Crime news: changes to special and unused material claims

Special preparation and unused material claims must be submitted on the correct digital forms from 1 January 2022.

We are making it mandatory to use the correct forms for your submissions through the Crown Court Defence (CCD) billing tool because we want to:

speed up our assessment process

reduce the number of claims rejected because of missing information

Why is this happening now?

A recent review found that a common reason for delay or rejection is missing information. Missing information means we cannot complete the claims assessment.

There are separate forms for special preparation and unused material claims. Sending the required information on the correct forms will help us to process your claim as quickly as possible.

What happens after 1 January?

Claims received after 1 January 2022 which are not on the correct form will be rejected, subject to a one month grace period to assist with the transition.

All claim forms should be downloaded from our legal aid pages on GOV.UK. There is accompanying guidance on how to complete the form.

Further information

Litigators’ graduated fee scheme forms

Advocates’ graduated fee scheme forms