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The General Pharmaceutical Council has said it will increase annual registration fees for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians by six per cent from September and is deciding whether to increase those again next year.

Pharmacists’ renewal fees will increase by £17 to £293 and pharmacy technicians will pay £8 more at £138. Pharmacy premises renewal fees will also increase by £24 to £416.

The rises will be a blow to pharmacy owners who are struggling against a tide of rising costs and overheads as they try to keep their pharmacies open and fully operational.

Plan to increase fees from September 2026 postponed while GPhC reflects

The GPhC had planned to increase fees again from September 2026, which would see pharmacists pay £310 and pharmacy technicians £146 while pharmacy premises renewal fees would go up to £441. However, the GPhC said it has postponed those plans.

Its chief executive Duncan Rudkin said it would “reflect further” before making a decision on next year and insisted the regulator “carefully considered the concerns raised” during its consultation on proposals to increase fees this year.

A GPhC spokesperson told Independent Community Pharmacist: "A further increase in registration renewal fees from September 2026 is one possible option but no decisions have been made about that yet. 

"Our Council will now decide on next steps and timelines for reflecting on the decision about fees from September 2026. We will contact pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy owners again to let them know once Council has made their decision."

The GPhC justified the rises by insisting its operating costs have continued to rise. It said an increase in registration fees would allow it to “fulfil its main role of protecting the public”.

The regulator also maintained it has cut its costs by reducing its office space and moving to new offices last year, holding most of its fitness to practise hearings remotely, improving its use of technology and reducing its postage and printing costs as it strives to make £1.5million of savings by 2027-28.

84 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed with reasons for fees increases

During the consultation, 84 per cent of the 3,166 individuals and organisations who responded either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the reasons set out in the consultation report for increasing fees.

Seventy-nine per cent either disagreed or strongly disagreed that fees should be raised by the same percentage across all registrant groups while 96 per cent said the increase was “much too high” or a “bit too high”.

Twenty-six per cent either agreed or strongly agreed with the proposal to set fees for the next two years, 47 per cent disagreed or strongly disagreed while 24 per cent neither agreed or disagreed.

“We understand people’s concerns about a fee increase in this challenging economic climate, with many people facing financial pressures,” Rudkin said.

“We have sought to keep proposed increases as low as possible, by using our reserves, and making savings.”

He said that although the GPhC was mindful of the financial challenges facing pharmacists and pharmacy owners, the regulator too was having to deal with increasing costs.

“Like all organisations, our operational costs have continued to increase due to larger utility bills, supplier costs and national insurance contributions,” he said.

“We are also continuing to see a significant increase in the number of fitness to practise concerns raised which has increased workload and costs.

“In addition, we will need to respond to significant changes in the roles of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and in how pharmacy services are delivered. This will bring changes in the way the GPhC will need to operate and regulate in the future, as set out in our strategic plan.”