# Government fees and charges url: https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/government-fees/ updated: 29 September 2026 licence: Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Figures: each source's own licence, listed under Sources. publisher: [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk) # Government fees and charges Last updated 29 September 2026. Figures refresh every night. [How each figure is worked out](/methodology/). Most government fees are meant to recover the cost of a service, some are set below it, and a few are set above it on purpose. 19 of the fees on these pages are higher than a year ago. An adult passport is **£102** online, probate is **£526**, and immigration fees brought in more than three times the cost of processing in 2025-26, as the law allows. Figure as of 22 September 2026. Source: [HM Passport Office (Home Office)](https://www.gov.uk/passport-fees), [HM Courts & Tribunals Service (Ministry of Justice)](https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/fees). ## Key figures - 19 of 39Fees on these pages higher than a year ago Checked 22 September 2026 As of 22 September 2026 - £102An adult passport, online ▲ As of 8 April 2026 - £526A probate application ▲ As of 13 July 2026 - 335%Immigration fee income as a share of processing cost 100% would mean fees exactly cover cost 2025–26 - £100Biggest rise: Companies House incorporation - online/digital ▲ As of 1 February 2026 Sources: [HM Passport Office (Home Office)](https://www.gov.uk/passport-fees), [HM Courts & Tribunals Service (Ministry of Justice)](https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/fees), [Companies House (also funds Insolvency Service ECCTA enforcement)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/companies-house-fees/companies-house-fees). ## Which fees rose most on a year ago? | Fee | Now | A year ago | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Companies House incorporation - online/digitalDetails | £100 | £50 | +£50 (+100.0%) | | A year ago£50Change+£50 (+100.0%) | | | | | Probate application fee, estate over £5,000 (England & Wales)Details | £526 | £300 | +£226 (+75.3%) | | A year ago£300Change+£226 (+75.3%) | | | | | Companies House annual confirmation statement - onlineDetails | £50 | £34 | +£16 (+47.1%) | | A year ago£34Change+£16 (+47.1%) | | | | | Child (under 16) passport, UK online applicationDetails | £66.50 | £61.50 | +£5.00 (+8.1%) | | A year ago£61.50Change+£5.00 (+8.1%) | | | | | Child (under 16) passport, UK paper (postal) applicationDetails | £80 | £74 | +£6 (+8.1%) | | A year ago£74Change+£6 (+8.1%) | | | | | Adult passport, standard 34-page, UK paper (postal) applicationDetails | £115.50 | £107 | +£8.50 (+7.9%) | | A year ago£107Change+£8.50 (+7.9%) | | | | | Adult passport, standard 34-page, UK online applicationDetails | £102 | £94.50 | +£8 (+7.9%) | | A year ago£94.50Change+£8 (+7.9%) | | | | | Skilled Worker visa, over 3 years, applying from outside the UKDetails | £1,618 | £1,519 | +£99 (+6.5%) | | A year ago£1,519Change+£99 (+6.5%) | | | | | Indefinite leave to remain (settlement)Details | £3,226 | £3,029 | +£197 (+6.5%) | | A year ago£3,029Change+£197 (+6.5%) | | | | | Skilled Worker visa, up to 3 years, applying from outside the UKDetails | £819 | £769 | +£50 (+6.5%) | | A year ago£769Change+£50 (+6.5%) | | | | | Family visa (Route to Settlement, e.g. spouse or partner) - applying from outside the UKDetails | £2,064 | £1,938 | +£126 (+6.5%) | | A year ago£1,938Change+£126 (+6.5%) | | | | | British citizenship by naturalisation (application fee; £130 ceremony fee on top)Details | £1,709 | £1,605 | +£104 (+6.5%) | | A year ago£1,605Change+£104 (+6.5%) | | | | Checked 22 September 2026. Source: [HM Passport Office (Home Office)](https://www.gov.uk/passport-fees). Checked by hand 22 September 2026. ## Are fees set above cost or below it? The default rule for government fees, in the Treasury's *Managing Public Money*, is that a fee should recover the full cost of the service and no more. Parliament has made exceptions in both directions: some fees may be set above cost by law, including court fees, immigration fees and personalised number plates, and some are kept below cost as a policy choice. **Fee income as a share of the cost of the service, latest year** 100% means fees exactly cover cost. Above 100% is a surplus, below it a subsidy from general taxation. **The numbers behind this chart** | Year | Share of cost recovered | | --- | --- | | HM Passport Office | 77% | | Visas and immigration (UKVI) | 335% | | DBS | 113% | | General Register Office (certificates) | 37% | | DVLA | 94% | | HM Land Registry | 105% | | Courts and tribunals (HMCTS) | 69% | | Companies House | 103% | Figure as of 22 September 2026. Source: [HM Passport Office (Home Office)](https://www.gov.uk/passport-fees). | Body | Year | Fee income | Cost | Surplus or deficit | Share of cost recovered | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [HM Passport Office](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a5651002cbe5d1c179a64ba/36.54_HO_ARA_25-26_ELAY_2.pdf)Details | 2025–26 | £684m | £886m | £-202m | 77% | | Year2025–26Cost£886mSurplus or deficit£-202mShare of cost recovered77% | | | | | | | [HM Passport Office](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a5651002cbe5d1c179a64ba/36.54_HO_ARA_25-26_ELAY_2.pdf)Details | 2024–25 | £668m | £924m | £-257m | 72% | | Year2024–25Cost£924mSurplus or deficit£-257mShare of cost recovered72% | | | | | | | [Visas and immigration (UKVI)](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a5651002cbe5d1c179a64ba/36.54_HO_ARA_25-26_ELAY_2.pdf)Details | 2025–26 | £3.6bn | £1.1bn | £2.5bn | 335% | | Year2025–26Cost£1.1bnSurplus or deficit£2.5bnShare of cost