In this section: Your bills
NHS prescription, dental and optical charges
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
An NHS prescription item in England is £9.90 since 1 May 2024, unchanged on a year ago. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and most items in England are dispensed free because of exemptions. NHS dental charges in England rose in April 2026.
Figure as of 22 September 2026. Source: NHS in England (collected by pharmacies, offset against NHS payments).
Key figures
- £9.90An NHS prescription item in England unchanged on a year earlier: no change vs 29 September 2025
- £114.50A 12-month prescription prepayment certificate unchanged on a year earlier: no change vs 29 September 2025
- £27.90NHS dental Band 1, England up on a year earlier: +£0.50 (+1.8%) vs 29 September 2025
- £332.10NHS dental Band 3, England up on a year earlier: +£5.40 (+1.7%) vs 29 September 2025
Sources: NHS in England (collected by pharmacies, offset against NHS payments), NHS (via NHS Business Services Authority), Collected by the dentist and deducted from NHS contract payments (reduces NHS England's net cost), .
What is the short version?
- A prepayment certificate pays for itself at 12 items. At £114.50 for 12 months it covers every item, against £9.90 an item without one.
- Dental charges come in three bands: £27.90 for Band 1, which is also the charge for urgent and out-of-hours care, £76.60 for Band 2 and £332.10 for Band 3.
- Charges reduce what the NHS pays; they do not cover the cost. Pharmacies and dentists collect them, and the NHS pays them less.
- Optical vouchers run the other way. They are money from the NHS towards glasses, not a charge.
How much are the fees now?
In force since 1 May 2024. Source: NHS in England (collected by pharmacies, offset against NHS payments). Checked by hand 22 September 2026.
In force since 1 May 2024. Source: NHS (via NHS Business Services Authority). Checked by hand 22 September 2026.
In force since 1 May 2024. Source: NHS (via NHS Business Services Authority). Checked by hand 22 September 2026.
In force since 1 April 2026. Source: Collected by the dentist and deducted from NHS contract payments (reduces NHS England's net cost). Checked by hand 22 September 2026.
| Fee | Now | A year ago | Year on year | Since | Meant to cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NHS prescription charge per item (England)Details for NHS prescription charge per item (England) | £9.90 | £9.90 | no change | 1 May 2024 | Below cost |
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Prescription prepayment certificate - 3 months (England)Details for Prescription prepayment certificate - 3 months (England) | £32.05 | £32.05 | no change | 1 May 2024 | Below cost |
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Prescription prepayment certificate - 12 months (England)Details for Prescription prepayment certificate - 12 months (England) | £114.50 | £114.50 | no change | 1 May 2024 | Below cost |
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NHS dental charge Band 1 (also urgent/out-of-hours care), EnglandDetails for NHS dental charge Band 1 (also urgent/out-of-hours care), England | £27.90 | £27.40 | +£0.50 (+1.8%) | 1 April 2026 | Below cost |
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NHS dental charge Band 2, EnglandDetails for NHS dental charge Band 2, England | £76.60 | £75.30 | +£1.30 (+1.7%) | 1 April 2026 | Below cost |
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NHS dental charge Band 3, EnglandDetails for NHS dental charge Band 3, England | £332.10 | £326.70 | +£5.40 (+1.7%) | 1 April 2026 | Below cost |
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NHS optical voucher values for glasses (England), range A-HDetails for NHS optical voucher values for glasses (England), range A-H | banded, see below | — | — | — | Below cost |
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Prescriptions free in WalesDetails for Prescriptions free in Wales | £0 | £0 | no change | 1 April 2007 | Below cost |
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Prescriptions free in ScotlandDetails for Prescriptions free in Scotland | £0 | £0 | no change | 1 April 2011 | Below cost |
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Prescriptions free in Northern IrelandDetails for Prescriptions free in Northern Ireland | £0 | £0 | no change | 1 April 2010 | Below cost |
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Share of prescription items dispensed free in EnglandDetails for Share of prescription items dispensed free in England | £89 | — | — | 22 September 2026 | Not published |
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| Band | Online | By post |
|---|---|---|
Lowest (single vision, voucher A)Details for Lowest (single vision, voucher A) | £42.40 | — |
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Highest (voucher H)Details for Highest (voucher H) | £233.56 | — |
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amount null because it is a range (£42.40-£233.56). Leaflet says 'Effective from April 2026'; exact day not checked.
Checked 22 September 2026. Source: NHS in England (collected by pharmacies, offset against NHS payments). Checked by hand 22 September 2026.
How have the fees moved?
