Registration fees
Services must pay fees to be registered with us, which is set by Scottish Ministers.
We charge a fee for registering a new service and an annual continuation fee which licenses a care service to operate. All application fees are non-returnable.
The fees we collect contribute to our operating costs.
Annual continuation of registration fee
We will send an invoice each year for all your registered services. The date of when we send the invoice depends on the date you first registered. The table below helps you work out when your continuation fee will be due each following year. If a service cancels part way through its fee year, we do not give a refund or discount.
| Date of first registration | Annual continuation fee due from |
|---|---|
| Between 1 April and 30 June | 1 April |
| Between 1 July and 30 September | 1 July |
| Between 1 October and 31 December | 1 October |
| Between 1 January and 31 March | 1 January |
Combined service discount
Separately registered services that operate from the same premises, sharing staff, management, policies and so on, are often referred to as ‘combined services’. Combined services can be cheaper for us to administer. If they are, we give a 15% discount on the smaller of their continuation fees.
The discount isn’t automatic and we must be confident that we can make a saving on their administration. Combined service discounts will show on the smaller service’s continuation fee invoice. If you think you may be entitled to a combined service discount, but there is no discount shown on your smaller service’s invoice, please contact your inspector.
We don’t normally give combined service discounts to fostering and adoption services. We don’t give discounts to services where the continuation fee is less than £500.
Variation, addition or removal of condition(s) – No fees charged
Although we have set this fee at zero, you must still complete an application to add, vary or remove a condition of registration. You can apply online through the digital portal. If this is not possible, call our contact centre on 0345 600 9527 for an application form
New certificate fees – no charge
If we grant a variation to your registration, we will issue you with a new certificate of registration. There is no charge for sending your certificate.
Cancellations – no charge
Like variation fees, we have set the cancellation fee at zero. You can apply to cancel online through the digital portal. If this is not possible, call our contact centre on 0345 600 9527.
Unless we agree a shorter timescale, you must give us 3 months’ notice of your proposed cancellation. We will consider your cancellation completed when you have returned all the necessary documentation and we have confirmed your cancellation. If you are voluntarily cancelling a service in the period leading up to your annual continuation fee due date, make sure you don’t delay the process unnecessarily.
If you do not cancel your service before the annual continuation fee is due then it becomes payable in full. The annual continuation fee is not discounted for services that only operate for part of a year.