Belfast Solicitors’ Association Guide to High Court Costs. Applicable to actions settled after 5 January 2026.
Before issue of proceedings | After issue of proceedings | After setting down | Within 21 days of trial | Opening day of trial | |
| £0-£14,999 | £4,180 | £7,524 | £7,790 | £9,287 | £11,096 |
| £15,000-£19,999 | £4,894 | £8,231 | £8,755 | £10,458 | £12,259 |
| £20,000-£24,999 | £5,860 | £9,188 | £9,234 | £11,187 | £12,981 |
| £25,000-£29,999 | £6,118 | £9,226 | £9,553 | £11,909 | £13,710 |
| £30,000-£34,999 | £6,323 | £9,690 | £9,964 | £12,654 | £14,455 |
| £35,000-£39,999 | £7,319 | £10,891 | £11,423 | £13,368 | £15,170 |
| £40,000-£44,999 | £7,790 | £11,620 | £12,152 | £14,098 | £15,899 |
| £45,000-£49,999 | £8,223 | £12,365 | £12,722 | £14,820 | £16,621 |
| £50,000-£54,999 | £8,763 | £13,087 | £13,619 | £15,268 | £17,358 |
| £55,000-£59,999 | £9,249 | £13,824 | £14,356 | £16,294 | £18,088 |
| £60,000-£64,999 | £9,758 | £14,539 | £15,078 | £17,024 | £18,825 |
| £65,000-£69,999 | £10,252 | £15,291 | £15,800 | £17,754 | £19,547 |
| £70,000-£74,999 | £10,716 | £16,021 | £16,522 | £18,483 | £20,277 |
| £75,000-£79,99 | £12,418 | £16,735 | £18,612 | £19,213 | £21,014 |
| £80,000-£84,999 | £11,681 | £17,465 | £17,868 | £19,950 | £21,744 |
| £85,000-£89,999 | £12,183 | £17,700 | £18,719 | £20,657 | £22,458 |
| £90,000-£94,999 | £12,707 | £18,985 | £19,517 | £21,462 | £23,264 |
| £95,000-£99,999 | £13,156 | £19,654 | £20,178 | £22,116 | £23,917 |
| £100,000-£124,999 | £18,187 | £26,661 | £27,740 | £29,997 | £32,095 |
| £125,000-£149,999 | £21,052 | £31,358 | £31,973 | £34,230 | £36,320 |
| £150,000-£174,000 | £23,925 | £35,591 | £36,206 | £38,456 | £40,371 |
| £175,000-£199,999 | £26,722 | £39,824 | £40,432 | £42,694 | £44,604 |
| £200,000-£224,999 | £29,663 | £44,050 | £44,665 | £46,915 | £49,020 |
| £225,000-£249,999 | £35,158 | £48,283 | £48,891 | £51,148 | £53,246 |
| £250,000-£499,999 | £44,414 | £60,795 | £65,330 | £68,339 | £71,759 |
[1] The Guide was previously revised in 2016 when the standard hourly rate was £102.00 per hour. On 29th April 2025, Master Moore issued a notification regarding “The Hourly Rate” in which he increased same to £155.00 per hour for all work incurred after 1st June 2025, after having considered the contribution by various parties in relation to same. The previous guide was predicated upon the previous hourly rate. Consequently, the Committee considers it appropriate to increase the BSA scale fees commensurate with the hourly rate increase.
[2] This guide is intended to apply to personal injury actions settled after 5 January 2026 and it is not recommended that the Guide should apply to the following categories of cases:
- Professional Negligence
- Assault Actions against the Crown
- Medical Negligence
- Industrial Disease Actions.
- Commercial Litigation and Chancery
- Defamation
[3] The Committee considers the above guide to be fair and reasonable in the majority of personal injury actions.
[4] Solicitors are advised that, even in the majority of ordinary cases, the appropriate point recommended by the Guide should be increased in the following situations:
1. In cases of industrial disease, particularly “chest” cases, the appropriate figure on the Guide should be increased by 10%.
2. An extra £349.60 (to reflect an additional 1½ hour’s work, which is the average time spent) should be added for each of the following:
(a) Interlocutory applications. If applications become complicated and lead to matters such as a remittal appeals in the High Court, the BSA recommends that time is recorded and that extra costs are added to the guide to reflect time spent.
(b) Review hearings before a Judge or Master.
(c) Completion of Certificate of Readiness and County Court Appeal Questionnaires.
3. Multiple Defendants
If there is more than one Defendant at Defence stage and each Defendant is being separately represented, we recommend that for the first additional Defendant an extra 20% be added to the appropriate point on the Guide and for every additional Defendant thereafter a further 10%. This is to reflect the payment for additional time.
4. If the case runs to trial, the BSA recommends £1,330.00 for each additional day of Trial and £1,026.00 for each half day for an ordinary case. Again this figure should be added to the appropriate point on the Guide.
5. The attention of members is drawn to the guidelines given by Lord Justice Carswell, as he then was, in Antoinette Carr –v- Margaret Poots [1995] NI 428 as to the proper approach to be taken in a case which is compromised for significantly less than its potential. His Lordship held that in such circumstances the “worth” of a case was neither the knockdown value of the settlement nor its full potential. His judgment supports an approach that an amount halfway between the settlement and the potential of the case should be taken as the point on the Guide for the appropriate costs.
6 The Guide is intended for use in settlements or awards up to £499,000 and members are advised to try and negotiate an individual amount for costs in high value settlements. Should members wish to use the Guide as the basis of calculating costs in such cases the Committee suggests in keeping with the guidance given by the Court of Appeal in England and Wales in Jemma Trust Company Limited –v- Liptrott and Others [2003] EWCA Civ 1476 that a value percentage be added to the appropriate column for up to £499,000 calculated as follows:
- £0 – £1,000,000 1%
- £1,000,000 – £4,000,000 0.50%
- £4,000,000 – £8,000,000 0.25%
- £8,000,000 – £12,000,000 0.125%
7 In cases where liability is admitted at or before the service of the Defence, a 10% reduction should be allowed.
8 If a case is settled on the opening day of trial before 1.00 pm, the amounts in the final column should be abated by £471.20.
[5] The Guide is merely an indication of costs to allow for easy settlement of professional fees in relation to personal injury action. There are, however, matters in which the work required to be carried out is substantially more than the Guide would allow for. Solicitors should be aware that when settlement has been reached and there is an agreement and order of the court that one party pays the other party’s costs, Solicitor’s should ensure that the court orders that such costs are to be taxed in default of agreement and Solicitors are entitled to produce a detailed bill of costs for taxation if required. It is in Solicitor’s utmost interest to ensure that they keep accurate time records on all files, should this be required.