Planning Portal Fee Calculator

This planning portal fee calculator gives you an instant, accurate estimate of your planning application fee in England. It’s based on the current 2026 statutory fee schedule.

Whether you’re searching for a planning application fee calculator, a UK planning permission cost calculator, or simply trying to work out how much planning permission costs for your specific project — this tool is built to answer that question directly. No digging through government regulations required.

How it works

Rather than giving you one generic number, the calculator asks a short series of questions about your specific project. It covers the type of development, its scale, and any relevant circumstances.

From there, it calculates the exact fee band that applies. This uses the same logic and figures set out in the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations 2012, as amended.

It covers householder applications, full and outline planning permission, change of use, prior approval, listed building consent, advertisement consent, and every other major application category currently in use.

Who this is for

• Homeowners planning an extension, loft conversion, garage, or similar home improvement
• Architects and planning consultants who need a fast, reliable figure to quote clients
• Developers working out per-dwelling costs across a new build scheme
• Estate agents and surveyors advising clients on the cost implications of a proposed project

A note on the name — what this calculator is, and isn’t

Worth being direct about this: this is an independent planning fee calculator. It isn’t affiliated with or operated by the Planning Portal — the UK government’s official application submission platform at planningportal.co.uk.

The name reflects what the tool calculates: Planning Portal application fees. But every application you submit still needs to go through the Planning Portal or your Local Planning Authority directly.

This tool exists purely to help you understand and estimate the cost beforehand. It uses publicly available statutory fee data, kept current and cross-checked against the official schedule.

Why accuracy matters here

Planning fees directly affect real financial decisions. Whether a project is affordable, how a budget is structured, what a client is quoted — the number matters.

That’s why this calculator is built to mirror the actual regulations line for line, rather than offering rough estimates. Every figure on this page is checked against the current schedule rather than left to go stale.

One coverage note worth flagging: this tool currently covers England only. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each operate separate planning systems with their own fee structures — covered briefly further down this page.

👉 Scroll up to use the calculator, or continue reading below for the full 2026 fee breakdown.

2026 Planning Application Fee Schedule — Quick Reference

The table below summarises the most common statutory planning fees in England from 1 April 2026, following the 3.8% CPI-linked increase.

These rates apply uniformly across every Local Planning Authority in England. A council in Cornwall charges exactly the same fee as one in Newcastle, since fees are set nationally, not locally.

Rates confirmed against the April 2026 schedule. Last verified: 29 July 2026.

Application Type	Fee (from 1 Apr 2026)
Householder – extension / alteration (single dwelling)	£548
Householder – extension / alteration (2+ dwellings)	£1,083
Operations within curtilage / gates / fences	£272
Prior Approval – larger rear extension	£249
New dwellinghouses (1–9 units)	£610 per dwelling
New dwellinghouses (10–50 units)	£659 per dwelling
Change of use to dwellinghouses (1–9 units)	£610 per dwelling
Prior Approval – Class E to homes	£260 per dwelling
Material change of use (other)	£610
Removal / variation of condition – householder	£89
Removal / variation of condition – major	£2,076
Discharge of conditions – householder	£89
Discharge of conditions – other	£309
Non-material amendment – householder	£46
Non-material amendment – other	£309
Listed Building Consent	FREE
Conservation Area demolition consent	FREE
Tree Preservation Order works	FREE

This table covers the fees most people search for. For a project-specific breakdown with worked examples, see the sections below — or use the calculator above for an answer tailored to your exact project.

What Are Planning Application Fees?

Planning application fees are statutory charges set by central government in England. You pay them to your Local Planning Authority (LPA) — your local council — when you submit a planning application.

The fees exist to help councils recover the cost of processing and determining applications. Assessing a proposal properly takes officer time: reviewing drawings, checking policy compliance, consulting neighbours, and issuing a decision.

Unlike most other costs tied to building work, these fees are set nationally. That means the fee itself doesn’t vary by region, property value, or how busy a particular council is.

The legal basis

Fees are governed by the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations 2012, as amended.

