Update Service and certificate
DBS check renewal: when do you need a new one?
Over how many years, and how often a new check is asked for: the cost with and without the Update Service.
Update Service or a new check each time?
Saved with the Update Service over 5 years
£48
| With the Update Service | £116 |
| Without it | £164 |
| Subscription | £15 a year |
Standard and enhanced certificates only; free for volunteers. Join within 30 days of the certificate date.
A DBS check is never renewed in the strict sense, because a certificate has no expiry date. GOV.UK says it is accurate on the day it was issued and that it is up to the employer to decide when a new check is needed. In practice a new check is asked for in five situations: a new employer whose policy requires its own certificate; a role in another workforce, for example moving from adult care to work with children; a role that needs a higher level; a licence or registration whose rules set a cycle, such as many taxi and private hire licences; and the end of an Update Service subscription that was not renewed. Each new check costs the full fee, £41 for enhanced and £20 for standard since 5 October 2026, plus any admin fee. The Update Service, at £15 a year, lets an employer confirm online that a standard or enhanced certificate is still current, which often removes the need for a new one. Use the calculator above to compare the two over several years.
Fees and rules checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the figures are built
What triggers a new check
| Situation | New check needed? | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Same employer, same role, on the Update Service | Usually no: a free status check | £15 a year |
| Same employer, same role, not on the service | If its policy sets a cycle | £41 + admin fee |
| New employer, same level and workforce, on the service | Its choice: status check allowed | Free status check |
| Move from the adult to the child workforce | Yes | £41 + admin fee |
| Move from a standard to an enhanced role | Yes | £41 + admin fee |
| Update Service subscription lapsed | Yes, to join again | Full fee + subscription |
| Basic certificate, employer wants it recent | Yes | £20 |
Employer cycles
The GOV.UK guidance for employers leaves the decision to the organisation. Many write a cycle into their safeguarding policy, and licensing councils set their own conditions for each licence. A worker who knows the cycle in advance can decide whether the Update Service will save money. The calculator above assumes half a new check a year by default, one every two years; set your own.
Before you apply again
Check three things. Is your certificate still on the Update Service, and is the subscription active? Does the new role need the same level and workforce? Has your employer actually refused a status check, or only asked "do you have a DBS"? If all three point to a new application, the cost page shows the total with the admin fee, and the waiting time page how long to allow.
New check or subscription, over six years
| Level | New check every | Checks in 6 years | Without Update Service | With Update Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard DBS check | 1 year | 6 | £120 | £110 |
| Standard DBS check | 3 years | 2 | £40 | £110 |
| Enhanced DBS check (no barred list) | 1 year | 6 | £246 | £131 |
| Enhanced DBS check (no barred list) | 3 years | 2 | £82 | £131 |
Renewing the subscription itself
The GOV.UK Update Service page says a subscription lasts one year. You can choose automatic renewal when you register, or renew up to 30 days before it ends, but not on the last day. If the subscription lapses, you need a new DBS check and a new registration. In Scotland, PVG membership now runs for five years; in Northern Ireland, there is no subscription and each role needs its own check.
When a status check is not enough
The Update Service lets you take a certificate from one role to the next, but GOV.UK lists three exceptions: the organisation asks you for a new certificate, the new role is in a different workforce, such as a child workforce role when your certificate is for the adult workforce, or it needs a different level, such as enhanced when you hold a standard certificate. In those three cases a new check is needed whatever the subscription, so the renewal question is really a question about the next role.