Upcoming improvements to Legal Aid Online

Published: October 28, 2026

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is making several enhancements to Legal Aid Online to improve the billing experience for roster lawyers.

Coming Nov. 1, 2026

More detailed payment notices

We are increasing the amount of information displayed on deposit advice notices to provide additional details about billing issues and payment adjustments. This enhancement will provide greater clarity about account processing and help roster lawyers better understand any changes made to payments. The format of the notices will not change.

Streamlined account submission

We are removing a redundant question about billing additional services/disbursements from the account page to simplify the account submission process and reduce unnecessary steps when billing.

Clearer guidance for reporting billable hours

We are adding explanatory text to the Total Hours Billed field to clarify that this figure includes the attendance time recorded in the “Hours in Court” field. This change addresses a common error that results in an underpayment to roster lawyers.

Coming in 2027: Tariff calculator

LAO is also planning to introduce a new tariff calculator in the new year.

This addition will provide roster lawyers with greater visibility into tariff usage for each certificate while they are preparing accounts. The tariff calculator will display:

• The total tariff maximum
• Tariff hours paid to date
• Tariff hours available to bill
• Hours billed on this account
• Hours over tariff, which will help identify when discretion may be required
• Additional information about the tariff calculator will be shared closer to its release

These changes reflect feedback from roster lawyers on LAO’s current billing system and opportunities to make Legal Aid Online more efficient and more user friendly.