The 2023 Amendment Regulations introduced annual, inflation-linked fee increases. From April 2025 onwards, fees rise each year in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for the preceding September, subject to a 10% cap.

This is why the fee for a householder application, for example, has changed slightly each year — not because the rules changed, but because the same rules now include a built-in annual adjustment.

For the full regulations, see Gov.uk: Fees for planning applications.

Let me verify the commercial floorspace fee band figures before writing that part — I don’t want to guess on this one.

How Planning Fees Are Calculated — By Application Type

Not every planning fee is worked out the same way. Depending on what you’re applying for, the fee might be a flat rate, a per-dwelling charge, a per-hectare charge, or based on floorspace.

Understanding which method applies to your project is the fastest way to make sense of the number the calculator gives you. Below is a breakdown of each method, with a worked example for each.

Flat-rate fees

Some application types charge the same fee regardless of size. The most common example is the householder application, covering extensions, loft conversions, and similar work to a single dwelling.

• Fee: £548, regardless of whether the extension is 10m² or 40m²

Worked example: A homeowner builds a two-storey rear extension adding 35m² of floorspace. Another homeowner, three streets away, builds a single-storey side extension adding 12m². Both pay exactly £548, because the householder fee doesn’t scale with size — only the application category matters.

Per-dwelling fees

New residential development is charged per home being created, not as a single flat fee for the whole scheme.

• 1–9 dwellings: £610 per dwelling
• 10–50 dwellings: £659 per dwelling
• Over 50 dwellings: £32,578, plus £196 per dwelling above 50, capped at £427,537

Worked example: A developer builds 8 new houses. The fee is 8 × £610 = £4,880. Had the scheme been 10 houses instead of 8, every dwelling — not just the extra two — would be charged at the higher £659 rate, since crossing the threshold moves the whole scheme into the next band. That’s £6,590 total, a jump of £1,710 for two additional homes.

A second scenario worth knowing: a developer builds exactly 50 dwellings. At £659 per dwelling, that’s £32,950.

One more dwelling — 51 — moves the entire scheme into the “over 50” band, calculated as £32,578 plus £196 per dwelling above 50 (just 1 dwelling): £32,578 + £196 = £32,774.

In this specific case, the 51-dwelling scheme is actually slightly cheaper than the 50-dwelling one. It’s a genuine quirk of how the banding is structured at that exact threshold, worth knowing if your scheme is sitting right on the edge.

Per-hectare fees

Outline planning applications — where you’re establishing whether development is acceptable in principle, before submitting detailed drawings — are charged by site area rather than by dwelling count.

• Under 0.5 hectares: £610 per 0.1 hectare
• 0.5 to 2.5 hectares: £659 per 0.1 hectare
• Over 2.5 hectares: £16,291, plus £196 per 0.1 hectare above 2.5, capped at £213,769

Worked example: An outline application covers a 0.3 hectare site. That’s 3 units of 0.1 hectare, each charged at £610 (since the whole site is under 0.5 hectares). Total fee: £1,830.

Per-floorspace fees

Full planning applications for new non-residential buildings — offices, warehouses, retail units, and similar — are charged in bands based on gross floorspace, measured in units of 75 square metres.

• Up to 40m²: £309 flat
• 40m² to under 1,000m²: £610 per 75m² (or part thereof)
• 1,000m² to 3,750m²: £659 per 75m²
• Over 3,750m²: £32,578, plus £196 per 75m² above the threshold, capped at £427,537

Worked example: A business proposes a new 500m² warehouse. That falls in the 40m²–1,000m² band, calculated at £610 per 75m² unit (or part of one) — meaning even a partial 75m² unit is charged as a full one. 500 ÷ 75 = 6.67, rounded up to 7 units. 7 × £610 = £4,270.

Fixed-fee categories

Several application types don’t scale with size or count at all — they’re a single fixed amount regardless of the project’s scale, because the fee reflects the administrative task itself, not the development.

• Discharge of conditions (householder): £89
• Discharge of conditions (other): £309
• Non-material amendment (householder): £46
• Non-material amendment (other): £309
• Removal or variation of a condition (householder): £89
• Removal or variation of a condition (major applications): £2,076

Worked example: A homeowner needs to discharge two separate conditions attached to their householder permission — one relating to materials, one relating to drainage. Each discharge request is charged separately at £89, so the total is £178, not £89, since each condition requires its own request.

