Billing deadlines

To ensure prompt payment, you should be aware of the billing deadlines for current certificates.

Within six months of the one-year anniversary date of the certificate, you must submit an interim or final account for all fees and disbursements incurred within each 12-month period of the certificate.

Further interim or final accounts must be submitted within six months of each subsequent anniversary. Check the cover page of each certificate to review and record each billing deadline.

Billing deadlines are as follows:

Final accounts

  • If the case is completed within 12 months, your final account and any supplementary accounts must be received no later than six months after the one year anniversary date of the certificate.
  • If you have submitted a final account, any fees or disbursements you may have overlooked must be billed no later than six months after the one year anniversary date of the certificate.

Interim accounts

  • If the case is not completed within 12 months, you must submit an interim account for all fees and disbursements incurred during the first 12 months. This account must be received no later than six months after the one year anniversary date of the certificate.
  • If you have submitted an interim account, you must ensure that any additional unbilled fees and disbursements incurred during the first 12 months are billed no later than six months after the one year anniversary date of the certificate.
  • Do not resubmit or re-bill any work or disbursements previously billed, and only bill any additional work or disbursements incurred up to or after the end of the 12 month period.
  • For all work completed within each subsequent 12-month period after the first period, further interim or final accounts must be submitted within six months of each subsequent anniversary.
  • Before each billing deadline, you must ensure that you have billed for all work and disbursements incurred during the entire 12-month period. You should not resubmit or re-bill any work or disbursements that you have already billed.You can submit accounts at any time before the billing deadline. However, you must make sure to bill all additional fees and disbursements incurred after the first interim account was submitted and up to the certificate anniversary date. These accounts must be received within six months of the anniversary date.

Late accounts

Accounts that are not received by the billing deadlines are not eligible for payment. In extraordinary circumstances where an account has been submitted beyond the billing deadline, you may submit a formal request for an extension of time. Inadvertence or administrative difficulties are not accepted as the basis for discretion. Contact the Lawyer Service Centre for more information.

If the services or disbursements need to be billed to comply with the billing deadline rules, LAO will accept accounts for less than the normal minimums of $500 in fees and/or $50 in disbursements.