The process for annual renewals, monthly payments, and company administrators has changed this year, with the steps now occurring through our upgraded Member Portal. We are pleased to provide the following overview of all changes, along with detailed instructions and a link to our recent training session. We hope these materials are helpful. Should you have additional questions or comments, please reach out to us at communications@nsbs.org.
KEY DATES
- All members (licensees) received notification emails from May 12 – May 22, 2025.
- Renewal invoices were processed and now available through the Member Portal.
- Payment of fees must be received by NSBS by June 30, 2025.
- The new membership fee year commences July 1, 2025.
RENEWAL PROCESS CHANGES
- Invoices are now accessed by logging into the Accounting section of the Member Portal.
- Payments may be made directly through the portal, and invoices or receipts may be downloaded or printed.
- Individual invoices are no longer emailed to members.
PRACTISING LAWYERS:
The renewal process involves two steps:
- Completion of the Annual Lawyers Report / Declaration, and
- Payment of Annual Fees and Insurance.
Practising Lawyer Renewal Instructions
- Log into the Member Portal. There are options to recover your login and reset your password if required.
- Click on “File annual declaration / renewal” (bottom left).
- Complete each page of the report and click Next. NOTE: If a mandatory field is not complete it will not progress. Upon submission of the report, you will be taken to the Fees page.
- A summary of fees outstanding is displayed. If you are registered for monthly payment or if the fees are already paid, no outstanding amount will show.
- You have an option to request a change from annual billing to monthly billing or vice versa. NSBS Accounting staff will follow up with you if you request a change.
- If an amount is owing, you will have options to:
- “Pay Later or My Firm Will Be Paying”. Fees must be received by NSBS by June 30, 2025.
- “Pay Now”: You will be taken to the Cart. Payment options are:
- Credit card – processing fees apply, or
- Direct from Bank account – No processing fees. You will need to enter your 5-digit Transit #, 3-digit Financial Institution number and your account number.
NON-PRACTISING and RETIRED LAWYERS:
Not required to complete Annual Lawyers Report.
Can access and pay invoices directly from the portal through the Accounting option.
Payments through the Portal can be made either by:
- Credit card – processing fees apply, or
- Direct from Bank account – No processing fees. You will need to enter your 5-digit Transit number, 3-digit Financial Institution number, and your account number.
Details on all available payment methods can be found on the Membership Fees page.
MONTHLY PAYMENT PROGRAM CHANGES
For 2025/26 those registered for monthly payments will receive 12 equal monthly invoices, on the first of each month, commencing June 1, 2025.
Each payment is automatically withdrawn from the specified bank account at the time of invoicing. Enrollment in “Autopay” with automatic withdrawal from a bank account is mandatory for those selecting the monthly payment option.
Each payment is done one month in advance. For example, the June 1 withdrawal covers the month of July.
Invoices and receipts are accessible through the portal.
Members and Company Administrators will now have access to maintain their own banking information through the Member Portal or Company Administrator Portal.
Details on the monthly payment option can be found on the Membership Fees page.
COMPANY ADMINISTRATOR CHANGES
Firms that are paying fees on behalf of lawyers employed by their firm now have access to a Company Administrator Portal. This enables the designated administrator to:
- Download summary reports showing fees owed by all lawyers on the Firm Roster.
- Access, download, print and pay invoices on behalf of the members who are on the firm’s roster.
- Download receipts following payment.
- Add or remove their employees from “Autopay” or change the banking information.
A training session for administrators paying on behalf of members was held on May 16, 2025.
A recording of the session is available here: Licensee Fee Processing Changes: Company Administration & Self-Service Options.
If a firm wishes to add or remove a Company Administrator, they can contact Pierre Benoit, Manager, Member Services & Data.