OfS registration fees
How to pay your OfS registration fee
Each year we send a fee notification letter to each registered provider explaining:
- the amount due (including any discounts)
- how we calculated it
- when you must pay
- how to pay
If we have a fee contact for your provider, we send the fee notification to them. If not, we send it to the provider’s accountable officer.
We send the notification before the start of the academic year – usually in June.
Step-by-step: paying your fee
Read your fee notification
Check:
- the amount due and how it was calculated
- the payment reference you need to quote
- the deadline and your payment method
If you think anything is wrong, contact us within 14 days of receiving the notification. Representations regarding the fee must be made in writing.
Pay by the deadline
Annual registration fees are due by 1 August of the registration year, or 30 days after the fee notification if later. Direct debit payment dates will be specified in your fee notification if you have elected to pay this way.
Choose your payment method
We prefer payment by direct debit, but you can also pay by bank transfer.
Pay by direct debit
You can pay by direct debit:
- in full
- in quarterly instalments.
If you choose to pay in full, we will collect this by the payment deadline. If you choose quarterly instalments, we will collect these in August, November, February and May.
To set a new direct debit, or to update your bank details, send us:
- Provider details for registration fees: provide contact information and payment preferences if these have changed
- Direct debit instruction form: instructions for payments by direct debit
If you paid by direct debit last year and nothing has changed, you do not need to do anything.
Pay by bank transfer
Bank transfers should be made to the account on your fee notification, quoting the reference provided.
If you pay by bank transfer, you are responsible for ensuring cleared funds reach us by the deadline. Bank transfers can take up to 3 working days to clear.
We cannot offer payment plans for payment by bank transfer: the full amount must be paid by the deadline.
Invoices, POs and payment plans
We do not issue separate invoices
We will not send a separate invoice for registration fees. If your finance process requires an invoice, you must use the fee notification as your invoice. Please note the registration fee is out of scope of VAT.
We do not use purchase orders
We do not quote purchase orders for registration fees, and we will not include purchase order numbers on fee notifications.
We only offer two payment plans
You can only pay:
- in full (single payment) by direct debit or BACS, or
- by equal quarterly instalments, collected by direct debit.
If your details have changed
If your fee contact details or payment preferences have changed, update them using our provider details form.
If your bank details have changed, or you’re switching to direct debit for the first time, submit a direct debit instruction form.
If you are leaving the OfS Register
If you leave the Register before the start of a registration year, you will not be charged for that year.
If you leave during a registration year, you must pay fees for the time you were registered. We will adjust the fee to reflect the number of complete months that were spent on the Register during the relevant academic year.
How to make representations
If you wish to make representations in relation to the fee or any of the information used to calculate it, please contact us within 14 days of receiving the notification.
Representations must be made in writing. You must set out which aspects of the fee notification you are disputing, and why. We will aim to respond to you within two working days. However, complex cases may take longer to resolve.
On resolution of the representations, you will have a period of not less than 14 days to make the required payment. We will set out the exact payment date in our decision notification.
Contact us
Before you contact us or make a representation, check if your question is already answered in these FAQs:
No, you should treat the notice letter as an invoice. The registration fee is out of scope for the purposes of VAT and therefore no VAT invoice is required.
No, we can only issue one registration fee notification letter per year for each registered provider, which you can treat as your invoice. We do issue a notification email to your fees contact at least 10 working days before each direct debit payment is collected.
No. We will not quote unique payment references on individual registration fee notification letters. Due to tight time schedules, it is unfeasible for us to do so. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
The contact will receive the annual registration fee notification letter for the coming academic year. This will include registration fee information such as the amount payable, the amount of student numbers for your provider and any discounts that you may or may not be eligible for.
They will also receive the new technical guidance along with forms for fee contact and payment preference (annex b) and direct debit instruction (annex c) in case you are wanting to change the method or frequency of payment or need to amend your bank details.
In addition to the above, those electing to pay by direct debit will receive advance notifications of a direct debit collections. If on your fee contact (annex b) form you have provided separate contact for invoices, this may be used as the preferred contact to issue these notifications to.
We calculate fees using the latest published HESA student number and Individualised Learner Record (ILR) data, meaning that for the forthcoming registration year we will be operating with the data collected for the academic year two years prior. To use more recent numbers, we would require providers to make additional data returns, which we believe would be an unnecessary burden.
Contact the OfS finance team:
- [email protected]
- 0117 931 7027
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