CJA eVoucher time entry: CJA-20 billing, service codes, and the tenth-hour rule.

How a CJA-20 voucher records your time

A CJA-20 voucher is built from service entries. Each entry is one line of work and carries four things: the date, a short description, the hours (in tenths of an hour), and a CJA-20 service type that classifies the work. You can key entries in one at a time, or, beginning with eVoucher release 6.6, import a batch of them from a CSV file. The steps below walk the full path from opening the voucher to certifying it.

1. Open the CJA-20 voucher for the case. In eVoucher, open the CJA-20 voucher for the appointment and go to the Services tab, where each unit of work is recorded as its own service entry.
2. Record one service entry per unit of work. For each entry, enter the date of the work, a short description of what you did, the hours spent (in tenths of an hour), and the CJA-20 service type that fits the work.
3. Assign the correct CJA-20 service type. Pick one of the twelve service types (codes 15a through 16e). In-court work uses 15a through 15g; out-of-court work uses 16a through 16e. The category is not inferred from your description, so choose it deliberately.
4. Round each entry to a tenth of an hour. Enter time already rounded to the nearest tenth of an hour (six minutes). eVoucher rounds any value with more than one decimal place, so rounding yourself keeps the certified figure the one you intended.
5. Or import many entries at once from a CSV. Beginning with eVoucher release 6.6 you can import service entries from a CSV file whose first row is the header Date,Hours,Description,Service Type,Doc#,Pages. A header row is required, and a description that contains a comma must be wrapped in double quotes so the columns stay aligned.
6. Review every figure before you certify. Confirm the totals, the service types, and the rounded hours, then certify the voucher. Confirm your district's current import template first, because the exact format and available service types can vary by court.

Format and rules taken from the U.S. Courts CJA eVoucher “Import Service Entries” help. The exact template and available service types can vary by district; confirm your court's current import format before uploading.

The twelve CJA-20 service-type codes

eVoucher classifies every entry into one of twelve service types. Codes in the 15 series are in-court work; codes in the 16 series are out-of-court work. You assign the code per entry, so it is worth knowing the full set rather than guessing.

Codes and labels are the values eVoucher documents in its import help (source linked above). The tool does not infer the category from your description, and neither should you: pick the code that fits the work.

The tenth-hour rounding rule

CJA counsel bill in tenth-hour increments, which means time is recorded to the nearest tenth of an hour, or six minutes. Twelve minutes is 0.2 hours; forty minutes is 0.7. eVoucher will round any value you enter with more than one decimal place, so the safest habit is to round each entry yourself before it goes in. That way the number you certify is the number you meant, not one the system adjusted after the fact. A tool that shows both the raw and the rounded figure lets you see exactly what changed.

What the panel rate pays your hours

Once the voucher is approved, your service hours are compensated at the CJA panel rate. For work performed on or after January 1, 2026, that rate is $177 per hour for non-capital representations and $226 per hour for capital representations, set under 18 U.S.C. § 3006A.

Cases also carry a compensation maximum. For 2026, the cap for felony representation in the district court is $13,800, and for an appeal it is $9,800. Compensation above the applicable maximum is possible, but it requires the presiding judge to certify the case as extended or complex and the chief judge of the circuit to approve it. The maximum that applies to a given matter depends on the offense level and the type of proceeding, so treat those two figures as the general district-court and appellate caps rather than your case's exact limit.

2026 rate: U.S. Courts CJA Rate Schedule (uscourts.gov). 2026 case maxima: fd.org rate and maximum news release.

CJA panel rate cited: $177/hr (2026 non-capital schedule, effective 2026-01-01). Source: uscourts.gov ↗.

How the format keeps a voucher from bouncing

Most import trouble is a formatting mismatch, not a judgment call. Each item below is a direct consequence of the documented eVoucher format, so getting the shape right up front avoids the round trip of a bounced import.

• A missing or wrong header row. The CSV's first row must be the column header. If row one holds data instead of headings, eVoucher ignores that row, so the first entry silently disappears.
• Hours with more than one decimal place. Time is billed in tenth-hour increments. A value like 1.28 gets rounded by the system; enter 1.3 yourself so the certified figure is the one you chose.
• An unquoted comma in a description. A description that contains a comma has to be wrapped in double quotes, or it splits into extra columns and the row no longer lines up with the schema.
• A missing or invalid service type. Every entry needs one of the twelve CJA-20 service types (15a through 16e). A blank or made-up code has no place to land in the voucher.
• A date outside the accepted forms. eVoucher accepts forms such as 1/1/26, 10/10/2026, or July 5, 2026. A date it cannot parse will not import cleanly.
• Hours outside the 0 to 24 range. Each entry's hours must fall between 0 and 24. A value outside that range is rejected on import.