Buying guide
How much does CPD accreditation cost in the UK?
Published 13 August 2026 · 7 min read
This is a harder question to answer than it should be, because most CPD accreditation bodies in the UK don't publish their prices. You're usually asked to book a call first. So the honest version of this guide is in two parts: what we charge, which we can state precisely, and what to look for in anyone else's quote, which is where most of the real cost hides.
The short answer: accrediting a single course with AssuredCPD costs £350 for the first year and £245 a year after that. Annual membership, covering multiple courses, runs from £975 for up to five courses to £3,330 for up to fifty. All figures exclude VAT. There are no application fees and no per-certificate charges.
What AssuredCPD charges
Every price below is the first-year fee, excluding VAT. Accreditation runs for twelve months and renews at a reduced rate, because reassessing a course you have already seen is less work than assessing it cold.
| Option | Courses covered | First year | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single course | 1 | £350 | £245 |
| Member-5 | up to 5 | £975 | £685 |
| Member-10 | up to 10 | £1,380 | £965 |
| Member-20 | up to 20 | £1,930 | £1,350 |
| Member-50 | up to 50 | £3,330 | £2,330 |
The per-course maths is what usually decides it. One course at £350 is straightforward. Five courses on Member-5 works out around £195 each; fifty courses on Member-50 is closer to £67 each. If you have more than a couple of courses, membership is almost always cheaper than accrediting them one at a time.
What that fee actually covers
A price only means something once you know what sits behind it. With us, the fee covers assessment of the course against the six domains of our published Standards Framework, a written decision within five working days of a complete submission, the licence to display the AssuredCPD mark on that course, a listing in the public provider directory, and a unique reference that anyone can check on the verification page.
It does not cover rewriting your course. If a submission falls short we say exactly why and what would fix it, and the first resubmission within 60 days is assessed at no additional fee. But the work of fixing it is yours.
The four costs that hide in someone else's quote
Headline fees are comparable. What isn't always visible is everything attached to them. When you get a quote from any accreditation body, these are the four questions worth asking before you sign.
1. Is there a per-certificate or per-learner fee?
This is the big one, and it's the difference between a fixed cost and an open-ended one. If you pay per certificate issued, your accreditation bill grows every time you sell a course — so a successful year costs you more. Ask for the number in writing, and model it against the learner volume you actually expect rather than the volume you have today. We don't charge per certificate; once a course is accredited you can issue as many certificates as you like, on any platform.
2. How long is the contract?
Multi-year minimum terms are common in this market, and they change the real price considerably: a headline annual fee on a two-year minimum is really a two-year commitment quoted by the year. Ask what the minimum term is, what notice period applies, and what happens if you want to leave in month seven. Ours runs twelve months with no minimum term beyond that.
3. What does renewal cost?
A first-year price tells you very little on its own. Accreditation is an ongoing relationship — the mark has to stay current to mean anything — so the number that matters over three years is the renewal fee, not the joining fee. Always ask for both. Ours are in the table above.
4. Is there an application or assessment fee on top?
Some bodies separate an application fee from the accreditation fee, so the advertised price isn't the amount you pay. Ask whether the quoted figure is all-in, and whether a declined application is refundable or chargeable. We don't charge an application fee, and our five-day turnaround carries a money-back guarantee on the assessment fee if we miss it on a complete, routine submission.
A worked comparison over three years
Take a provider with eight courses. On single-course pricing that's eight separate accreditations — £2,800 in year one, then £1,960 a year. On Member-10 it's £1,380 in year one and £965 a year after. Over three years that's £6,720 the first way and £3,310 the second.
The point isn't the specific numbers, it's the method: work out your three-year total, including renewals and any per-certificate charges at your expected volume, before comparing anyone's headline fee to anyone else's. A cheap first year attached to an expensive renewal and a per-learner charge is not cheap.
Why we publish this at all
Because the alternative is a qualifying call, and a qualifying call exists to find out what you'll pay rather than to tell you what it costs. If a price genuinely varies by circumstance, that's worth explaining in public. If it varies by how much the seller thinks you can afford, that's worth knowing too.
We've written separately about why our prices are on the website. The short version is that a body asking training providers to be transparent with their learners is on weak ground if it won't be transparent about its own fees.
What price shouldn't decide
One caution, against our own interest: do not choose an accreditation body on price alone. A mark is worth exactly what the assessment behind it is worth, and a cheap rubber stamp is worse value than an expensive real one, because a mark nobody respects is a cost with no return.
Before comparing fees, compare substance. Can you read the standard the course will be judged against, in full, before you apply? Is there a named person accountable for the decision? Can a sceptical buyer verify the certificate independently? If a body can show you all three, the price is a fair thing to weigh. If it can't, the price is the least of the problem — we've written more on how to tell a meaningful mark from a rubber stamp.
Common questions
How much does CPD accreditation cost in the UK?
With AssuredCPD, accrediting a single course costs £350 for the first year and £245 a year on renewal. Annual membership covering multiple courses runs from £975 for up to five courses to £3,330 for up to fifty. All prices exclude VAT. Most UK CPD accreditation bodies do not publish their fees and quote only after a call, so direct comparison usually requires asking each one directly.
Are there per-certificate fees for CPD accreditation?
It depends on the body. Some charge per certificate issued or per learner, which makes the cost open-ended and grows your bill as you sell more. AssuredCPD does not charge per certificate: once a course is accredited you can issue unlimited certificates on any platform for the duration of the accreditation.
How much does CPD accreditation cost to renew?
AssuredCPD accreditation runs for twelve months and renews at a reduced rate: £245 a year for a single course, £685 for Member-5, £965 for Member-10, £1,350 for Member-20 and £2,330 for Member-50, all excluding VAT. When comparing bodies, ask for the renewal fee as well as the first-year fee, because the renewal is what you pay every year after.
Is it cheaper to accredit courses individually or take a membership?
Membership is usually cheaper from about three courses upwards. A single course costs £350, while Member-5 covers up to five courses for £975, which is roughly £195 each. At the top tier, Member-50 covers up to fifty courses for £3,330, or about £67 per course.
Does a higher price mean better CPD accreditation?
No. The value of a mark comes from the rigour and independence of the body behind it, not its fee. Before comparing prices, check whether the standard is published in full, whether a named person is accountable for the decision, and whether certificates can be independently verified.