Membership fees held for 2027
The board has agreed to keep the annual membership fee at £120, and the concession rate at £60, for all of 2027. Our Treasurer explains why.
At its meeting on 20 August the board agreed that membership fees will not rise in 2027. The standard rate stays at £120 a year. The concession rate for students, public-sector staff and retirees stays at £60.
Why we can hold the fee
Three things made this possible. Membership grew by around 9 per cent in the past year, to about 2,400. Our move to online invigilation has cut the cost of running each exam sitting by roughly a third. And the new mobile app was built by our own small team rather than an outside agency, so it came in well under the budget we set in 2025.
At the same time our costs have risen. Venue hire, software licences and tutor fees are all higher than two years ago. Holding the fee means the surplus will be smaller in 2027, but we still expect to break even with a modest reserve.
"Most of our members pay for themselves," says Thomas Reilly, Treasurer. "Many work for small firms or in the public sector, where training budgets are the first thing cut. Keeping the fee steady matters more to them than another feature."
What changes
Course and certificate prices will rise by between £5 and £15 from 1 January 2027, the first increase since 2024. Members will still pay 20 per cent less than non-members. The £35 booking fee is unchanged.
Group membership for teams of ten or more remains priced by enquiry.
The accounts
Our annual accounts for the year to 31 March 2026 are now in the member library, with a one-page summary in plain English. Members can raise questions at the annual meeting on 19 November 2026, held during the autumn conference.
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