For a fee tailored to your exact project, rather than working through these bands manually, use the calculator above.

Application Types Explained

Before you can get an accurate fee, it helps to know which application type your project actually falls under. Here’s a plain-English guide to each one.

Householder application

Covers extensions, loft conversions, garages, and similar alterations to a single dwellinghouse. Flat fee of £548.

This is the most common application type for homeowners. See our full guide: Householder Planning Application Fee Explained.

Full planning permission

Covers new buildings, extensions to flats or multiple dwellings, and most development not covered by a householder application. Fees scale by dwelling count or floorspace, as shown in the section above.

Outline planning permission

Establishes whether development is acceptable in principle, before detailed drawings are submitted. Charged per 0.1 hectare of site area.

Detailed design is then worked out separately, through a Reserved Matters application.

Reserved Matters

Follows an approved outline application. Covers the detailed design — layout, scale, appearance, access, landscaping. If the full fee was already paid at outline stage, this is capped at £610 rather than charged at the full per-dwelling rate again.

Prior Approval

A lighter-touch process for specific permitted development projects — certain larger extensions, and some change-of-use conversions. Fees are fixed per category rather than scaled: £249 for a larger rear extension, £260 per dwelling for Class E to homes conversions.

Change of use

Covers converting a building or land from one lawful use to another — for example, a shop becoming a restaurant, or a barn becoming a dwelling. Fee depends on the specific change and scale involved.

Advertisement consent

Required for most external signage, including shop fronts and hoardings. Charged separately from standard planning fees.

Listed Building Consent

Required for alterations to a listed building that would affect its character. Currently free — no statutory fee applies.

Total Cost of Planning Permission — Beyond the Statutory Fee

The statutory fee is only one part of what you’ll actually spend to get planning permission. It’s worth budgeting for the full picture, not just the number this calculator gives you.

What else is typically involved

• The statutory planning fee — calculated above, paid to your council
• Planning Portal service charge — £75.83 + VAT, if applying online (covered in detail below)
• Architect or drawing costs — required for virtually every application, varying by complexity
• Structural or other surveys — sometimes required depending on the project (e.g. flood risk, ecology, heritage)
• Planning consultant fees — optional, but common for larger or contested applications

Worked example

A homeowner applies for a single-storey rear extension. Their costs might look like:

• Planning fee: £548
• Planning Portal service charge: £75.83 + VAT (£91.00)
• Architect’s drawings: separate quote, varies by practice

The statutory fee and service charge together come to roughly £639 — before any design or survey costs are added. For a full breakdown by scenario, see our guide to the total cost of planning permission.

A larger project scenario

A developer building 15 new homes pays 15 × £659 = £9,885 in statutory fees.

On top of that, most schemes of this size are also liable for the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a separate council-set charge that can run into tens of thousands of pounds depending on location and scheme size.

For a project at this scale, CIL — not the planning fee — is usually the dominant cost. This is why relying on the statutory fee alone to budget a development is a common and expensive mistake.

Exemptions & Reductions, Who Doesn’t Pay (or Pays Less)

Several categories of application carry no fee at all, and a separate group receive a reduction rather than a full exemption. It’s worth knowing which is which before assuming a project qualifies for £0.

Fully exempt, no fee applies at all

• Listed Building Consent
• Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Works to a Listed Building
• Planning permission for relevant demolition in a Conservation Area
• Works to trees covered by a Tree Preservation Order, or in a Conservation Area
• Hedgerow removal notices
• Works solely to provide access, safety, health, or comfort facilities for a disabled person

Reductions, not full exemptions

• Parish and town council applications receive a 50% reduction on the fee, not a full waiver
• Non-profit sports club applications for playing field works (not involving buildings) have their fee capped at £610, rather than eliminated
• An alternative, lower-cost proposal submitted alongside a main application, same site, same day, same applicant, receives a 50% reduction on that second proposal

For the full detail on how each of these is calculated, including worked examples, see our guide: Who Is Exempt From Planning Application Fees?

