Guidance

Crime processing dates

Check timescales for the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) to process your work (eg prior authority application, graduated fee claims).

From:
Legal Aid Agency
Published
1 June 2014
Last updated
1127 March 2025 — See all updates

Applies to England and Wales

Summary of processing timescales

Information will be updated on a weekly basis and the current position will be the oldest date as of Friday the previous week.

We continually aim to turnaround applications and bills as soon as possible and strive to deliver performance under our current set targets.

Crime applications

Current targets:

Applications and Appeals
90% within 2 working days
Work type Current position (working days)
Application for legal aid 1 days
Administrative Interest of Justice Appeals 1 days

Very high cost cases and central fund claims - Criminal Cases Unit

Current targets:

All categories
95% within 20 working days
Work type Current position (working days)
Audits 13 days
LGFS special preparation 9 days
AGFS special preparation 13 days

Criminal billing

Current targets:

Application for prior authority/applications to extend upper financial limit Claims LGFS & AGFS redetermination requests
90% within 5 working days 95% within 15 working days 90% within 30 working days
Work type Oldest date of receipt by LAA of work now being processed
CRM4 Application for prior authority (disbursement) 2 days
CRM5 Application for prior authority (costs) 4 days
CRM7 ( Paper Submission) Non-standard magistrates’ court claim 67 Days
CRM7 ( Online Submission) Non-standard magistrates’ court claim 67 Days
CRM7 Appeals Non-standard magistrates’ court claim Appeals 3638 Days
Contempt of Court Claim for representation in contempt proceedings 4353 Days
ICA Decisions (CRM7) Non-standard magistrates’ court claim Appeals sent to an Independent Cost Assessor 1 Days
CRM18 Police station exceptional claim 0 days
CRM18A’s Escape Case Claim – Prison Law 229 Days
LF1 (final) Litigator graduated fee claim 65 days
LF1 (fixed) Litigator graduated fee claim 4 days
LF1 (interim) Litigator graduated fee disbursement 4 days
LF2 Redetermination request 5 days
LGFS EPPE Electronic Evidence 4 days
AF1 (final) Advocates fee 4 days
AF1 (fixed) Advocates fixed fee 4 days
AF2 Redetermination request 34 days
AGFS EPPE Electronic Evidence 4 Days

Please allow a further 5 – 9 days for payment to be received

The current position above is from the receipt of the claim to process completion and does not take into consideration the time taken for postage.

Using our online billing system

Crown Court Claims for Defence (CCD) will enable you to eradicate the additional postage delays in processing your claim and allow you to submit redetermination requests instantaneously.

You can also check on the progress of your claim on line at any time.

Updates to this page

Published 1 June 2014

Last updated 1127 March 2025 + show href="#full-history">+ show all updates

    3. All Crime updated

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