Magistrates are not paid for carrying out their duties but may claim allowances within specified limits for travel, subsistence and financial loss. The structure of HMCS' financial systems does not enable the calculation of the daily amount paid in allowances.
From 1 August 2008, magistrates may claim the following daily allowances:
£ Four to eight hours 7.34 Eight to 12 hours 10.23
£ Self-employed Other Up to four hours 56.63 45.30 Over four hours 113.26 90.61
Approximately half of the 30,000 magistrates in England and Wales do not claim any allowances.
On average, magistrates sit 17.5 days per annum. The total loss of earnings and travel and subsistence costs paid to magistrates in each of the last three years was:
£ 2006-07 17,560,000 2007-08 16,911,000 2008-09 17,839,000