Fixed Fee Compliance Consultancy Options
Our Fixed Fee Options
Regulatory work should not arrive with an open-ended invoice attached. Below is our published fee structure for FCA authorisation, registration, permission changes and ongoing assurance work — so you can budget before you engage, not after.
Fees reviewed: August 2026. All fees are exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate. FCA application fees are payable separately by you, direct to the regulator. These are typical costs – brand new startups may be more.
How our pricing works
Most of the industry bills by the day. We do not think that serves a firm applying for authorisation, because the client carries all of the risk of the estimate being wrong. We quote fixed fees instead.
Your fixed cost is confirmed in a written proposal once we have seen your business plan, approach document, positioning paper or whitepaper. It does not move afterwards unless you ask us to widen the scope, and any change is agreed in writing before work continues.
Authorisation and registration fees include ongoing ad-hoc compliance support for the business in question throughout the project — the day-to-day questions that can be resolved by telephone or email, at no additional charge.
Business plan development — our SPP system
A weak business plan is the single most common reason an FCA application stalls. These workshops build the evidence base the regulator expects to see.
| Workshop | Fee |
|---|---|
| Business Plan Workshops (2 sessions) Building an effective, descriptive business plan. Up to 2 hours each. | From £4,500 |
| Customer Journey Workshop Mapping the journey your customers will actually experience. Up to 2 hours. | From £2,250 |
| Risk Assessment Workshop Demonstrating depth of understanding in your business plan. Up to 2 hours. | From £2,250 |
| Compliance Monitoring Workshop Showing regulatory compliance as an ongoing activity, not a one-off. Up to 2 hours. | From £2,250 |
| Post-Submission Senior Management Workshop Preparing you for the questions you will face as an FCA-approved person. Up to 2 hours. | From £2,250 |
| Wind-Down Planning & Safeguarding Pack Planning documents and evidence pack, where applicable. | From £3,750 |
All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
Assurance, Audit & Governance Reviews NEW
For firms already authorised. Independent testing of what you have in place — and a written record capable of surviving supervisory scrutiny.
Independent SUP 12 Principal Firm Review
In September 2024 the FCA published the results of testing around 270 principal firms on how they had embedded the appointed representative rules effective from 8 December 2022. Of the self-assessments completed, 52% were judged good quality. Of the annual reviews, 43%. Almost none of that gap is competence — it is evidence.
| Tier | Scope | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Self-assessment tested against every point in SUP 12.6A, annual review template tested, AR agreement scope check on up to 3 ARs, RAG-rated findings report with action plan, debrief call. 10 working days. | £2,950 |
| Professional | All Essential, plus 25-file client testing for scope adherence and Consumer Duty outcomes, monitoring and MI adequacy assessment, consumer-facing material review, onboarding and offboarding review, Governing Body Reporting Pack, remote board presentation. 20 working days. | From £9,750 |
| Enterprise | All Professional across your whole AR population, plus SUP 12.6A.3R interim review trigger framework, REP025 readiness check, SMCR accountability mapping, remediation programme with owner and date tracker, in-person board presentation, annual re-test and 12 months’ query support. | From £29,500 |
| Governing Body Reporting Pack (standalone) | Where the oversight work is already done but cannot be presented to a board in defensible form. | £3,500 |
| Annual re-test | For existing review clients. | 60% of initial fee |
All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate. Enterprise engagements are scoped by appointed representative count and confirmed in writing before work begins.
Book a discovery call | UK 0800 689 0190 | Int’l 020 8243 8620
Claims Management
| Application type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Authorisation — small (turnover under £1m) | From £10,000 |
| Authorisation — large (turnover over £1m) | £13,000 – £18,000 |
All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
Consumer Credit
| Application type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Credit Broker — limited permissions (e.g. motor dealer, coffee machines, water softener sales) | From £4,750 payable up front |
| Credit Broker — full permissions | £10,000 – £14,000 |
| Consumer Hire — limited permissions | From £4,500 payable up front |
| Full permissions — Lending | £10,000 – £14,000 |
All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
Cryptoasset Firms
| Application type | Fee |
|---|---|
| AML/CTF registration | £15,000 – £19,700 |
All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
Investment Services
| Application type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Investment services intermediary — arranging only, non-retail | £10,000 – £12,000 |
| Investment services intermediary — arranging and advising with customer-facing certified staff, non-retail | £13,000 – £18,000 |
| Investment services intermediary — arranging and advising with customer-facing certified staff, retail | £13,000 – £18,000 |
| Investment management — discretionary control, non-retail | £13,000 – £18,000 |
| Investment management — discretionary control, retail | £15,000 – £25,000 |
All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
Mortgage, General Insurance and IFA Practices
| Application type | Fee |
|---|---|
| General insurance intermediary (GI broker) | £10,000 – £15,000 |
| Mortgage and general insurance (M&GI) | £13,000 – £18,000 |
| IFA practice — typically the above, plus investments and pensions | £13,000 – £18,000 |
All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
Payment Services
Authorisation and registration under the Payment Services Regulations 2017.
| Application type | Fee |
|---|---|
| API — authorised payment institution, payment account operator | £13,000 – £18,000 |
| SPI — small payment institution: payment account operator, merchant acquirer, money remittance | £10,000 – £12,000 |
| RAISP — registered account information service provider | £10,000 |
| PIS — payment initiation services | £10,000 |
All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
Electronic Money
| Application type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Small electronic money institution (SEMI) — registered | £10,000 – £15,000 |
| Electronic money institution (EMI) — full authorisation | £13,000 – £18,000 |
All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
Variations of Permission and Cancellations
| Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Variation downward — removal of permissions, assuming RegData reporting is in order | £2,500 payable up front |
| Variation upward — minor horizontal manoeuvre | £2,500 |
| Variation upward — vertical manoeuvre | Scoped and priced on discussion |
| Cancellation — where there are no background issues | £2,500 payable up front |
All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
What the fees assume
Business size. Quoted fees assume a business comprising up to two directors. Larger senior management teams mean more SMCR mapping, more approved person applications and more interview preparation — we will tell you at proposal stage if that affects your fee.
Not included. FCA application fees, which you pay direct to the regulator. Regulatory capital, professional indemnity cover and IT infrastructure. Travel and subsistence where an in-person visit is required, charged at cost.
VAT. Every figure on this page is exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
Payment terms
Authorisation and registration projects over £5,000 excluding VAT:
- 50% payable up front to commence the project, except where otherwise stated
- 25% payable on submission of the application to the FCA
- 25% payable 90 days after submission
Alternative: 50% up front, followed by five monthly instalments of 10%.
Assurance and audit engagements: 50% on engagement, 50% on delivery of the findings report.
What happens next
A short discovery call establishes what you are applying for, where you are in the process, and which of the fees above actually applies to you. There is no charge and no obligation, and we will tell you if we think you do not need us.
Book a discovery call: https://bit.ly/CCDiscovr
Or start with our voice assistants — answer the preliminary questions in your own time:
FCA Authorisation: https://bit.ly/FCADiscoAuthn
Compliance Support: https://bit.ly/FCADiscovery-Support
Training: https://bit.ly/RegTrain-Call
UK 0800 689 0190 | International 020 8243 8620 | lw@complianceconsultant.org
Compliance Consultant and Compliance Doctor are trading styles of UK Compliance Consultant Limited, registered in England and Wales, company number 14805896. Registered office: 31 Woodside, Gosport, Hampshire, PO13 0YT. London office: No 1 Royal Exchange, London EC3V 3DG. Fees on this page are indicative and are confirmed in a written proposal. All fees exclusive of VAT at the prevailing rate.
SMF Interview Coaching Course
