work: 42% increase

• Immigration and asylum Controlled Work: 31% increase

These increases reflect the time-intensive nature of this work and the sustained pressure placed on providers by inflation and rising operating costs.

New Minimum Hourly Rates

Minimum hourly rates have been revised and formally set at:

• £65.35 for work conducted outside London

• £69.30 for London-based work

While still modest by commercial standards, the introduction of updated national minimum rates provides greater clarity and consistency when assessing remuneration under the civil legal aid scheme, particularly where work falls outside fixed-fee arrangements.

Fixed Fee Adjustments

Fixed fees will either:

• rise proportionately, or

• increase by a minimum of 10%,

whichever results in the higher figure.

This mechanism avoids fixed fees lagging behind hourly rates — a recurring issue in previous remuneration reforms — and should benefit firms operating high-volume legal aid practices.

Practical Considerations for Providers

From a costs perspective, firms should be alert to:

• transitional issues for cases spanning the commencement date,

• updated billing and costing assumptions from December 2025,

• the interaction between revised hourly rates and fixed-fee escape provisions, and

• the impact of the new rates on supervision and preparation time allowances.

Early planning will be key to ensuring firms maximise recovery under the revised scheme.

Our Costs Expertise

At SPH Costs, we regularly advise legal aid providers on remuneration disputes, billing compliance and recovery under the civil legal aid framework. The 2025 Regulations introduce welcome change, but careful costs management remains essential to ensure firms obtain full entitlement under the scheme.

For advice on how these changes may affect your practice, or for assistance with legal aid costs disputes and assessments, please contact our team.