Information Commissioner increases fees

After a consultation period, the regulator for all things data protection/GDPR and information law – the Information Commissioner – has increased the registration fees for businesses from 1st February 2025. These fees are set by Parliament.

The level of fee depends on a number of criteria:

Tier 1 – Micro organisations - £52 per year

You have a turnover of less than £632,000 or no more than 10 members of staff.

Tier 2 – Small and medium organisations - £78 per year

You have a maximum turnover of £36m or no more than 250 members of staff.

Tier 3 - £3,763 per year

You do not meet the criteria for Tiers 1 or 2, or fail to notify the Information Commissioner that you are a Tier 1 or 2 organisation or company.

If your organisation is not subject to an exemption to pay fees, and you are a small occupational pension scheme or a charity you are required to pay the Tier 1 fee. A public authority is required to pay a fee based on the number of staff members, not turnover.

For the number of staff element, part-time staff count as one member of staff – it is not a Full-time Equivalent (FTE) calculation.

Whilst for some, the increases may be small, for example Tier 1 has increased from £40 to £52, it is worth noting in your budgets. You can also receive a £5 discount if you pay your fee by direct debit.

Information on whether you need to register (there is a self-assessment 'quiz'), what Tier you should place your organisation in and more can be found on the Information Commissioner's website at https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-fee/

For those who do not pay the fee but are required to do so, the Information Commissioner’s Office is able to issue monetary penalty notices (aka fines) which in recent years have been a minimum of £400.

Remember, paying the registration fee does not mean you are GDPR or data protection compliant, nor does it allow you to use the Information Commissioner’s Office logo to say you are registered.

If you are unsure, we at DT Information Governance, we’re happy to have a chat to guide you.