The Planning Portal Service Charge Explained

In addition to the statutory fee paid to your council, applications submitted via the Planning Portal are subject to a separate service charge.

From 1 April 2026, this charge is £75.83 + VAT per application submission.

Why this is separate from the planning fee

The statutory fee goes to your Local Planning Authority, to cover the cost of assessing your application. The Planning Portal service charge goes to the Planning Portal itself, to cover the cost of running the online submission platform.

They’re two different organisations receiving two different payments — which is why the total you pay online is slightly higher than the statutory fee alone.

For the full breakdown, see our guide: Planning Portal Service Charge Explained.

Cross-Boundary & Multiple-Authority Applications

If your proposed development crosses the boundary of two or more Local Planning Authority areas, a different rule applies.

The 150% rule

The fee is normally 150% of the fee that would have been payable for the same development within a single authority. The fee is paid to the authority containing the larger portion of the application site.

Worked example

A householder extension that straddles two council boundaries would normally cost £548. Because it crosses a boundary, the fee becomes £548 × 1.5 = £822, paid to whichever authority holds the larger share of the site.

For more detail, see our guide: Cross-Boundary Planning Application Fees.

Lawful Development Certificates — A Related but Separate Cost

A Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) is a separate document from planning permission. It formally confirms that a completed or proposed use, operation, or building is lawful — either because it didn’t need planning permission, or because it’s been in place long enough to become immune from enforcement.

Why people apply for one

Even when planning permission isn’t legally required — for example, a permitted development extension — many homeowners apply for an LDC anyway, as formal proof for future buyers, mortgage lenders, or solicitors.

Cost

An LDC typically costs roughly half the equivalent planning application fee. For a proposed use or operation, that works out to around £274 — half of the £548 householder rate.

For the full breakdown, including proposed vs existing use certificates, see our guide: Lawful Development Certificate Cost.

What Happens If You Pay the Wrong Fee

If your application is submitted with an incorrect fee, your council will typically identify this during validation.

What usually happens next

The council will either request the correct payment, or invalidate the application until it’s resolved. If the shortfall isn’t corrected within the required timeframe, the application can be treated as withdrawn.

This is why it’s worth calculating the fee accurately before submission, rather than estimating. This calculator is designed to help with exactly that — though you should always confirm the final amount with your Local Planning Authority before paying.

Future Changes to Planning Fees

Planning fees in England aren’t fixed indefinitely. Two developments are worth being aware of if you’re planning a future project.

Annual CPI-linked increases

Since April 2025, fees have increased every April in line with the Consumer Prices Index from the preceding September, capped at 10%. This is now a standing part of the regulations, not a one-off change — expect the rates on this page to rise again in April 2027.

Local fee variation consultation

In March 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government launched a consultation on allowing Local Planning Authorities to set fee variations above the current national default. If adopted, this would end the current system where every council charges an identical fee, and could mean fees vary by council area for the first time since the current system was introduced.

Nothing has been confirmed yet, and any change would need new regulations to take effect. This page will be updated as soon as anything is finalised.

How the householder fee has changed

The £548 figure hasn’t always been this high. Here’s how it’s moved over the past few years:

Period	Householder fee (single dwelling)
Before April 2025	£258
From April 2025	£528
From April 2026	£548

The jump from £258 to £528 in April 2025 wasn’t a routine CPI adjustment — it was a deliberate policy change, aimed at moving councils toward fuller cost recovery for processing applications. The April 2026 increase to £548, by contrast, was the standard annual CPI uplift (3.8%), the kind of change you should expect roughly every April going forward.

That distinction matters if you’re comparing quotes or advice from a few years ago. A figure that looks wildly out of date might not be an error — it might just predate the 2025 reform.

For the official consultation documentation, see Gov.uk.

How Fees Compare — England vs the Rest of the UK

This calculator, and every figure on this page, covers England only.

Why the rest of the UK is different

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each operate their own planning systems, under separate legislation, with their own fee schedules set by their respective governments. A householder extension fee in Wales, for example, is not the same figure as the £548 England rate — the two systems are calculated independently and change on different timetables.

