Guide
Standard DBS check
A standard DBS check costs £20 and shows spent and unspent convictions and cautions that the law still allows on the certificate.
Who it is for
It is available for duties, positions and licences in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. DBS gives examples: court officers, employment in a prison, and Security Industry Authority licences. It is not a check anyone can buy for any job.
An employer cannot apply to DBS directly unless the organisation is a Registered Body. Organisations that need fewer than 100 checks a year use an umbrella body. Registration as a Registered Body costs £300, plus £5 for each countersignatory, after DBS has accepted the application.
What you pay a provider
The DBS fee is £20. The umbrella body adds an admin fee, and VAT is usually charged on that admin fee rather than on the DBS fee. Some price lists still show the old £21.50 fee. Where a page does that, CompareDBS shows the published total and does not pretend it has been updated.
DBS says completion times vary, and gives no single standard-check turnaround on the employer guidance page we used. Treat a provider’s “24 hours” or “one week” line as their claim, with the date we read it.