Planning Portal Fee Calculator

✅ Updated April 2026

Planning Portal Fee Calculator UK 2026

Instantly calculate your planning application fee using the latest 2026 statutory rates for England. Free, accurate & easy to use.

Planning Portal Fee Calculator — England 2026

Application Type — Select application type — Householder – Extension / Alteration (single dwelling) Householder – Extension / Alteration (2+ dwellings) Operations within curtilage / gates / fences Prior Approval – Larger rear extension (Part 1 Class A/AA) New Dwellinghouses – Full Permission Change of Use to Dwellinghouses Prior Approval – Commercial (Class E) to Homes (Part 3 MA) Prior Approval – Other buildings to homes (Part 3 M/N/Q) Material Change of Use (other) Commercial Building – New Erection (by floor space) Removal / Variation of Condition – Householder Removal / Variation of Condition – Major Development Removal / Variation of Condition – Other Discharge of Condition(s) – Householder Discharge of Condition(s) – Other Non-Material Amendment – Householder Non-Material Amendment – Other LDC – Existing Use / Operation LDC – Proposed Use / Operation LDC – Lawful not to comply with condition Listed Building Consent Conservation Area Demolition Consent Tree Preservation Order / Conservation Area Works Works for Disabled Person

⚡ Exemptions & Reductions

Works to provide disabled access / adapted accommodation Application by a Parish or Town Council Repeat application (identical application within 12 months) – no fee

✅ April 2026 rates 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England only 🆓 Free to use 🔒 No registration

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.

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 (Part 1 Class A/AA)	£249
New dwellinghouses (1–9 units) – full permission	£610 per dwelling
New dwellinghouses (10–50 units) – full permission	£659 per dwelling
Change of use to dwellinghouses (1–9 units)	£610 per dwelling
Prior Approval – Class E to homes (Part 3 MA)	£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
LDC – existing use / operation	Same as full application
LDC – proposed use / operation	Half the full application fee
Listed Building Consent	FREE
Conservation Area demolition consent	FREE
Tree Preservation Order works	FREE

Planning Portal Fee Calculator UK – (2026 Complete Guide)

This Planning Portal Fee Calculator helps you quickly estimate UK planning application fees based on official 2026 rates in England. If you are planning to extend your home, build a new property, change the use of a building, or carry out any development that requires planning permission in England, one of the first questions you will ask is: how much will it cost? The answer depends almost entirely on the type of application you are submitting and the scale of the proposed development. This guide explains how planning application fees work in England, what the current 2026 rates are, who is exempt, and how to use our free planning portal fee calculator to get an instant estimate.

What Are Planning Application Fees?

Planning application fees are statutory charges set by central government in England. They are paid to the Local Planning Authority (LPA) — your local council — when you submit a planning application. The fees are designed to help councils recover the cost of processing and determining applications. Unlike many other costs associated with building work, these fees are set nationally, which means they are the same regardless of which council area you are in.

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 a system of annual, inflation-linked fee increases, meaning from April 2025 onwards fees rise each year in line with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) from the preceding September, subject to a 10% cap.

What Are the Current Planning Fees for 2026?

From 1 April 2026, planning application fees in England increased by 3.8%, reflecting the CPI figure for September 2025. The most frequently encountered fees are:

• Householder applications (extensions, loft conversions, garage conversions) for a single dwellinghouse: £548
• Householder applications for two or more dwellinghouses: £1,083
• Operations within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse (gates, fences, outbuildings): £272
• Prior Approval for a larger rear extension: £249
• Full planning permission for new dwellinghouses (1–9 homes): £610 per dwelling
• Full planning permission for new dwellinghouses (10–50 homes): £659 per dwelling
• Discharge of a planning condition (householder): £89
• Non-material amendment (householder): £46

Who Sets Planning Fees in England?

Planning fees in England are set by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). They apply uniformly across all LPAs in England. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland operate separate planning systems with their own fee structures, so this calculator and the fees quoted on this page apply to England only.

How Is the Planning Fee Calculated?

