Litigant in person costs — claiming your time and expenses

REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-08-28

You CAN recover something even without a solicitor

Under s.67 Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 (and the related provisions), a litigant in person can recover certain costs — including for their own time — when the court orders costs in their favour. It's rarely a windfall, but it's a real right that keeps an unreasonable opponent from getting off scot-free.

What you can claim

Work/time — an hourly rate applying when you did the work yourself (practice direction fixes a modest hourly rate, historically around £19-an-hour; check the current one), subject to the work being of a type "for which a solicitor would have charged"
Expenses — court fees, travel, postage, printing, copying, witness fees, loss of earnings actually suffered for attending court (receipts needed)
Disbursements — genuine out-of-pocket for the case

What you CANNOT claim

Your "opportunity cost" or general stress
Extravagant or unreasonable hours (the court caps what's proportionate)
Anything a solicitor wouldn't have billed for (e.g. time you spent on unrelated matters)

Evidence you must show

A schedule of your time (date, task, hours) and expenses (receipts)
Proof you were the LiP (not represented) for the work claimed
Correlation between the hours and actual case work (the court dislikes "round number" padding)

When it applies

Only when the court has ordered costs in your favour (see our costs order guide) — it's not automatic
The court applies the same proportionality and reasonableness tests as against a represented party, but the bill reflects your hourly rate rather than a solicitor's

Difference from a solicitor's bill

The biggest difference: a solicitor claims full hourly rates + profit costs; a LiP claims a fixed, modest hourly rate for their own work PLUS expenses. So the recovered amount will be far lower than a lawyer's bill — but meaningfully better than nothing, and it signals to the other side that unreasonable conduct carries a price.

Practical tip

Keep the costs diary from day one — a running spreadsheet of hours and receipts. By the time you need it, reconstructing a year of case work from memory is nearly impossible.

Official links

Courts and Legal Services Act s.67: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/41/section/67
https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/family

This page is general information, not legal advice. YourFamilyCase.co.uk is an independent information directory and is not affiliated with HMCTS or gov.uk.

Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.