Guide
Basic DBS check cost
The official basic DBS check is £20. That is the whole price if you apply on GOV.UK.
The official price
From 5 October 2026 a basic check is £20. It was £21.50. The Update Service is not the product for a basic certificate. Basic applicants use an online services account instead.
A basic check for a volunteer is still £20 if you apply directly. DBS is explicit that only standard and enhanced volunteer applications are free of the fee.
What providers add
A Responsible Organisation can charge an admin fee. On the pages checked on 11 November 2026, verified inc-VAT totals for a basic check included £29 at Active Background Checks (an employer, Group B tariff), a calculated £35.60 at Cataphract, and £35.70 at uCheck for 1–50 checks. Those are examples of published totals, not a ranking, and the Group B prices are not an individual retail offer.
For a person applying alone, £20 on GOV.UK has no admin fee. Any provider total above that is the cost of their process.