Pay your registration fees

Registration fees are usually paid in full when you renew your registration or by Direct Debit in two instalments, on 1 April and 1 October.

However, given the current situation with coronavirus, we moved the payment date from 1 April 2020 to 4 May 2020 to allow for any change in circumstances. Next year, the second registration fee instalment will be taken on 1 April as normal.

Read more about registration fees.

Pay by Direct Debit

If you have a Direct Debit and was due to pay the second instalment of your 2019/20 registration fees, this will have been taken on 4 May 2020.

We sent you a message through your online account before the Direct Debit payment was due, so you could make sure there were enough funds in your account.

This includes anyone who had a Direct Debit in place with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) at the time we became the regulator on 2 December 2019.

A small number of people will have had their Direct Debit cancelled during the transfer. These Direct Debits were cancelled because we did not have email addresses for those people on record. We will have sent those people a payment request via their online account on 4 May 2020 to pay by card instead. After that, they will be able to set up a new Direct Debit.

We understand that you may be feeling anxious about your finances during the emergency. It’s important that you seek support if you are struggling to pay your registration fees. If you do not pay your registration fees, you are at risk of being removed from the register. You can read more about organisations that may be able to support you.

GoCardless

Our Direct Debits are handled by GoCardless. GoCardless is an ISO certified secure solution, authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can find more information about GoCardless on their website.

Setting up a new Direct Debit

You can set up a new Direct Debit on your online account. Direct Debits must be set up at least 5 days before the next payment is due. If you set up a new Direct Debit less than 5 days before the next payment is due, you will need to pay by card.

Pay by card

If you paid your registration fees in full, the next time you will be asked to pay is when you renew your registration. Renewals take place annually from September to December.

If you have not paid your registration fees in full, and you do not have a Direct Debit, you will receive an email with details on how to make a card payment through your online account. We cannot take payments over the phone.

If you are unable to pay online, someone in the registration and advice team will be in touch about making a payment. You can also email us on [email protected].

Outstanding payments

If your Direct Debit fails, you will receive instructions on how to make a card payment through your online account.

Our registration team will be in touch at key stages to explain what you need to do.

You will then have 28 calendar days to make the outstanding registration fee payment. If, after this time, if you have not made the payment, you will be removed from the Social Work England register.

Voluntary removal

For us to process your request to leave the register, please submit a request to leave the register through your online account.

Please note that we will not refund any portion of your registration fee regardless of when you leave the register.

Alternatively, if you are due to make a card payment for any outstanding registration fees for the 2019/20 registration year, you can choose to not make this payment. You will receive communications throughout this month, however if you would like to leave the register you do not have to action these.

Anyone who has not paid their registration fee by midnight 31 May will be removed from the Social Work England and can no longer practise as a social worker.

If you are removed from the register, you will not be able to practice as a social worker or use the protected title ‘social worker’.

For more information, read our guidance on leaving the register voluntarily.

Contact us

If you believe that there is an error with the charge and that you have paid in full for the 2019/20 registration year, please send an email to [email protected] with further information and evidence of payment of your registration fees. We will then investigate this and be in touch with you in due course with our response.

If you need to speak to someone on the phone, please request a call back in your email.

Last updated: 13 May 2020