Levels of check
Which DBS check do I need for my job?
Pick the role: the level of check the DBS guidance gives it, its fee and where the rule is.
The level a named role usually gets
Level in the DBS guidance
Enhanced with adults' barred list
| DBS fee | £41 |
| Guidance section | adults-barred §2.2 |
| Workforce | Adult |
Once is enough for adults.
The level of DBS check a job needs is not chosen by the applicant or freely by the employer: it is the level the law allows for that role, and the DBS eligibility guidance, updated on 1 September 2026, restates those rules in nine documents. A role in regulated activity with children, such as a teacher, a registered childminder or a sports coach who sees children more than three days in any 30, can get an enhanced check with the children's barred list. A care worker who gives personal care, a nurse or a hospital porter conveying patients reaches the adults' barred list. Taxi and private hire drivers get both lists when their licensing authority asks. Professions such as solicitors and accountants get a standard check on entry. Any other job can only ask for a basic check. The calculator above gives the level for 38 roles, its fee since 5 October 2026 and the section of the guidance it comes from; the organisation recruiting you makes the final decision.
Fees and rules checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the figures are built
All 38 roles of the finder
| Role | Level | Fee | Section of the guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher in a school | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | children-barred §2 |
| Teaching assistant | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | children-barred §2 |
| Cleaner, receptionist or caretaker in a school | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | children-barred §3 |
| Occasional contractor in a school | Enhanced DBS check (no barred list) | £41 | children-barred §3 / children-enhanced |
| Registered childminder | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | children-barred §2 |
| Person aged 16+ living or working where childminding takes place | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | children-barred §5 |
| Foster carer | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | children-barred §2 |
| Prospective adoptive parent or special guardian | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | children-barred §5 |
| Private tutor (self-employed) | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | self-employed (example 1) |
| Sports coach or youth club leader for children | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | children-barred §2 |
| Driver taking children to school | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | children-barred §2 (scenario 5) |
| Moderator of an online service mainly for children | Enhanced with children's barred list | £41 | children-barred §2.1 |
| Care worker giving personal care to adults | Enhanced with adults' barred list | £41 | adults-barred §2.2 |
| Care home worker without personal care (kitchen, admin) | Enhanced DBS check (no barred list) | £41 | adults-enhanced |
| Nurse, doctor or other regulated health professional | Enhanced with adults' barred list | £41 | adults-barred §2.1 |
| Healthcare assistant under a health professional | Enhanced with adults' barred list | £41 | adults-barred §2.1 |
| Social worker for adults | Enhanced with adults' barred list | £41 | adults-barred §2.3 |
| Hospital porter or patient transport driver | Enhanced with adults' barred list | £41 | adults-barred §2.6 |
| Support worker handling an adult's cash, bills or shopping | Enhanced with adults' barred list | £41 | adults-barred §2.4 (scenario 1) |
| Day-to-day manager of carers | Enhanced with adults' barred list | £41 | adults-barred §2.7 |
| Taxi or private hire driver (licence) | Enhanced with both barred lists | £41 | other-enhanced §2 |
| Pedicab licence in London | Enhanced with both barred lists | £41 | other-enhanced §2 |
| Gambling operating or personal licence | Enhanced DBS check (no barred list) | £41 | other-enhanced §3 |
| Judge, magistrate, coroner or justice of the peace (appointment) | Enhanced DBS check (no barred list) | £41 | other-enhanced §3 |
| Registered immigration adviser | Enhanced DBS check (no barred list) | £41 | other-enhanced §3 |
| Employment by the Crown | Enhanced DBS check (no barred list) | £41 | other-enhanced §3 |
| Solicitor or barrister (on entry to the profession) | Standard DBS check | £20 | standard §2 |
| Chartered or certified accountant (on entry) | Standard DBS check | £20 | standard §2 |
| Veterinary surgeon (on entry) | Standard DBS check | £20 | standard §2 |
| Actuary (on entry) | Standard DBS check | £20 | standard §2 |
| Football steward | Standard DBS check | £20 | standard §4 |
| Applying for an SIA licence (door supervisor, security) | Standard DBS check | £20 | standard §4 |
| FCA, PRA or Bank of England regulated role | Standard DBS check | £20 | standard §4 |
| Any role in a prison or young offender institution | Standard DBS check | £20 | standard §4 |
| Fire and rescue authority employee | Standard DBS check | £20 | standard §4 |
| Court officer, court security, enforcement officer | Standard DBS check | £20 | standard §3 |
| Delivery driver, retail, office or warehouse job | Basic DBS check | £20 | children §3 (last line) |
| Self-employed tradesperson (plumber, electrician) | Basic DBS check | £20 | children §3 (last line) |
How the level is worked out
The guidance asks three questions in turn. First, is the role in regulated activity? For children, that means teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising them, giving them advice, moderating an online service for them or driving them, on more than three days in a 30-day period or overnight, or any health or personal care, or registering as a childminder or foster carer (children guidance). For adults, it means health care, personal care, social work, help with bills or shopping, help with the conduct of their affairs, conveying them or managing those who do, and once is enough (adults guidance). A yes gives an enhanced check with the matching barred list.
Second, if not, does the role still work with children or adults in one of the ways the law lists, or hold a listed licence? That gives an enhanced check without the barred lists. Third, is it in the standard list: a profession on entry, the courts, prisons, the SIA, financial regulators? That gives a standard check. Otherwise, only a basic check is possible. The question-by-question page runs through these tests for a role that is not in the list.
Same role, other nations
These levels follow the rules for England and Wales. In Scotland, regulated work goes through the PVG scheme; in Northern Ireland, AccessNI applies similar levels under its own legislation. The finder on the home page maps a role to the right product in each nation.
Reading the result
The level shown is the highest the guidance allows for the role as described. An employer cannot ask for more than that, but it can ask for less, such as a basic check, which is open for any role. The workforce, child, adult or other, is printed on the application and matters later: the Update Service only carries a certificate to a new role in the same workforce. If your duties differ from the typical description, answer the questions on the eligibility page.