Levels of check
Standard DBS check: the roles that can ask for one
Pick a role to see the level the DBS guidance gives it and the fee.
The level a named role usually gets
Level in the DBS guidance
Standard DBS check
| DBS fee | £20 |
| Guidance section | standard §2 |
| Workforce | Other |
Only on entry, not when moving between employers.
A standard DBS check shows spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings held on the Police National Computer, except those removed by the DBS filtering rules. It does not include information from local police or any barred list. It costs £20 since 5 October 2026, the same as a basic check, and is free for volunteers. Unlike a basic check, an employer can only ask for it when the role appears in the exceptions to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, set out in the DBS guidance on standard checks. Most of those roles are professions and licences where honesty matters: solicitors, barristers, accountants, actuaries and vets on entry to the profession, staff of prisons and courts, fire and rescue authorities, applicants for an SIA licence, people approved by the FCA or the PRA, and football stewards. Work with children or vulnerable adults usually reaches an enhanced check instead. The calculator above gives the level the guidance allows for 38 common roles.
Fees and rules checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the figures are built
Roles at standard level in the finder
| Role | Guidance section | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Solicitor or barrister (on entry to the profession) | standard §2 | Only on entry, not when moving between employers. |
| Chartered or certified accountant (on entry) | standard §2 | |
| Veterinary surgeon (on entry) | standard §2 | |
| Actuary (on entry) | standard §2 | |
| Football steward | standard §4 | |
| Applying for an SIA licence (door supervisor, security) | standard §4 | |
| FCA, PRA or Bank of England regulated role | standard §4 | |
| Any role in a prison or young offender institution | standard §4 | |
| Fire and rescue authority employee | standard §4 | |
| Court officer, court security, enforcement officer | standard §3 |
The DBS guidance on standard checks groups the eligible roles in three families: professions on entry (barristers, solicitors, legal executives, accountants, actuaries, notaries, veterinary surgeons), positions of trust in the justice system and public safety (courts, prisons, fire and rescue), and licences or approvals granted by regulators (the Security Industry Authority, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority, football stewarding). The guidance restates the law in plain words and is not legal advice; the recruiting organisation must be satisfied that the role fits one of its lines.
What a standard certificate shows
The certificate lists what the Police National Computer holds that is not "protected". Under the filtering rules, a record is always shown if it is a conviction for a specified offence, an adult caution for a specified offence, or a conviction that led to a custodial sentence. Other adult convictions appear for 11 years, youth convictions for 5.5 years and adult cautions for 6 years. Cautions, reprimands and warnings received under 18 never appear automatically. The filtering calculator applies these rules to one record.
Cost and timing
A standard check costs £20 (it was £21.50 until 4 October 2026). It is free for a volunteer who meets the GOV.UK test, and it can join the Update Service for £15 a year. In June 2026, 91.1% of standard certificates were sent within the 3 days target, and the average was 1.1 days in July 2026: standard checks do not go to local police, so they are rarely held up.
Standard and enhanced checks are applied for by the organisation, either as a registered body or through an umbrella body; the umbrella body page explains the admin fee that may come on top.
In Scotland the equivalent is the Level 2 disclosure at £25, started by the organisation for roles such as solicitors and prison workers (mygov.scot). In Northern Ireland, an AccessNI standard check costs £16 through a registered body (nidirect).