recovered335% | | | | | | | [DBS](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a5651002cbe5d1c179a64ba/36.54_HO_ARA_25-26_ELAY_2.pdf)Details | 2025–26 | £272m | £240m | £31.6m | 113% | | Year2025–26Cost£240mSurplus or deficit£31.6mShare of cost recovered113% | | | | | | | [General Register Office (certificates)](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a5651002cbe5d1c179a64ba/36.54_HO_ARA_25-26_ELAY_2.pdf)Details | 2025–26 | £29.4m | £78.6m | £-49.2m | 37% | | Year2025–26Cost£78.6mSurplus or deficit£-49.2mShare of cost recovered37% | | | | | | | [DVLA](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a54c7872467584757371df3/DVLA_annual_report_and_accounts_2025_to_2026.pdf)Details | 2025–26 | £351m | £374m | £-23.4m | 94% | | Year2025–26Cost£374mSurplus or deficit£-23.4mShare of cost recovered94% | | | | | | | [DVLA](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a54c7872467584757371df3/DVLA_annual_report_and_accounts_2025_to_2026.pdf)Details | 2024–25 | £342m | £351m | £-9.3m | 97% | | Year2024–25Cost£351mSurplus or deficit£-9.3mShare of cost recovered97% | | | | | | | [HM Land Registry](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-land-registry-annual-report-and-accounts-2025-to-2026/annual-report-and-accounts-2025-to-2026-html)Details | 2025–26 | £501m | £478m | £23.3m | 105% | | Year2025–26Cost£478mSurplus or deficit£23.3mShare of cost recovered105% | | | | | | | [HM Land Registry](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-land-registry-annual-report-and-accounts-2025-to-2026/annual-report-and-accounts-2025-to-2026-html)Details | 2024–25 | £400m | £441m | £-41.1m | 91% | | Year2024–25Cost£441mSurplus or deficit£-41.1mShare of cost recovered91% | | | | | | | [Courts and tribunals (HMCTS)](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6879134a2bad77c3dae4ddc8/HMCTS_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2024-25_Online.pdf)Details | 2024–25 | £830m | £1.2bn | £-374m | 69% | | Year2024–25Cost£1.2bnSurplus or deficit£-374mShare of cost recovered69% | | | | | | | [Companies House](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/companies-house-annual-report-and-accounts-2025-to-2026/companies-house-annual-report-and-accounts-2025-to-2026)Details | 2025–26 | £239m | £232m | £7.1m | 103% | | Year2025–26Cost£232mSurplus or deficit£7.1mShare of cost recovered103% | | | | | | ## Where are the details for each group of fees? - [Passports, driving licences and the MOT](/passport-driving-licence-and-mot-fees/)Adult passport £102 online. - [NHS prescription, dental and optical charges](/nhs-prescription-dental-and-optical-charges/)Prescription £9.90 in England, free elsewhere in the UK. - [Probate, court, Land Registry and planning fees](/probate-court-land-registry-and-planning-fees/)Probate £526. - [Certificates, DBS checks and Companies House](/certificate-dbs-and-companies-house-fees/)Birth certificate £12.50. - [Visa fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge](/visa-fees-and-immigration-health-surcharge/)Settlement £3,226. - [Student loan repayments](/student-loan-repayments/)9% above the threshold, and whether it is a graduate tax. - [The TV licence](/tv-licence/)£180 a year. ## Should services be paid for by fees or taxes? ### The case for fees - People who use a service pay for it, rather than everyone. - A price signals what a service costs to provide. - Fees for optional services keep them off general taxation. ### The case against - Many "optional" services, like a death certificate or probate, cannot be avoided. - Fees set above cost are a tax in all but name. - Flat fees take a bigger share of low incomes. ## Common questions Can the government charge more than a service costs? Only where Parliament allows it. Court fees (Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, s180), immigration fees (Immigration Act 2014, s68) and personalised number plates are examples. The default rule is full cost recovery. ## Sources for this page | Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [GOV.UK Passport fees; GOV.UK news 'New fees for passport applications'; EM to SI 2026/311](https://www.gov.uk/passport-fees) | HM Passport Office (Home Office) | 22 September 2026 | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | | [GOV.UK Applying for probate: fees; SI 2026/642; SI 2026/665; SI 2024/476](https://www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/fees) | HM Courts & Tribunals Service (Ministry of Justice) | 22 September 2026 | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | | [GOV.UK Companies House fees (updated 2 July 2026); EM to SI 2025/1137](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/companies-house-fees/companies-house-fees) | Companies House (also funds Insolvency Service ECCTA enforcement) | 22 September 2026 | annual | [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) | Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Related pages - [Next in this section: Passport, driving licence and MOT fees](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/passport-driving-licence-and-mot-fees/) - [How do student loan repayments work, and are they a graduate tax?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/student-loan-repayments/) - [Where does the money from fines actually go?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/fines-and-penalties/) - [What are stealth taxes, and how much do they raise?](https://whereyourmoneygoes.co.uk/stealth-taxes/) ## More from this publisher - [UK tax calculators](https://howlongisit.co.uk) Published by [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). Our words, analysis, charts and derived calculations: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), credit [Tekstak Ltd](https://tek-stak.co.uk). The figures belong to the publishers listed under Sources and are used under their licences. Figures last updated 29 September 2026.