The 2026 State Appropriations Act, enacted on July 7, provides the Office of Indigent Defense Services (IDS) with additional funding for the Private Assigned Counsel (PAC) Fund.
At its August 7 meeting, the IDS Commission voted for an across-the-board rate increase for court-appointed counsel.
The new rates will become effective October 1, 2026.
IDS will post a detailed revised rate sheet in the coming weeks as well as information about implementation across various payment models (e.g., PAC roster, MAC and other contracts, flat fee districts).
Some highlights include:
- Misdemeanor rates will rise to $85 an hour;
- Low-level felonies to $90;
- High-level felonies to $110; and
- Potentially capital cases to $120.
- The hourly rate for A/N/D cases and TPR cases will be $90.
- In order to raise rates in this amount, mileage will no longer be reimbursed in non-capital cases. Your tax professional may be able to advise you on deducting your mileage at the higher IRS rate.
Please watch your inbox and check the www.ncids.org homepage for additional updates.
IDS is grateful to the General Assembly for recognizing the need for additional PAC funding. Above all, the IDS Commissioners and agency staff are grateful to the lawyers who do this important work for the people of North Carolina.
Thank you to all the attorneys and stakeholders for your tenacity, perseverance and dedication.
Mary S. Pollard, Newly Retired IDS Executive Director
and
Whitney B. Fairbanks, IDS Executive Director