Hearing Transcript Per Page Rates Fixed By Statute

Many states have passed legislation which governs how much can be charged for the transcript of a hearing. Iowa charges $3.50 per page for the original and the first copy, and 50 cents per page for every additional copy. Pennsylvania charges $1.25 per page for the original and 30 cents per page for each copy.

Some states charge reduced rates if the reporter uses a recorder; fixed rates for expedited transcripts; fixed rates for realtime transcripts; and reduced rates for transcripts prepared for state or county goverment.

The State of California charges per 100 words rather than per page. The rate is 85 cents per 100 words for original transcripts, and 20 cents for each 100 words for copies.

Michigan's 2/3 Rule for Transcript Copies

The State of Michigan enacted a law which prevents reporters from charging more than 2/3 the cost of an original transcript for any copy of the same transcript. See, Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.1491. The same statute also bars reporters from entering into blanket contracts with law firms, providing a fixed number of transcripts over a set time period, without disclosing the existence of the contract and its terms to all of the parties in any action for which services are provided.

How Much Is Charged for a Deposition and What Is Charged For?

Reporting services will typically charge in the range between $3 to $4 per page for a transcript, but the cost of a deposition is not simply based on this one factor.

Most reporting services will also bill for the following services:

1. An appearance fee - $50 to $300 may be charged for the first hour of a reporter's services, and a lower rate may or may not be billed for each subsequent hour.

2. Transcript copy fee - some fraction of the per page cost for the original transcript will be charged for transcript copies. Perhaps in the range of $1 to $2.50 per page.

3. Expedited transcript - a reporter will charge between 30% to 100% above the standard rate to prepare a transcript in a shorter period of time. Reporters will typically be given 8-10 days to finalize a transcript. The rate might be doubled to get a transcript turned around in 1 day; or 70% more to have the transcript finalized in 3 days.

4. Exhibit copy fees - Copies of exhibits marked at the deposition may cost between $0.10 to $1.00 per page.

5. Video fee - A reporting service may charge between $150 to $500 to set up the audio-visual equipment needed. A lower charge will be billed for each hour the deposition takes after the first hour - perhaps between $50 to $200 per hour.

6. Synchronization fee - Some reporters will charge around $40 to $100 to synch the text of the transcript with the video, but often this charge is waived. Software has been developed which can largely automate the process.

7. Realtime connection - between $1.50 to $3.50 may be charged for a realtime feed to the reporter's transcript. A lower rate may be charged for each additional realtime connection.

8. Rough draft transcript - between $1.00 to $2.50 may be charged for a copy of the rough draft of the transcript in the form it exists when the deposition ends.

Additional fees may be charged for shipping hard copies of exhibits and transcripts; scanning and OCRing deposition exhibits; preparing copies of DVDs; digitizing a videotape as a MPEG video file; and overtime work on the deposition.