A DBS check is a criminal record check carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service. Employers use DBS checks to make safer recruitment decisions, particularly for roles involving children or vulnerable adults. There are three levels — basic, standard, and enhanced — each showing different information and available for different types of role.
This guide explains which level applies to your situation, what each check costs using the current 2026 fees, how to apply, and what the certificate will actually show.
Which level of DBS check do you need
The level required is determined by the role, not by the employer’s preference. Using a higher level than the role warrants is not permitted — this matters because standard and enhanced checks reveal information that individuals are otherwise legally entitled to keep private.
Basic DBS check
A basic check shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions only. It is available for any role and carries no eligibility restrictions. Any employer can request one, and individuals can also apply for their own basic check without employer involvement.
This is the appropriate level for most non-regulated roles — office work, retail, driving, administration, and similar positions where there is no direct unsupervised contact with children or vulnerable adults.
Standard DBS check
A standard check shows both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and warnings. Because it removes the protection that the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 gives to spent convictions, it is only available for roles specifically listed under the Act’s Exceptions Order — broadly, legal, financial, and certain licensed roles.
The employer must apply for a standard check. An individual cannot apply for one themselves.
Enhanced DBS check
An enhanced check shows everything a standard check shows, plus any additional information held by local police that the chief constable considers relevant to the role. This discretionary element is one reason enhanced checks can take longer than other levels.
Enhanced checks are required for roles involving regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults — teaching, nursing, social work, childminding, personal care, and similar positions. Where the role involves regulated activity, the check will also include a search of the relevant barred list: the Children’s Barred List, the Adults’ Barred List, or both.
One point of frequent confusion: the barred list element is an add-on within the enhanced level, not a separate tier. The government fee is the same — £49.50 — whether or not the barred list check is included.
As with standard checks, the employer or a registered organisation must apply. An individual cannot apply for an enhanced check themselves — with one exception, introduced in January 2026.
Enhanced DBS checks for self-employed workers — January 2026 change
From 21 January 2026, self-employed individuals working in regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults can apply for an Enhanced DBS check independently, through a registered platform. Previously this was impossible without an employing organisation.
This closes a significant long-standing gap. Private tutors, self-employed carers, nannies, music teachers, and sports coaches who work directly with children or vulnerable adults — and who have no employer to apply on their behalf — can now obtain the level of check that clients and commissioning bodies expect. The fee is the same as for any other applicant: £49.50 plus an admin fee set by the platform.
How to apply for a DBS check
Basic check — apply yourself
You can apply for a basic DBS check directly at: Request a basic DBS check – GOV.UK.
You pay the £21.50 fee directly to the DBS. The certificate is usually issued within 14 days of applying online. This is the only level most individuals can apply for without an employer or organisation involved.
Standard and enhanced — employer applies
For standard and enhanced checks, the employer submits the application — either directly through the DBS portal if they are a registered body, or through an umbrella body. Most employers use umbrella bodies, which are organisations registered with the DBS to process applications on behalf of others.
The process for the applicant is straightforward. You provide your identity documents to the employer or umbrella body, complete an online application form with your personal details and address history, and the organisation submits it to the DBS. The completed certificate is then sent to your home address. It is not sent directly to the employer unless you choose to share it with them or consent to digital sharing through the update service.
Enhanced — self-employed route (from January 2026)
Self-employed workers in regulated activity can now apply through a registered platform without needing an employer. The platform acts as the countersigning organisation. You apply online, verify your identity, and pay the fee. The resulting certificate is your own — you can share it with clients or commissioning bodies as needed.
DBS check cost — 2026 fees
The fees below are the government-set rates in force from 2 December 2024, when the DBS updated its fee structure for the first time since 2022.
| Check type | Government fee | Who typically pays |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | £21.50 | Usually the individual |
| Standard | £21.50 | Usually the employer |
| Enhanced (with or without barred list) | £49.50 | Usually the employer |
| Standard or enhanced for volunteers | Free | DBS fee waived |
These are the DBS’s own fees. In practice, most standard and enhanced applications go through an umbrella body, which adds an administration fee on top — typically between £10 and £25 per application, depending on the provider. This means the real cost to an employer for an enhanced check is usually between £60 and £75 in total.
Employers can choose to absorb this cost entirely, split it with the applicant, or pass it on in full. All three approaches are legal. It is worth clarifying who pays before submitting an application.
Volunteers qualify for a free DBS check at standard or enhanced level, provided they receive no payment for the role except reimbursed travel and approved out-of-pocket expenses. The umbrella body admin fee still applies in most cases. Basic checks are never free, even for volunteers — the £21.50 fee applies regardless.
The DBS Update Service costs £16 per year and is covered in more detail below.
What does a DBS check show
This is the question most people with a criminal record are trying to answer, and it is rarely explained clearly.
The starting point is the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Under this Act, most convictions become “spent” after a set period — meaning the person is legally treated as if the offence never happened and does not have to disclose it to most employers. This is why a basic DBS check only shows unspent convictions: for ordinary roles, spent offences are not relevant.
Standard and enhanced checks are different. Because the roles they cover involve greater responsibility, spent convictions are also disclosed. Applying for one of these checks removes the ROA protection for that application.
What the filtering rules mean
Not every spent conviction appears on a standard or enhanced certificate. The DBS applies filtering rules that remove certain old or minor offences from the certificate even when the check level would otherwise reveal them. However, the filtering rules changed in 2023. Multiple convictions on the same occasion and any sentence involving custody are no longer automatically filtered, regardless of how old they are. This matters for people who had multiple minor offences as a young person — they may still appear.
