Guideline Hourly Rates 2026: The Current Figures and How Courts Use Them

Practice Guides — 2026-10-03

The official guideline hourly rates effective from 1 January 2026, their grades and location bands, how courts use them on assessment and when evidence may justify a different rate.

The guideline hourly rates (GHR) provide a reference point when assessing solicitors' hourly rates in England and Wales. They are published for summary assessment and may also inform detailed assessment. The figures below took effect on 1 January 2026 and are taken from the official HMCTS table on GOV.UK.

The 2026 Table

|-------|------------|----------|----------|----------|------------|------------|

| A | Solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years' experience | £579 | £422 | £319 | £295 | £288 |

| B | Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years' experience | £393 | £327 | £262 | £247 | £247 |

| C | Other solicitors or legal executives and fee earners of equivalent experience | £305 | £276 | £209 | £201 | £200 |

| D | Trainee solicitors, paralegals and other fee earners | £210 | £157 | £146 | £142 | £142 |

For work spanning different years, identify when the work was done and explain the guideline comparison used. Do not automatically apply the 2026 table to all historical work. The rates are guidance, not a statutory tariff.

The Bands

London 1 covers very heavy commercial and corporate work by centrally based London firms. It is defined by the nature of the work, not by postcode.
London 2 covers the City and central London postcodes specified in the official table: EC1 to EC4, W1, WC1, WC2 and SW1.
London 3 covers other London boroughs, plus Dartford and Gravesend.
National 1 includes specified counties as well as regional centres. Some city entries apply only to inner or central areas, so consult the official location list rather than assuming that an entire city falls within the band.
National 2 covers the rest of England and Wales.

Identify the relevant office and the nature of the work rather than selecting a band from the client's address or the hearing venue. Under CPR 44.4(3), the court considers the place and circumstances in which the work was done alongside the other assessment factors. A firm's location does not guarantee recovery of its agreed rate.

Guidelines, Not Caps

The rates are guidelines. Courts depart from them in both directions, and three situations recur:

Complex or substantial litigation. Value, complexity, importance, specialised knowledge and responsibility may support a higher rate under CPR 44.4(3). But a substantial claim does not make the guidelines irrelevant or create an automatic entitlement to an uplift. London 1 already addresses very heavy commercial and corporate work. Explain why the work in the particular case justifies the rate claimed.

Specialist expertise. Evidence that specialist knowledge was reasonably required, or that it enabled the work to be done efficiently, may support the claimed rate. A specialist label alone is not enough.

Delegation. The flip side: work suitable for a junior fee earner charged at a senior rate will be allowed, if at all, at the junior rate. On assessment the grade mix matters as much as the headline figure.

Rates on Assessment Start With the Retainer

In ordinary inter partes assessment, the starting point is the client's liability under the retainer, subject to any applicable statutory exception to the indemnity principle. The guideline table does not authorise a solicitor to charge the client a higher rate than agreed, and an agreed rate is not automatically recoverable from an opponent.

Review the retainer, the rates actually charged and the basis of assessment. Paying parties should identify the disputed grade, location, period and proposed rate in their Points of Dispute. Our Points of Dispute guide covers the format.

Always State Year and Band Together

A rates figure without its year and band is incomplete. When pleading, negotiating or advising, state both: "National 1, Grade B, 2026: £247" identifies the comparison being used. A familiar looking figure is not evidence that it is the right one.

How We Can Help

Mackenzie Costs advises on hourly rates in bills, budgets and Points of Dispute for firms and litigants across England and Wales. If rates are in issue on your assessment, contact us.

Sources

HMCTS: solicitors' guideline hourly rates and location bands and CPR Part 44.

Reviewed on 3 October 2026. Consult the current official table before using a rate in a new bill, budget or assessment.

Related Specialist Support

Costs Budgeting and Detailed Assessment: Precedent H, dispute documents, negotiations and assessment strategy.
Bills of Costs: Clear, defensible traditional and electronic bills prepared for recovery.
Costs Lawyer Support: Direct help with costs procedure, strategy, drafting and advocacy.