Legal transcription pricing is usually quoted per audio minute, then adjusted for speaker count, turnaround, language, and whether you need a certified human transcript. This guide uses the rates published on the Legal Transcription Services homepage and on our legal transcription pricing page, so you can build a budget before you ask for a number on a specific file. It is general information for planning. It is not legal advice, and it is not an invoice.
A published table is the right place to start. It is not the last step. Audio quality, a request for a particular format, and a mix of languages can change what we confirm on a quote. We say so before work begins.
What the per minute rate is paying for
Certified legal transcripts cost more than casual notes because a person does the work. At Legal Transcription Services, certified transcripts are prepared by human transcriptionists based in the United States. Certified work does not use AI. The transcript is reviewed, and formatting follows the requirements you provide. Our site publishes a 99 percent accuracy commitment, or your money back, backed by that review.
You are paying for listening time, legal vocabulary, speaker labels, and a file you can hand to a colleague without first repairing obvious errors. An informal draft can be cheaper because it skips that review. If the text will be cited, filed, or relied on as the record, the certified human path is the one to price. For the decision itself, see certified transcripts compared with AI drafts.
We have done this work for more than 15 years for attorneys, court reporters, and law firms. We are a transcription service. We are not a law firm, and we do not tell you what a court will accept.
Published court transcription rates
English court style work uses the same speaker table on the homepage, the pricing page, and our court transcription page. Depositions are commonly priced on that same table. Confirm the fit when you request a quote.
One or two speakers
* Rush, 1 to 2 business days: $2.50 per audio minute * Standard, 3 to 5 business days: $2.00 per audio minute * Extended, 6 to 10 business days: $1.75 per audio minute
Three or more speakers
* Rush, 1 to 2 business days: $5.25 per audio minute * Standard, 3 to 5 business days: $3.25 per audio minute * Extended, 6 to 10 business days: $2.75 per audio minute
Business days, not calendar days. A file that arrives on Friday does not start a clock that runs through the weekend. Rush capacity is limited, so call early when the date is close.
Spanish transcription or translation
* Standard ASAP: $6.00 per audio minute
That Spanish rate covers transcription or translation at the published ASAP rate. It is a separate line from the English table. Details are on the Spanish legal transcription page.
Worked estimates from the published table
These examples multiply audio minutes by the published rate. They show the arithmetic. They are not a quote, and they do not include an adjustment we might confirm after we hear the file.
* A 45 minute hearing with one or two speakers, standard timing: 45 times $2.00 equals $90. * A 2 hour motion argument with one or two speakers, extended timing: 120 times $1.75 equals $210. * A 30 minute hearing with three or more speakers, standard timing: 30 times $3.25 equals $97.50. * A 90 minute deposition with three or more speakers, rush timing: 90 times $5.25 equals $472.50. * A 10 minute excerpt with one or two speakers, rush timing: 10 times $2.50 equals $25. * A 20 minute Spanish passage at the ASAP rate: 20 times $6.00 equals $120.
Count the length of the audio you want transcribed, not the length of the whole recording if you only need part of it. If you need one witness from a long day, say where to start and where to stop. We transcribe the portion you mark.
If a recording mixes English and Spanish, mark the Spanish portions. Those minutes should be priced on the Spanish rate, not quietly folded into the English table.
Rush, standard, and extended
The three windows are a calendar choice as much as a price choice.
Rush (1 to 2 business days) is the highest per minute rate. Use it for a filing, a hearing, or a witness prep date that will not move. Send the file as soon as you have it. A late afternoon upload may not have a full business day left in it. Tell us the date you need the transcript, not only the word rush.
Standard (3 to 5 business days) is the middle rate and the right default for most matters that are active but not due tomorrow. It is the figure to use when you are building a litigation budget and the docket is normal.
Extended (6 to 10 business days) is the lowest published English rate. Use it when the calendar allows: a transcript for the file, a later brief, or overflow that does not have a hearing in front of it. Ordering extended and then asking for rush after we start is a different job. Ask for the window you actually need.
Longer files, poor audio, or heavy crosstalk can take longer than the window you selected. We confirm that when you submit, rather than missing the date in silence.
