ALAS has produced a ‘Fees Guidance’ document in order to support both NRCPD lipspeakers and the general public.
In order to produce this document, we conducted a ‘Fees Survey’ of all NRCPD lipspeakers in March 2025. The results have been gathered and used to generate this ‘Lipspeaker Fees Guidance’ document. All information was gathered anonymously and has been used to inform this document.
The figures produced are the median of the survey results. This provides a mid-market rate and is intended to give people an idea of what is typical for a Lipspeaker, depending on where they live.
Most lipspeakers are self-employed and decide their own fees. These rates are only a guide.
Face-to-face Lipspeaking
A ‘Lipspeaker’ is a hearing person who has been professionally trained to be easy to lipread. Lipspeakers reproduce clearly the shapes of the words and the natural rhythm and stress used by the speaker. They also use facial expression, gesture and, if requested, finger spelling, to aid the lipreader’s understanding.
Online/Remote Lipspeaking
In April 2020, ALAS Lipspeakers started to transition to online working. Most ALAS Lipspeakers can work remotely on platforms including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Chime, WebEx and Google Meet.
Lipspeaking online is mentally taxing and requires a Lipspeaker to manage software, in addition to delivering a lipspeaking service. It is recommended that in general, lipspeakers should not work for more than one hour online without a break and particularly complex bookings will require more breaks after shorter periods of time.
British Sign Language Skills
Some lipspeakers have additional British Sign Language (BSL) skills. You can search the ALAS ‘Members’ directory to see what BSL skills each Lipspeaker has.
Short Duration Fee
Lipspeakers generally charge for work in full day (6 hour) and half day (3 hour) rates – this includes both the preparation required and the working/lipspeaking time. At the lipspeakers discretion, an alternative ‘short duration’ fee may be agreed if an assignment is significantly shorter. Some lipspeakers do not offer a short duration fee, as a short booking may prevent them from taking other work.
Specialist Work
Specialist lipspeaking work is likely to incur a higher fee. This includes any assignment which requires additional training, specific expertise and/or a substantial amount of preparation. You can always ask a Lipspeaker for their fee and a breakdown of the costs.
Out of Hours
Lipspeakers generally work Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm. Some lipspeakers work outside of these hours, but charge slightly more for out of hours work. This includes evenings, weekends and bank holidays. Please liaise with lipspeakers directly.
Cancellation Fees
0 – 7 days prior to date of assignment: 100% of agreed fee
8 – 14 days prior to date of assignment: 50% of agreed fee