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How to get a DBS check as a private tutor
Which check you can get, how to apply, what it costs, and how to show families. Fees and rules checked on GOV.UK on 10/11/2026.
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Short answer
You can apply for a basic check yourself, directly with DBS. For an enhanced check you have to go through another organisation, a DBS-registered umbrella body, which sends your application to DBS and charges its own fee on top. Families can ask to see your certificate but can’t apply for you.
Facts checked against GOV.UK and each service’s own website on 10/11/2026. Awaiting sign-off by the Chief Education Officer. Next check due 10/02/2027.
Two ways to get a check
Apply yourself on GOV.UK
Anyone aged 16 or over can apply, with no umbrella body. It shows unspent convictions and cautions only. It isn’t a check for work with children, so the certificate won’t say “child workforce”.
What you need
A GOV.UK One Login, your addresses for the last 5 years, and your passport, driving licence or National Insurance number if you have them. It usually takes up to 3 days, then a paper certificate is posted to you.
You have to go through an umbrella body
You can’t apply to DBS directly for an enhanced check. A self-employed tutor applies through a DBS umbrella body: a separate registered organisation that checks your ID and whether you’re eligible, then sends your application to DBS. It charges its own administration fee on top of the DBS fee.
Find a registered umbrella body
How to choose one
- Use GOV.UK’s official list and filter for bodies that process checks for self-employed people. Check the organisation is registered with DBS before you pay.
- Ask for the total cost up front: the DBS fee plus their admin fee. Fees vary, so compare a few.
- A proper one asks for ID and asks eligibility questions. Be wary of anyone who skips them or promises a certificate you may not be eligible for.
- Families can’t apply for you.
Which enhanced check can I get?
Since 21/01/2026, a paid, self-employed tutor can apply for an enhanced check on themselves, if the role is eligible. Being self-employed doesn’t make you eligible by itself.
- Enhanced with the children’s barred list. This is for regulated activity with children. Teaching, training or instructing children counts if you do it on more than 3 days in any 30-day period. GOV.UK’s example is a self-employed maths tutor who works 2 evenings a week.
- Enhanced without the barred list. If you teach children but less often than that, you may still be eligible for this one.
- Basic only. If the umbrella body says your role isn’t eligible for an enhanced check, a basic check is the option left.
The umbrella body will work out which applies to you. You can also read GOV.UK’s eligibility guidance for roles working with children.
What it costs
DBS fees from 05/10/2026, as published on GOV.UK. Read on 10/11/2026.
| Basic check | £20 |
|---|---|
| Enhanced check, or enhanced with barred list | £41 |
| Umbrella body admin fee | Set by each body |
| DBS Update Service (a year) | £15 |
The umbrella body’s fee isn’t published on GOV.UK and it varies, so ask before you apply. Volunteer checks are free, but paid tutoring doesn’t qualify as volunteering.
Keeping it up to date: the Update Service
A certificate shows what was true on the day it was issued, and it has no expiry date. If you join the DBS Update Service (£15 a year), your standard or enhanced certificate stays current, and with your permission a family can check online whether anything has changed. You can take it from one client to the next, so you don’t need to pay an umbrella body for a new check each time.
- Join within 30 days of the certificate being issued.
- It covers standard and enhanced checks only. A basic check isn’t on the Update Service.
- A client can still ask for a new certificate if they need a different workforce or level of check.
What to show families, and how they can check
- Show the original certificate. GOV.UK says copies and photographs aren’t acceptable.
- Families should check that the name matches your photo ID, that it says “child workforce” for a tutor of children, and the date it was issued.
- If you’re on the Update Service, say so. With your consent, a family can run a free status check online without an account (they enter “private employer” as the organisation name).
- If you aren’t eligible for an enhanced check, say so plainly, say which check you have, and offer references.
Families can read our checklist, How to check any tutor, and DBS’s own guide for parents and carers. A certificate is one part of choosing a tutor, alongside references and experience.
Sources
All read on 10/11/2026.
- DBS reduces fees for checks and Update Service from 5 October 2026 (09/09/2026)
- DBS checks for self-employed people and personal employees (updated 23/01/2026)
- Private individuals employing self-employed workers or personal employees (updated 08/09/2026)
- DBS checks guidance, fees table (updated 05/10/2026)
- Eligibility for roles working with children (01/09/2026)
- Request a basic DBS check and DBS Update Service
More resources
- NSEMM, what we stand forHow to check any tutor
- Free, GOV.UKFind out what type of DBS check you can get
- Free, GOV.UKWhat changed for self-employed workers on 21/01/2026
- NSEMM AdviceAll NSEMM Advice topics
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We think checks like this should be a legal requirement for paid tutoring. Read What we stand for. We check every NSEMM tutor this way.
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