Guide
What is a DBS check?
A DBS check is a criminal-record certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service. The level of check depends on the role, and the official fee is separate from any admin fee a provider charges.
The three levels
A basic check shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions. Anyone aged 16 or over can apply for their own basic check for a job in England or Wales. It costs £20 on GOV.UK.
A standard check shows spent and unspent convictions and cautions that have not been filtered. It is only for duties, positions and licences listed in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act exceptions, such as some court, prison and security-licence roles. The DBS fee is £20.
An enhanced check shows the same information as a standard check plus information held by police forces that they consider relevant to the role. The DBS fee is £41. An enhanced check with barred lists also shows whether the person is barred from regulated activity with children, adults, or both. The fee is still £41.
Who asks for it
An employer, a voluntary organisation, or a third party acting for them can ask for a check. People applying for some roles can request an enhanced check themselves. If you are hiring a self-employed person to work for you or your family, you cannot request the check for them. They request it, and you look at the certificate.
A certificate has no official expiry date. It was accurate when it was issued. Employers decide when a new check is needed. The Update Service, for standard and enhanced certificates only, lets an employer see whether the certificate is still current.
The fee and the admin fee
From 5 October 2026 the DBS fee is £20 for a basic check, £20 for a standard check, £41 for an enhanced check (with or without barred lists) and £15 a year for the Update Service. Volunteer standard and enhanced checks stay free of the DBS fee. DBS does not set or regulate the admin fee a provider adds.
Responsible Organisations submit basic checks. Registered Bodies submit standard and enhanced checks. An umbrella body is a Registered Body that does this for other organisations. If an organisation needs fewer than 100 standard or enhanced checks a year, DBS says it should use an umbrella body.
For your own basic check, the cheapest published route is the official one: £20, with no admin fee.