DBS Check Cost 2026: £20 Basic, £41 Enhanced, and How Long Each Takes

How much a DBS check costs from 5 October 2026

From Monday 5 October 2026 a basic DBS check costs £20.00, reduced from £21.50. A standard DBS check also costs £20.00, reduced from £21.50. An enhanced DBS check costs £41.00, reduced from £49.50, and an enhanced check with barred lists also costs £41.00. The Update Service subscription costs £15.00 a year, reduced from £16.00.

DBS announced the reductions on 9 September 2026 and they were given legal effect through a statutory instrument laid before Parliament the same day. DBS reviews its fees every year and sets each fee on the cost of delivering the product, as required by Managing Public Money.

Registered bodies and responsible organisations that submit applications may charge an administration fee on top of the DBS fee. Standard and enhanced checks for volunteers are free; a basic check costs £20 for all applicants, including volunteers.

What each level of DBS check shows

A basic check shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions. A standard check shows spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that have not been filtered. An enhanced check shows the same as a standard check plus any information held by local police that the police judge relevant to the role. An enhanced check with barred lists also shows whether the person is on a list of people barred from working with children or adults.

Standard and enhanced checks are only available to employers entitled by law to ask an exempted question under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. DBS guidance states that knowingly requesting a higher-level check than the legislation allows is unlawful.

Anyone aged 16 or over who works in England or Wales can apply for a basic check online through GOV.UK.

How long a DBS check takes

The Disclosure and Barring Service set targets for 2025 to 2026 of issuing 85% of basic checks within 2 days, 85% of standard checks within 3 days and 80% of enhanced checks within 14 days. It issued 87.4% of basic checks within 2 days, at an average of 0.8 days, and 90.6% of standard checks within 3 days, at an average of 1.2 days.

For enhanced checks, 75% were issued within 14 days, short of the 80% target, at an average of 12.4 days. The 80% level was reached on day 20. Around 65% of enhanced checks were completed without referral to local police forces, and 98.5% of those were completed within 10 days. Police forces took an average of 13.3 days on referred checks against a service level agreement of 12 days.

GOV.UK states that a basic check application usually takes up to 3 days to process before the certificate is posted. DBS issued 7,433,877 certificates in 2025 to 2026.

Source: DBS Annual Report and Accounts 2025 to 2026

The five stages of a standard or enhanced check

A standard or enhanced check passes through five stages. At stage one, the application form is received and validated, and forms with errors are returned to the countersignatory within 24 hours of receipt. At stage two, the Police National Computer is searched.

At stage three, the Children's and Adults' Barred Lists are searched where the role requires it. At stage four, records held by local police forces are searched. Stages three and four do not apply to basic checks. At stage five, the DBS certificate is printed and posted.

DBS guidance states that some checks take longer, especially enhanced checks that are referred to the police.

The DBS Update Service and certificate expiry

The DBS Update Service keeps a standard or enhanced certificate up to date so that it can be reused for roles needing the same level and workforce. The service costs £15 a year and is free for volunteers. Applicants can join using their application reference number, and DBS must receive the application form within 28 days. Applicants can also join within 30 days of the certificate being issued.

Employers do not need to pay or register to carry out an online status check, but they need the person's permission and a legal entitlement to check. The Update Service had 2.8 million subscribers at the end of March 2026.

There is no official expiry date for a DBS certificate. Employers decide when a new check is needed.

Checks in Northern Ireland and Scotland

DBS checks cover England and Wales. Northern Ireland uses AccessNI and Scotland uses Disclosure Scotland. AccessNI charges £16 for a basic check, £16 for a standard check and £32 for an enhanced check.

AccessNI's enhanced check targets are 70% within 10 days, 95% within 21 days and 98% within 28 days, with an average of 5 days in the week beginning 26 October 2026. Disclosure Scotland's published fees from 1 April 2025 are £25 for a Level 1 disclosure and £25 for a Level 2 disclosure.

Joining the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme costs £59, or £18 for an existing scheme member, and PVG membership for volunteers is free. PVG scheme membership now lasts for five years.

Source: GOV.UK, nidirect and Disclosure Scotland fee pages

Frequently asked questions

How much is a DBS check in 2026?

From 5 October 2026 a basic or standard DBS check costs £20 and an enhanced check costs £41, with or without barred lists. Registered bodies may add an administration fee.

How long does a DBS check take?

In 2025 to 2026 DBS issued 87.4% of basic checks within 2 days and 90.6% of standard checks within 3 days. GOV.UK says a basic application usually takes up to 3 days to process.

How long does an enhanced DBS check take?

Enhanced checks took an average of 12.4 days to issue in 2025 to 2026, and 75% were issued within 14 days. Checks referred to local police took longer; around 65% were not referred and 98.5% of those were done within 10 days.

Are DBS checks free for volunteers?

Standard and enhanced checks are free for volunteers, and so is the Update Service. A basic check costs £20 for everyone, including volunteers.

Does a DBS check expire?

A DBS certificate has no official expiry date. Employers decide when a new check is needed, and the Update Service, at £15 a year, lets employers check a certificate's status online for free.