Who should pay for my DBS Check?

The person responsible for paying for a DBS check is usually the organisation (employer). When hiring organisations will usually specify on the job application that a DBS check will be required as a part of the recruitment process.

However, there is no legal requirement for the organisation to pay for the DBS check so sometimes the employee will need to pay (this is usually specified in the job description).

Depending on the role, they may not be allowed to start the role until they have had a DBS check and been deemed safe to work with children or vulnerable adults. Employers should only request a DBS check when the employee has accepted the job offer.

DBS does not charge either party for Standard or Enhanced DBS certificates for voluntary roles. The charity, organisation and applicant will not be required to pay, as long as the applicant meets the eligibility criteria for Standard and Enhanced DBS applications.

Administration fees may still be charged by the organisation that submits an application to the DBS. This is not the same as the price of the DBS check itself.

“AuthentiQuest is a quick and simple system for DBS checks. The software runs smoothly and some DBS checks have cleared the day after submission which really helps our recruitment process to be efficient” - The Streetly Academy