Frequently Asked Questions

Our current rates of subscription and membership fees are as follows:

Core Subscription Fees

Chartered Members / Fellows / Associate Fellows	£134
Graduate Members	£134
Graduate Members during first three years after eligibility on application to the Council (see application form)	£67
Graduate Members on confirmation of being a bona fide postgraduate student with a level of income below that necessary to pay income tax (see application form)	£36
Student Members	£26
Student Members can save money by signing up to one of our bundle offers and paying in advance for multiple years.	3 year bundle - £66 4 year bundle - £88
Affiliates	£100
e-subscribers	£12

 

Application Fees (Payable On First Application)

Chartered Members (first time applicants)	£62
Chartered Members (Graduate Membership upgrade)	£41
Fellows	£56
Associate Fellows	£41
Graduate Members	£21

The Inland Revenue has agreed to allow tax relief on all membership subscription fees, including division, section, special group and journal payments.

Below is an extract from the Inland Revenue to the Marketing and Promotions Officer dated 4 March 2004:

'Approval under Section 18 Finance Act 1958 (now Section 344 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003) was granted to the Society in 1959. This means that members may claim tax relief for their annual membership subscriptions (core subscription). It has been decided that this approval should be extended to include any additional annual subscription for membership of a division, section or special group. The extension also includes any additional subscription paid by members for any of the Society's publications.'

To claim, you should either list these payments in your annual tax return or write to your tax office with details of the total amounts paid, what they were and your membership number. Your tax code will be adjusted accordingly.

For more information on how to claim, contact our Subscriptions Department:

Tel: +44(0)195 221 4066

Email: [email protected]

All subscriptions must be paid by the 31^st of January.

Yes – the Society’s subscription year starts on the 1^st of January and ends on the 31^st of December.

Subscriptions are charged on a calendar year basis and not according to the anniversary of your admission.

No – whilst a full year’s subscription is always due upon application, if you are admitted between July and September half of your payment will be carried forward as credit towards the following year’s fees.

After October 1^st all fees go towards the following year.

Subscription reductions are available for retired Members, postgraduate students and members with special circumstances i.e. unemployed, maternity/carers leave etc. Please consult the appropriate form below for more information:

• Application for reduced subscription fees for UK postgraduate students
• Application for reduced subscription fees for retired members
• Application for reduced subscription fees due to special circumstances

You can pay online via our secure payment facility, or by setting up a quarterly or annual direct debit.

It is also fine to pay using your credit/debit card if you call our Subscriptions Team on +44(0) 1952 214 066.

Alternatively, you can pay by cheque or by bank transfer.

Direct Debit (UK bank accounts only)

Members who pay by annual direct debit will have their main subscriptions taken at the end of January and we also offer quarterly installments service.

Notices of impending direct debits are sent out a minimum of two weeks before the payment is taken. 

To set up a direct debit please complete and sign the Direct Debit Mandate, indicating whether you would prefer to pay annually or by quarterly instalments.

We now can set up direct debit payments over the phone. To take advantage of this new service, call +44 (0)1952 214 066.

Bank transfer

If you wish to make payments by direct money transfer our bank account details are:

Royal Bank of Scotland
Account Number: 11226510
Sort Code: 16-23-21
Branch: Leicester Market Street
Swift Code: RBOS GB 2L
IBAN Number: GB09 RBOS 16232111226510

If you do transfer money into the Society's account, make sure that you inform our Subscriptions Department, with the date, amount and reference of the transaction.

Membership will renew automatically at the end of each calendar year unless you cancel in writing.

You can do this by contacting [email protected] or write to us at the BPS Office. The deadline for receiving your notice of cancellation is 31 January.

Where subscriptions remain unpaid after 31 January, we suspend access to all Member Benefits and services until payment is received.

We will continue to contact you regarding renewal as you will still be considered a Member until 1 July.

If for any reason you have let your Membership lapse and wish to rejoin the Society at the same grade, please call +44(0) 116 252 9911 or email [email protected] for your reinstatement options.

The Society operates a no refund policy.

However, we allow direct debit payers the option to cancel and get a refund of their fees after having made their payment up until the the 31^st of March each year.

From the 1^st of April there will be no refunds to direct debit payers, and individuals will instead be advised to maintain their membership for the remainder of the year and to cancel on the 31^st of December.