Why speaker count changes the rate
Two people taking turns are easier to follow than four people in one room. Examining counsel, defending counsel, the witness, and sometimes a reporter or an interpreter can all be on one deposition. Hearings add the court, a clerk, and counsel for more than one party. The 3 or more speaker rates are higher because that listening takes more time and because a wrong speaker label is a real error, not a cosmetic one.
If you know you are near the line, say so. A recording billed as one or two speakers that is actually a full hearing will be requoted on the 3 or more table before work starts. Sending a speaker list does not by itself change the rate. It does make the transcript more accurate. Names, roles, and spellings are worth more than a guess from the audio.
For how speaker labels work on depositions, see deposition transcription.
What can move a quote off the table
The table assumes a normal certified court style job in English. Several things can change the estimate. We do not publish a separate dollar add on for each of them, because the right answer depends on the file. The quote is where that number gets confirmed.
* Poor audio, a recording made from across a room, or music and noise under the voices * Heavy crosstalk, people talking at once, or a remote meeting where several mics are open * A format that follows a sample, a line layout, or a caption block you need matched * True verbatim, which keeps fillers and false starts and takes a closer pass than cleaned up verbatim * Spanish transcription or translation, priced on the Spanish rate * A very short file with a very fast deadline, where the minimum practical effort is not the same as a long, clean recording
Specialty formatting and verbatim preferences are listed on our pricing page as reasons an estimate can change. State them up front. Cleaned up verbatim and true verbatim are defined on the certified and verbatim page. Certification is a separate choice from verbatim style. You can order a certified transcript in either style. You can also label a job as something less formal if you do not need certification. Do not leave that unspoken, or the job will be scoped as certified work.
How this compares with court reporter services
Court reporters provide a different service. They appear at the proceeding, capture the record in real time, and often bill for attendance and for a realtime feed. Those fees are not the same as a per minute transcription rate on a file that already exists.
Transcription companies typically price from audio or video after the fact. Many firms use both. A reporter covers the live proceeding. A transcription service covers overflow, a digitized recording, or a human transcript when in house capacity is full. We do not claim to replace a licensed court reporter. We are not the official reporter of record unless you engage us for overflow or backup and tell us the format you need.
If you are comparing a reporter’s appearance fee with our per minute table, you are comparing two products. Ask what each deliverable includes before you treat the smaller number as the cheaper record.
How to get an accurate quote
A useful quote request has a few facts. You do not need a perfect memo.
* Approximate audio length, or the portion you want transcribed * Speaker count, plus names and roles if you know them * Rush, standard, or extended, and the date you need the file * English only, or Spanish transcription or translation as well * True verbatim or cleaned up verbatim * Whether you need certification * Any style sheet, sample transcript, or spelling list * Notes on rough audio or heavy crosstalk
Submit through the free quote form or contact us. Call (888) 398 1098, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Email info@legaltranscriptionservices.com if you want to describe the file before you upload. We confirm scope, rate, and turnaround before work begins.
Files move through secure upload, human transcription, review, and secure download. The homepage states that we are CJIS and HIPAA compliant. Read how we use that language on the security and certification page. We do not add certifications the site does not already state.
Questions attorneys ask about cost
Is legal transcription billed per page or per minute?
Our published certified court rates are per audio minute, not per page. Page counts vary with formatting, so a per minute rate is the figure you can estimate from the recording length.
Which rate applies to a deposition?
Depositions are commonly priced on the court table above. Use the one or two speaker column only when that is truly the speaker count. Most depositions belong on the three or more column. Say so on the quote.
Do weekends count in rush turnaround?
The published windows are business days. Rush is 1 to 2 business days, standard is 3 to 5, and extended is 6 to 10.
Is the Spanish rate added on top of the English rate?
No. Spanish transcription or translation is $6.00 per audio minute at the standard ASAP rate. English minutes stay on the English table. A mixed file should be split in the estimate so each minute uses the right rate.
Can I budget from this page and skip a quote?
You can budget from the table. You should still request a quote before you rely on a number for a specific file. Audio quality, formatting, and verbatim style can change what we confirm. There is no charge to ask.
Does a cheaper AI draft replace this rate?
Not when you need a certified transcript. We do not use AI on certified work, and we do not price a machine draft as if it were a certified human transcript. If you only need informal notes, this rate card is the wrong product.
Request a free quote when you have the file, or call (888) 398 1098 if you want to price the job before you upload.