The filtering rules are complex and depend on the type of offence, the sentence, and how long ago it occurred. If you are concerned about a specific conviction, the DBS publishes the filtering rules in full and you can apply for a basic check on yourself first to see what currently shows before a prospective employer requests a higher-level check.
Additional police information on enhanced certificates
Enhanced certificates may include a section for additional information held by local police. This is information that the relevant chief constable considers relevant to the role being applied for, even if it has not resulted in a conviction. It might include intelligence about behaviour, acquittals where the police consider the information still relevant, or other locally held records.
This element is entirely discretionary. It is unpredictable, and it is one reason enhanced checks occasionally take significantly longer than standard ones — the police force covering your address history must be consulted, and some forces take longer than others.
Certificate validity
A DBS certificate is a snapshot of your record on the date it was issued. It has no official expiry date. In practice, most employers treat a certificate as reliable for 12 months and request a new one after that. The Update Service exists specifically to address this — see below.
How long does a DBS check take
Processing times vary by level and by the complexity of the application.
| Check type | Typical processing time |
|---|---|
| Basic | Around 14 days online |
| Standard | Usually 2–4 weeks |
| Enhanced | Usually 4–8 weeks; can be longer |
The most common cause of delays is a mismatch between the name, date of birth, or address history on the application and the records held by police. This triggers a manual verification process that can add weeks to the timeline. Providing a complete and accurate address history — including all addresses for the past five years — significantly reduces this risk.
You can track the progress of a standard or enhanced DBS application at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/track-a-dbs-application
The DBS Update Service
The Update Service is a subscription that keeps a DBS certificate current and portable between roles. It costs £16 per year, paid directly to the DBS.
Once subscribed, an employer can carry out a free, instant status check on your existing certificate online rather than applying for a new one. The check confirms whether the certificate is still up to date or whether new information has been added since it was issued.
This is particularly useful for workers who move between employers in the same sector — supply teachers, agency care workers, locum healthcare staff, and contractors in regulated industries. Instead of each new employer paying for and waiting for a fresh check, they verify the existing certificate in seconds.
The critical timing rule: you must subscribe to the Update Service within 30 days of the date on your DBS certificate. If you miss this window, you cannot join the service for that certificate. You would need to apply for a new check and subscribe within 30 days of receiving the new certificate.
The Update Service applies to standard and enhanced certificates only. It does not apply to basic DBS checks.
DBS checks for volunteers
Volunteers can access standard and enhanced DBS checks without paying the government fee. To qualify, you must meet the DBS definition of a volunteer: you receive no financial benefit from the role beyond reimbursed travel and approved out-of-pocket expenses. Unpaid interns at for-profit organisations do not qualify. Trainee positions that lead to a qualification or paid role also do not qualify.
The umbrella body admin fee still applies in most cases, so you should expect to pay something even as a volunteer — typically between £10 and £20 depending on the organisation processing the check.
Basic DBS checks are never free. The £21.50 government fee applies to basic checks for everyone, including volunteers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a DBS check and a CRB check?
These are the same thing. The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) merged with the Independent Safeguarding Authority in 2012 to form the Disclosure and Barring Service. CRB check is simply the older name. If an employer asks for a CRB check, they mean a DBS check.
Do I need to tell my employer about spent convictions?
For most jobs, no. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 means spent convictions do not need to be disclosed for standard employment. However, for roles that require a standard or enhanced DBS check, spent convictions will appear on the certificate regardless of whether you disclosed them. This is why the level of check matters — it determines what an employer will see.
Can I do a DBS check on myself?
You can apply for a basic DBS check on yourself at any time through GOV.UK. This shows your current unspent convictions and is useful if you want to see what a prospective employer will see before they request one. You cannot apply for a standard or enhanced check on yourself unless you are self-employed in regulated activity, in which case the January 2026 route applies.
Does a DBS check show cautions?
Yes. Cautions, conditional cautions, reprimands, and warnings all appear on standard and enhanced certificates. Some cautions may be filtered out after a period of time under the filtering rules, but recent cautions will appear.
How long is a DBS check valid for?
There is no official expiry date. The certificate is valid as a snapshot of your record on the date it was issued, but it does not reflect anything that happens after that date. Most employers request a new check if the existing one is more than 12 months old. Subscribing to the DBS Update Service keeps the certificate current without needing a new application.
What happens if something shows up on my DBS check?
An employer receives the certificate only if you share it with them — it is sent to your home address. If something appears that you believe is inaccurate, you can dispute it with the DBS before sharing the certificate. If the information is accurate, an employer can take it into account when making a recruitment decision, but they are not automatically required to withdraw an offer. The relevance of the information to the specific role is a factor they should consider. Some roles — such as those involving regulated activity with children — do carry a legal bar on employing people on the barred lists, regardless of individual assessment.
Do DBS checks apply in Scotland?
No. DBS checks cover England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, criminal record checks are carried out by Disclosure Scotland, which operates a separate system with its own levels and processes. If you are applying for a role in Scotland, you will need a Disclosure Scotland check rather than a DBS check.
Can an employer refuse to hire me because of my DBS check?
For most roles, yes — employers have discretion. However, they should assess the relevance of what appears on the certificate to the specific role rather than applying a blanket policy of refusing anyone with a criminal record. For roles involving regulated activity, the law is stricter: anyone on the Children’s Barred List or Adults’ Barred List is legally prohibited from working in that regulated activity, and an employer commits an offence if they knowingly employ a barred person.