Pennsylvania Code › Title 204 - JUDICIAL SYSTEM GENERAL PROVISIONS › Part VII - ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF PENNSYLVANIA COURTS › Chapter 221 - COURT INTERPRETERS FOR PERSONS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND FOR PERSONS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING › Subchapter 4 - DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES › Schedule G - Interpreting Fee Schedule

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
Pursuant to
					 42 Pa.C.S. §
											4411(d) and § 4431(d), the
					 Court Administrator establishes the following reasonable fee schedule for
					 onsite, video, and telephonic interpreting services rendered by certified and
					 otherwise qualified interpreters in judicial proceedings and other court
					 services. These fees apply to both foreign and sign language
					 interpretation.
The compensation schedule is subject to periodic review by
					 the Court Administrator.
Onsite, Video, and Telephonic Interpreting Fee
					 Schedule
Interpreter
							 Classification
Hourly up to 3.5
							 Hours
Half & Full Day
Hourly (2 hr. min.)
30 Minutes Increments (1/2 hourly rate)
Half
							 Day (3.5 hrs.)
Full Day (7 hrs.)
Master
$80
$40
$260
$475
Certified
$65
$32.50
$210
$400
Qualified
$45
$22.50
$140
$270
Conditional
$35
$17.50
$105
$200
Registered
$60
$30
$200
$390
Rare or uncommon languages and interpreters from
							 resource lists provided by the ICP
Interpreters in this
							 category will be compensated based on their qualifications, experience, type of
							 case, and language within the parameters of the compensation schedule and the
							 guidelines. Note: Rare or uncommon languages are languages of low diffusion not
							 listed in the ICP Roster.
A.
Onsite Interpreting Provisions
1.
Assignments.
An
				  assignment is the contracted timeframe for which the interpreter is retained
				  regardless of the number of cases scheduled within that timeframe. For example,
				  when interpreters are assigned to several cases at various courts in the same
				  judicial district/county which are scheduled sequentially on the same day, that
				  constitutes an assignment, and compensation will be based on the total time
				  worked in that district that day. The two (2) hour minimum applies per
				  assignment, not on a per case basis. A half-day consists of three and a half
				  (3.5) hours, and a full day consists of seven (7) hours.
2.
Cancellation.
Cancellations are based on business days and exclude weekends and holidays.
i. Interpreters who receive at least
				  forty-eight (48) hours' advance notice of a cancellation, excluding weekends
				  and holidays, are not entitled to a cancellation fee.
ii.
Hourly, half, and one day
				  assignments.
If cancellation occurs with less than forty-eight (48)
				  hours' notice provided to the interpreter, excluding weekends and holidays, the
				  cancellation fee shall be equivalent to two (2) hours' pay based on the hourly
				  rate and interpreter classification.
iii.
Multiple day
				  assignments.
When the interpreter is hired for an assignment lasting
				  two (2) or more days, if cancellation occurs with less than forty-eight (48)
				  hours' notice provided to the interpreter, excluding weekends and holidays, the
				  cancellation fee shall be equivalent to one (1) full day compensation for the
				  first day and two (2) hours for each additional day based on interpreter
				  classification. If a case ends before the contracted time
				  (
e.g.
, an interpreter is retained for a three (3) day trial,
				  but the case settles after the first day), an interpreter will be entitled to
				  two (2) hours pay for each canceled day.
iv. Interpreters will be entitled to
				  reimbursement of any incurred expenses in accordance with Section 4.
v. When the interpreter cancels an
				  assignment, there will be no compensation.
3.
Compensation, time extensions, and
				  overtime.
i.
Minimum
				  compensation.
When hired at an hourly rate, interpreters are entitled
				  to a two (2) hour minimum guaranteed compensation per assignment based on the
				  interpreter's credentialing level.
ii.
Hourly Rate.
The first
				  two hours are paid according to the table above. After the second hour,
				  compensation will be paid at half (1/2) the hourly rate in thirty (30) minute
				  increments based on the interpreter credentialing level. Judicial districts are
				  strongly encouraged to consider hiring at the half- or full-day rate when
				  assignments are expected to go over two (2) hours and when hiring for more than
				  one case.
iii.
Half-day
				  rate.
The first three and a half (3.5) hours are paid according to the
				  table above. Assignments that exceed three and a half (3.5) hours but are less
				  than seven (7) hours long will be paid at half (1/2) the hourly rate in thirty
				  (30) minute increments based on the interpreter's credentialing
				  level.
iv.
Full-day
				  rate.
A full-day rate consists of seven (7) hours paid according to
				  the table above.
v.
Overtime.
Overtime will be paid only when an assignment
				  exceeds a full day (7 hours). Overtime compensation will be in hourly
				  increments at one and a half (1.5) times the hourly rate based on the
				  interpreter's credentialing level.
vi.
Assignments outside normal
				  business hours (5 pm to 8 am).
Assignments that occur outside of
				  normal business hours will be paid at one and a half (1.5) times the hourly
				  rate based on the interpreter's credentialing level. A two (2) hour minimum
				  will apply. Additional time will be paid at one and a half (1.5) times the
				  hourly rate in thirty (30) minute increments based on the interpreter's
				  credentialing level.
4.
Mileage, parking, tolls, and travel
.
i. Mileage will be paid at the prevailing
				  rate in the county or court whenever the interpreter travels more than
				  twenty-five (25) miles round trip to an assignment. If no mileage rate is set
				  locally, mileage will be paid at the prevailing Internal Revenue Service rate.
				  Tolls will be reimbursed with proof of payment (
e.g.
, detailed
				  bills evidencing payment, receipts, and/or canceled checks).
ii. Parking will be paid in full when no free
				  parking exists within a five (5)-block radius of the assignment location.
				  Parking will not be paid when free parking is provided.
iii. Travel time will be paid when the
				  interpreter travels more than two (2) hours round trip from the interpreter's
				  normal business address or location to an assignment. Travel time will be paid
				  at half (1/2) the hourly compensation rate for the interpreter's
				  classification.
iv.
Travel
				  by public transportation.
If travel by bus, train, or plane is
				  required, the interpreter is entitled to full reimbursement of travel costs.
				  Courts are encouraged to make the necessary travel arrangements.
v.
Overnight accommodations.
If overnight hotel accommodations are required for the completion of an
				  assignment, this expense is reimbursable to the interpreter. Courts are
				  encouraged to make the necessary reservations themselves at a local hotel close
				  to the assignment location. The interpreter is also entitled to a per diem for
				  overnight assignments based on the prevailing federal CONUS rates.
vi. Proof of payment (
e.g.
,
				  detailed bills evidencing payment, receipts, and/or canceled checks) must
				  accompany all requests for reimbursement.
5.
Interpreting Equipment
.
				  Interpreters are not allowed to charge for the use of their own interpreting
				  equipment. Courts are encouraged to purchase interpreting equipment and make it
				  available to interpreters.