Practising certificate fee 2022–2023
Solicitors in England and Wales are required to pay for a practising certificate each year. The fee is collected by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and is either paid for by individual solicitors or by firms on behalf of their solicitors.
Most of this income is used to fund the activities of the SRA, with the remainder split between other organisations, including the Law Society.
How much is the 2022–23 practising certificate?
The cost of an individual practising certificate will be £286.
The SRA will contact you in the usual manner when you need to renew your practising certificate.
The cost of an individual practising certificate has either been frozen or reduced over the last nine years. For example, the fee was £266 in 2021, compared to £428 in 2010.
Additionally, the Law Society supported the profession when the pandemic hit in 2020 by reducing the share of the practising certificate fee (PC fee) income we received by £3 million. We maintained this level in 2021 as government restrictions continued.
Defending the profession and more
Our main source of income is the funds we receive from the practising certificate. This determines what we can plan and undertake for you, the profession and wider society.
We have ambitious plans for the year ahead to deliver more of what you have told us is important to you.
This includes:
- highlighting the enormous contribution that solicitors like you make to society
- defending the profession from attacks
- addressing threats to the rule of law
- making progress on diversity and inclusion, and
- providing world-class resources to support you and your business to thrive and prosper
You have also told us that you want to know more about our activities. We will be publishing our new corporate strategy in November 2022 which sets out our new vision, objectives and outcomes for the next three years. This vision has the full support of our Council, which is elected by solicitors in England and Wales, and our Board.
Find out more
The Law Society will receive 29% (£32.8 million) of the total funds generated by the PC fee in 2022–23.
The Law Society supported the profession when the pandemic hit in 2020 by reducing the share of the PC fee income we receive by £3 million. This was maintained at this level in 2021 as government restrictions continued. We have also provided training and webinars at either a reduced price or free of charge.
Maintaining this level of support to assist members has depleted our reserves and continuing to do so is unrealistic.
We received 27.6% of the total funds generated by the PC fee in 2021–22. This has slowly declined over several years and is down from 31.1% in 2016.
The £20 increase in the cost of the practising certificate is driven by two factors:
- increasing costs within the Law Society and SRA, as outlined above
- increased levies to external bodies
The Law Society reduced the share we receive from the PC fee by £3 million in 2020. This was maintained at this level in 2021 as government restrictions relating to the pandemic continued.
Maintaining this level of support to assist members has depleted our reserves and continuing to do so is unrealistic.
We consulted extensively with over 1,400 solicitors about increasing the level of funding the Law Society receives.
Levies to external bodies represent 18% of the overall costs. These are payable to the Legal Services Board, Legal Ombudsman, Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and the Office for Professional Body Anti- Money Laundering Supervision.
The practising certificate fee is collected annually by the SRA.
The income this generates can only be used for certain purposes. These are:
- regulatory activities (the total costs of the SRA)
- non-regulatory activities provided by the Law Society which are “permitted purposes” under the Legal Services Act
- levies required to be paid under the Legal Services Act
- part of the cost of the Legal Services Board (LSB)
- part of the costs of the Legal Ombudsman
- full cost of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT)
- part of the cost of the Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS).
Source: SRA website, updated 27 August 2021
We consulted extensively with solicitors in England and Wales about the proposal to increase the level of funding that the Law Society receives from the PC fee.
More than 1,400 solicitors took part in our largest ever consultation:
- 1,178 solicitors took part in survey between 7 April and 27 May 2022
- 283 solicitors joined over 40 focus groups
Additionally, we promoted the consultation widely on our website, in email newsletters to solicitors, on social media and through a range of other activities.