Guidance

Changes to SIA fees

Published 28 May 2026

Why are the ACS fees going up now? 

The SIA must charge and set its fees at a level to recover the full costs of the Approved Contractor Scheme and the associated services we provide, in a way that ensures government neither profits at the expense of consumers nor makes a loss for taxpayers to subsidise, and we calculate them on that basis. The fee charges connected with individual licence applications are separate from ACS fees. 

This is the first rise in the annual registration fee in the history of the Approved Contractor Scheme. The new statutory fee per licensable individual will still be lower, after accounting for inflation, than it was when the scheme was first introduced in 2006. 

Over the years, we have made significant efforts to keep our statutory fees down. We have maintained this more recently through a series of efficiency savings and increased productivity pending the launch of the new business approval scheme.  At the same time, we have introduced greater scrutiny, checks and controls to preserve the status integrity of those in the scheme and remove those who do not adhere to standards.  

In the most recent annual fee review, the level of fee recovery for the ACS scheme was below the acceptable tolerance, and lower than for individual licensing. The tolerance was also set to continue to fall over the next 3 years. We have been careful about the degree of tolerance in terms of cost recovery for the ACS. However, we had reached a level that was no longer feasible or permitted. We therefore had no choice.  

In an ideal world, we would have preferred to have waited to completely reset the fee structure with the implementation of the new Business Approval Scheme.

What do the ACS fees cover? 

As an SIA approved contractor, you have an entry on the public register on GOV.UK, differentiation from non-approved providers of security services, and the operational advantage of being able to deploy a fixed percentage of staff whose licence has expired and are awaiting licence renewal. 

Approval also provides access to restricted markets and tender opportunities, use of an accreditation mark protected by criminal law, and over the last few years the new facility of direct communication with us through dedicated SIA business relationship managers and bespoke industry working groups. These benefits represent real and tangible value – not just as a mark of quality, but as a practical tool to help businesses grow and remain competitive. 

We have made substantial improvements to the ACS since 2006. We carry out checks on the identity, criminality, financial probity and integrity of those running the business and work very closely with HMRC to ensure only those businesses who are fit and proper join the scheme. 

The revised fee enables us to keep providing the recently-enhanced services available to SIA approved contractors only. We have introduced SIA Learn – the new online training platform offering modules for approved contractors. Licence Assist and Licence Management services available to approved contractors give greater control over the licensing of the company’s staff. All approved contractors can use Licence Assist. 

Over the last few years we have significantly tightened up the rules of the scheme and strengthened SIA oversight of the certification bodies who carry out the independent assessments, including providing dedicated contract managers, monthly performance reviews, and a programme of witness assessments. We have also improved our application process, introducing specialist input into all new applications by investigation-trained staff, and subjecting every application to a full intelligence review. The result is a more rigorous, fairer scheme that better protects the integrity of the ACS for those of you who have secured approval.

Can you waive the fees for smaller firms? 

We appreciate there is never a good time to change fees. The current ACS fee structure sets the registration fee, which increases in proportion to the size of the business by taking account of the number of staff employed. This seeks to protect the smallest and medium sized firms, with some due to pay as little as a £20 increase. We know this change has affected the very largest firms the most sharply and sizably. We are unfortunately not able to waive the fee for specific companies or agree to delay the payment.

Why have you not provided more notice of the change of ACS fees? 

The statutory fee change process involves HM Treasury sign-off and Home Office approval through the laying of a statutory instrument (SI) in Parliament. As soon as these approvals were confirmed, we wrote to all existing SIA approved contractors to let them know. We had indicated that the fees would be rising in various stakeholder meetings, including those with the larger businesses, over the last 6 months, although we were not able to confirm exactly by how much.

Are you changing these fees as a result of the recent HMRC decision on PAYE? 

No, this has nothing to do with the HMRC changes and communications on PAYE rules.  

Are you changing these fees to raise money for Martyn’s Law? 

No, these fee changes are not related to our new work on Martyn’s Law. We have separate funding arrangements in place for the Home Office to provide grant funding to us for our Martyn’s Law work, both now in the preparatory stage and in the future.

Why are you no longer offering a discount on applications for additional licences? 

We still have a 50% discount on applications for additional licences. However, it will only apply if the applications are made on the same day on the same application form. In the past we have borne the cost of the additional licence discount, despite these applications generating the same processing costs as the first licence. However, if you make multiple applications using the same application form, we can use the same checks and combine the application processes and therefore reduce the cost; for example, we can use one Disclosure and Barring Service check for multiple licence applications.   

We must set our licensing fees at a level that recovers the full cost of the licence services we provide. In practice, if the applications are not made on the same day, the checks and other processes carried out (including criminal records checks) must be repeated in full. As we need to set licensing fees at a level to recover the full costs incurred, this is a fairer and more accurate charge.