The numbers behind this chart
| From | NHS prescription charge per item (England) | NHS dental charge Band 1 (also urgent/out-of-hours care), England | NHS dental charge Band 2, England | NHS dental charge Band 3, England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2015-04-01Details for 2015-04-01 | £8.2 | — | — | — |
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2016-04-01Details for 2016-04-01 | £8.4 | — | — | — |
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2017-04-01Details for 2017-04-01 | £8.6 | — | — | — |
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2018-04-01Details for 2018-04-01 | £8.8 | — | — | — |
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2019-04-01Details for 2019-04-01 | £9 | — | — | — |
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2020-04-01Details for 2020-04-01 | £9.15 | — | — | — |
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2021-04-01Details for 2021-04-01 | £9.35 | — | — | — |
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2023-04-01Details for 2023-04-01 | £9.65 | — | — | — |
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2024-05-01Details for 2024-05-01 | £9.9 | — | — | — |
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2025-04-01Details for 2025-04-01 | £9.9 | £27.4 | £75.3 | £326.7 |
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2026-04-01Details for 2026-04-01 | £9.9 | £27.9 | £76.6 | £332.1 |
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2026-09-29Details for 2026-09-29 | £9.9 | £27.9 | £76.6 | £332.1 |
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Figure as of 22 September 2026. Source: NHS in England (collected by pharmacies, offset against NHS payments), Collected by the dentist and deducted from NHS contract payments (reduces NHS England's net cost), Collected by the dentist and deducted from NHS contract payments (reduces NHS England's net cost), Collected by the dentist and deducted from NHS contract payments (reduces NHS England's net cost).
| Fee | Then | Now | Fee change | Prices change | Then, in today’s prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NHS prescription charge per item (England) (since 2015)Details for NHS prescription charge per item (England) (since 2015) | £8.20 | £9.90 | +20.7% | +43.5% | £11.77 |
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NHS dental charge Band 1 (also urgent/out-of-hours care), England (since 2025)Details for NHS dental charge Band 1 (also urgent/out-of-hours care), England (since 2025) | £27.40 | £27.90 | +1.8% | +4.1% | £28.53 |
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NHS dental charge Band 2, England (since 2025)Details for NHS dental charge Band 2, England (since 2025) | £75.30 | £76.60 | +1.7% | +4.1% | £78.42 |
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NHS dental charge Band 3, England (since 2025)Details for NHS dental charge Band 3, England (since 2025) | £326.70 | £332.10 | +1.7% | +4.1% | £340.22 |
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Prices from CPIH, as of 1 August 2026. Source: Office for National Statistics.
What are the fees meant to cover?
NHS charges do not recover the cost of the service: they reduce it. Prescription charges are collected by pharmacies and offset against what the NHS pays them; dental charges are collected by dentists and deducted from their NHS contract payments.
In England about 89% of prescription items are dispensed free, because children, people over 60, people on certain benefits and people with some medical conditions are exempt. Wales abolished prescription charges in 2007, Northern Ireland in 2010 and Scotland in 2011.
Optical vouchers run the other way: they are a payment from the NHS towards glasses for people who qualify.
- England 89% 11% are paid for
- Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 100% no charge
England’s share is of items dispensed in the community. Items are free in England for people who are exempt, including children and people over 60.
Show as a table
| Item | Share | Detail |
|---|---|---|
EnglandDetails for England | 89.0% | 11% are paid for |
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Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandDetails for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland | 100.0% | no charge |
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- NHS prescription charge per item (England): A contribution, not cost recovery. Around 89% of items dispensed free. Commons Library CBP-7227: revenue from prescription charges and PPCs in England was £651.9 million in 2021/22; DHSC estimated free prescriptions cost £10 billion in 2023/24. Frozen at £9.90 in 2025-26 and again for 2026-27 (so still £9.90 in Sept 2026 - the brief's premise of a 1 April 2026 rise is wrong).
- Prescription prepayment certificate - 3 months (England): Frozen for 2025-26 and 2026-27.
- NHS dental charge Band 1 (also urgent/out-of-hours care), England: Charges pay part of the cost of NHS dentistry. Commons Library CBP-7227: 'In 2023/24 the total cost of dental services in England was around £3.0 billion, of which £0.8 billion was covered by patient charges and £2.2 billion was NHS England funding.' Charges rose about 1.7% from 1 April 2026.
- NHS optical voucher values for glasses (England), range A-H: Vouchers are an NHS payment towards glasses/contact lenses for eligible people, not a charge. Single vision A £42.40 to bifocal H £233.56; hospital eye service I £217.58, J £61.77.
- Prescriptions free in Wales: Charges abolished; funded from the NHS Wales budget.
- National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/570), as amended (latest uprating SI 2024/456)
- NHS (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2015, as amended by SI 2024/456
- National Health Service (Dental Charges) Regulations 2005 (as amended); 2026 uprating by the NHS (Primary Dental Services and Dental Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/265)
- NHS (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 2013 (as amended)
- National Health Service (Free Prescriptions and Charges for Drugs and Appliances) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/55)
Who receives the money?
NHS prescription and dental charges (England)
Paid to a named body the NHS in England, offsetting the cost of the service.
NHS (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2015; NHS (Dental Charges) Regulations 2005
Legal position as of 22 September 2026. Source: legislation.gov.uk. Checked by hand 22 September 2026.
Are the fees fair?
The case for the current fees
- Charges raise money for the NHS and discourage waste.
- Exemptions mean the large majority of items are free already.
- The prescription charge has been frozen for two years running.
The case against
- People in England pay for what is free elsewhere in the UK.
- Some working-age people with long-term conditions go without medicines because of the charge.
- Dental charges rise every year while access to NHS dentists has shrunk.
Common questions
- How much is a prescription in England?
- £9.90 per item. A 12-month prepayment certificate is £114.50.
- Are prescriptions free in Scotland and Wales?
- Yes: free in Wales since 2007, Northern Ireland since 2010 and Scotland since 2011.
Sources for this page
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.