Fees

Council reviews and approves the Society’s budget, including the fee schedule, for the following year at its April meeting.  

2025-2026 Society Fees

• Practising: $2,750 + HST
• Non-Practising: $330 + HST  
• Retired members: $53 + HST 

LIANS Levy 

• The full cost of insurance is $2,705 but a credit of $716 reduces the net amount to $1,989 + HST for lawyers in private practice.
• $1,623 for lawyers practising with the Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission and Dalhousie Legal Aid Service, and $350 for lawyers employed in the civil service of the Province of Nova Scotia.  

Paying your Membership Fees 

Fees must be paid in full by June 30^th. Practising members have the option for monthly payment, but only through the Society’s Automatic withdrawal plan through the member portal. (See details below)

Invoices are available online through your Member Portal. There are options to reset your username and password. If you still have difficulty accessing your portal, please contact the Society’s reception at 902-422-1491.

Payment Options  

We encourage the use of the member portal for payment of invoices. Payment through the portal will record payment and update your account in real time. Copies of invoices and receipts are also available through the Portal.

Payment through the Portal can be made using:

1. Credit Cards – Note: Processing fees apply, (Visa/MC 2.5%+HST, Amex 3.5%+HST)
2. Direct from your bank account (ACH) – No fees apply.
3. Monthly automatic recurring Fee payments from your bank account (ACH) via “Autopay” – Payment via ACH (direct from bank account) with automatic withdrawal is mandatory if paying monthly.

To pay from your bank account: Select ACH as the payment method. Enter your Branch Transit number, Financial institution number and Account number.

Examples of how to  find your banking information on the bottom of a cheque can be found at: CIBC Example, RBC Example, TD Example

Other payment options outside of the member portal are:

1. Payment via EFT – Contact the Society’s Accounting Administrator for banking information.
2. Payment via Cheque
3. Payment via online banking bill payment function (Not e-mail transfer) – If setting up for the first time, search for Nova Scotia Barristers Society under add vendor/payee, then use your membership number (no spaces or dashes) as the account number.

The online bill payment function will be discontinued after the 2025 fee year, as payment direct from your bank account is now available via the member portal.

Email transfers are not accepted.

Payment must be received by the Society no later than the due date. If choosing an option outside the portal, please allow time for the payment to reach the Society. Electronic payments outside the portal may take two to three business days.

Monthly payment program for the 2025/26 fee year.

The monthly payment process has changed for the 2025/26 fee year.

• Membership Fees and Insurance may be invoiced and paid monthly, but monthly payment is permitted only where the member has registered for automatic payments direct from their bank account, via autopay (setup through the Member Portal)

• For those registered for monthly payment, the system will now generate a monthly invoice, and payment will be automatically withdrawn from the bank account in the system.
  • The automatic withdrawal only applies to monthly membership and insurance invoices. Other invoices such as application fees are not paid automatically.

• There will be 12 equal payments, commencing June 1^st.
  • Payments will now come out on the first of the month, covering the following month. i.e. The invoice and payment processed on June 1^st will cover fees and insurance for the month of July. 
    • Note: Advance payment avoids the requirement to suspend members in the event of a payment issue or error and allows time to address the issue. e.g. if payment is returned for non-sufficient funds.
  • Monthly payment administration fees of $6.67 +HST apply (For an annual total of $80 + HST.)
    • Previously 2 months of fees plus the full year of administration fees were drawn in June and 10 subsequent monthly payments. This is no longer the case.

• Note: Monthly invoicing and setup of the automatic payment banking information is tracked at the member level. The invoice and payment are triggered for each individual.
  • If a firm is paying for multiple lawyers, this will be processed as multiple individual transactions, not as a total firm amount. The firm will see multiple individual payments on their bank statement.

Enrolling in Monthly Autopay Invoicing.

• Members who are not currently registered for monthly automatic withdrawal will be invoiced annually by default. Members wishing to move to the monthly automatic withdrawal program will need to contact the Society’s accounting department (accadmin@nsbs.org)
  • An initial invoice will be issued for the period required to bring the member current with the autopay schedule (i.e. payment up to the end of the month following the current month, less credit for previous Non practising fees if applicable)
  • The member will:
    • Go into the member portal
    • Select the invoice for payment
    • Under Membership Payment Options: Tick the box saying “Automatically pay future renewals”
    • Under payment method: Select ACH. Enter bank account information, and Submit order.

• If members have paid the full annual fees and insurance for the year, they have the option to move to monthly invoicing for the following fee year. The Society does not provide refunds of annual payments and move members to monthly invoicing.

Viewing invoices and receipts:

• A member can view or download invoices and receipts from the member portal.
• Where firms are paying on behalf of members, the Company Administrator can view/download the invoices and receipts.