If your project is in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland, check the fee schedule published by the relevant national planning authority rather than using the figures on this page.

Why Use This Calculator

This planning portal fee calculator is built to give homeowners, architects, planning consultants, and developers a fast, reliable estimate of their statutory planning application fee, based on the official April 2026 schedule.

It covers every common application type, accounts for the major exemptions and reductions, and shows the calculation clearly — so you understand exactly what you’re paying and why, not just the final number.

As set out earlier on this page, this is an independent tool, not an official government service. Always confirm the final figure with your Local Planning Authority before paying.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does planning permission cost in England in 2026?
The most common fee is £548 for a householder application, from 1 April 2026. New residential developments start at £610 per dwelling for schemes of up to 9 homes.

Are planning fees the same across all councils in England?
Yes. Statutory planning fees are set nationally by central government and apply equally to every Local Planning Authority in England.

Do I need to pay a fee for Listed Building Consent?
No. Listed Building Consent carries no statutory fee. Conservation Area Demolition Consent and TPO works are also free.

Does the planning fee include VAT?
No. Statutory planning fees do not include VAT. The Planning Portal service charge, £75.83 from April 2026, is subject to VAT at 20%.

Are planning fees different in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland?
Yes. Each nation has its own planning system and fee schedule. This calculator covers England only.

What is Prior Approval and how much does it cost?
Prior Approval is a simplified process for certain permitted development types. From April 2026, a larger rear extension costs £249, and a Class E to homes conversion costs £260 per dwelling.

What does discharging a planning condition cost?
From April 2026, discharging a condition on a householder application costs £89. For other applications, it’s £309 per request.

Why are planning fees increasing every year?
Under 2023 regulations, fees increase annually in line with CPI, capped at 10%, to help councils recover the true cost of processing applications.

How do I pay my planning application fee?
Via the Planning Portal, by debit or credit card. Bank transfer and cheque are also accepted by most councils.

Is the Planning Portal service charge the same as the planning fee?
No — they’re different payments to different organisations. The statutory fee goes to your council; the £75.83 + VAT service charge goes to the Planning Portal for running the online submission platform.

What is a Lawful Development Certificate, and does it cost the same as planning permission?
No, it’s a separate document confirming a use or development is lawful, typically costing around half the equivalent planning application fee — roughly £274 for a proposed householder scenario.

What happens if I apply for the wrong application type?
Your council will usually flag this during validation and ask you to resubmit under the correct category, which may affect the fee due.

Do I need planning permission for every home improvement?
Not always — many smaller projects fall under permitted development rights and need no application or fee at all. This depends heavily on the specific project, so check the relevant project guide before assuming a fee applies.

Has the householder planning fee always been £548?
No. It was £258 until April 2025, then rose sharply to £528 as part of a deliberate government reform, before reaching £548 through the standard April 2026 CPI increase.

Do I pay VAT on the statutory planning fee?
No. VAT only applies to the separate Planning Portal service charge, not the statutory fee paid to your council.

What’s the maximum planning fee that can be charged?
For the largest schemes (over 50 dwellings, or equivalent large-scale non-residential floorspace), the fee is capped at £427,537 under the current 2026 schedule.

Can a council charge more than the standard national fee?
Not currently — every council charges the same national rate. This may change if the local fee variation consultation launched in March 2026 leads to new regulations.

Can I get a refund if my planning application is refused?
No, planning application fees are non-refundable. There’s also no longer a free resubmission option, the “free-go” concession that once allowed a revised application within 12 months without paying again was removed in December 2023. A resubmitted application today is charged the full fee, the same as any new application.

Sourcing & How We Keep This Accurate

Every fee figure on this page and in the calculator is checked against the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations 2012, as amended, and the current MHCLG fee schedule.

Rates are reviewed each April, when the annual CPI-linked increase takes effect, and updated here as soon as the new schedule is confirmed.

This is an independent resource, not an official government service. If you spot a figure that looks out of date, or have a question about how a specific fee was calculated, you can contact us directly, or read more about this site on our About page.