Your situation
DBS checks for volunteers: what is free and what is not
Answer three questions: whether you count as a volunteer for DBS, and what you pay.
Is your check free as a volunteer?
You count as a volunteer: the fee is
£0
| Level | Enhanced with children's barred list |
| Update Service | Free |
| Admin fee | Set by the umbrella body |
Free for standard and enhanced checks in England and Wales; Scotland and NI have their own volunteer rules.
Standard and enhanced DBS checks are free for volunteers, and so is the Update Service, while a basic check costs £20 for everyone. The 5 October 2026 fee change kept that rule: "volunteer checks remain free of charge", said DBS. To count as a volunteer, GOV.UK sets five conditions: you are not paid for the role beyond approved travel and out-of-pocket expenses; you do not benefit financially from it; you are not on a work placement; you are not a trainee or studying for a qualification that leads to a full-time role; and you are not a paid foster or kinship carer, or a member of their household. Eligibility for the level does not change: an unpaid role must meet the same tests as a paid one. The DBS fee being zero does not stop an umbrella body charging its own admin fee, although many volunteer organisations negotiate it away. In Scotland, PVG membership is free for volunteers in a qualifying organisation; in Northern Ireland, AccessNI does not charge qualifying volunteers for standard and enhanced checks.
Fees and rules checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the figures are built
Volunteer fees in the four nations
| Nation | Basic | Standard or Level 2 | Enhanced or PVG | Update Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | £20 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Scotland | £25 | £25 (Level 2) | PVG free in a qualifying organisation | No equivalent |
| Northern Ireland | £16 | Free if qualifying | Free if qualifying | No equivalent |
The GOV.UK Update Service page carries the five conditions of the volunteer definition, which DBS also applies to the fee of the check. AccessNI adds a limit of its own: a volunteer who works directly for a statutory organisation, or for a non-profit delivering statutory services under contract, is charged. Disclosure Scotland keeps PVG membership free for volunteers in a qualifying voluntary organisation.
Same rules on eligibility
Being unpaid does not open a higher level. A volunteer who helps at a children's club once a month is in the same position as a paid worker doing the same: eligible for an enhanced check without the barred list, because the period condition of more than three days in 30 is not met. A volunteer driver taking older people to hospital appointments reaches the adults' barred list, as the guidance example of a patient transport volunteer shows. The eligibility page runs the tests.
For the organisation
A charity, club or church with fewer than 100 checks a year goes through an umbrella body. Ask its admin fee for volunteer applications before choosing: the DBS part is free, so the admin fee is the whole cost. Ask volunteers to join the free Update Service: the next organisation they help can check their certificate online.
Volunteers in the Update Service
The Update Service page says there is no charge for the subscription if you are a volunteer, using the same five conditions. A volunteer who later takes a paid role in the same workforce and at the same level can let the new employer check the certificate's status, unless that employer asks for a new check. The page does not say how a free subscription is treated once the role is paid, so ask DBS customer services before relying on it.
Volunteer organisations can confirm the rules with DBS customer services.