The method of calculation varies by application type. For householder applications, the fee is a flat rate — £548 regardless of how large the extension is. For new residential developments, the fee is calculated per dwelling. For commercial developments, it is calculated by gross floor space in bands of 75 square metres. For site-based applications such as car parks or industrial operations, the fee is calculated per 0.1 hectare of site area. Our calculator above handles all of these calculations automatically.

Are There Any Exemptions from Planning Fees?

Yes. Several categories of application are exempt from planning fees entirely. The most important exemptions are:

• Listed Building Consent — no fee is payable.
• Conservation Area Demolition Consent — no fee is payable.
• Tree Preservation Order (TPO) works — no fee is payable.
• Works for disabled people — applications for works to provide access or facilities for a disabled occupant are exempt.
• Parish and Town Council applications — exempt from the statutory fee.
• Repeat applications — identical application resubmitted within 12 months of refusal — no fee payable.

What Is the Planning Portal Service Charge?

In addition to the statutory planning fee paid to the council, applications submitted via the Planning Portal are subject to a separate service charge. From 1 April 2026, this service charge is £75.83 + VAT per application submission. This charge is separate from the planning fee and goes directly to the Planning Portal, not the council.

How to Submit a Planning Application and Pay Your Fee

In England, most planning applications are submitted via the Planning Portal (planningportal.co.uk). The process broadly involves:

• Creating a free Planning Portal account.
• Choosing the correct application form for your project type.
• Uploading required drawings and supporting documents.
• Using the built-in fee calculator to confirm the correct fee.
• Paying by debit/credit card (recommended), bank transfer, or cheque.
• Submitting — your LPA then has a statutory period (8 weeks for householder, 13 weeks for major applications) to determine it.

What Happens if You Pay the Wrong Fee?

If your application is submitted with an incorrect fee, the LPA will typically identify this during validation and either request the correct payment or invalidate the application. It is therefore important to calculate the fee accurately before submission. Our calculator provides guidance, but always confirm the amount with your LPA before finalising payment.

Planning Fees for Cross-Boundary Applications

If your proposed development crosses the boundary of two or more LPA areas, the fee is normally 150% of the fee that would have been payable for the development within a single authority. The fee should be paid to the authority that contains the larger portion of the application site.

Future Changes to Planning Fees

The government has made clear its intention to continue with annual CPI-linked increases. In March 2026, MHCLG also launched a consultation on allowing LPAs to set local fee variations above the national default. If you are planning a future project, it is worth being aware that fees are likely to continue rising each April.

Why Use Our Planning Portal Fee Calculator?

Our free UK planning fee calculator is designed to give homeowners, architects, planning consultants, and developers a fast, reliable estimate of their statutory planning application fee based on the official April 2026 fee schedule. It covers all the most common application types, accounts for major exemptions, and clearly explains the calculation so you understand exactly what you are paying and why.

Frequently Asked Questions

The most common fee is £548 for a householder application (extension, loft conversion, or alteration of a single dwelling), applicable from 1 April 2026. For new residential developments, fees start at £610 per dwelling for schemes of up to 9 homes. Use our calculator above for an exact figure based on your project type.

Yes — currently, statutory planning fees are set nationally by central government and are the same for every Local Planning Authority in England. The government is consulting (March 2026) on proposals to allow LPAs to set local fee variations above the national default, but until any such change is enacted, the national fee schedule applies uniformly.

No. Listed Building Consent carries no statutory fee. Similarly, Conservation Area Demolition Consent and works to trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order are also free to apply for. However, if your project also requires a separate planning permission, a fee may be payable for that element.

No. Planning application fees are non-refundable regardless of the outcome. However, if your application is refused you may be entitled to submit one free repeat application for an identical scheme on the same site within 12 months of the refusal.

No. Statutory planning application fees paid to the Local Planning Authority do not include VAT. They are fixed statutory charges. However, the Planning Portal service charge (£75.83 per submission from April 2026) is subject to VAT at 20%.

For applications submitted through the Planning Portal, payment is made online by debit or credit card during the submission process. Bank transfer and cheque are also accepted options. If paying by bank transfer, initiate it at least three working days before your intended submission date.

Yes. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each have their own planning systems and separate fee schedules. The fees quoted in this calculator and throughout this page apply to England only.

Prior Approval is a simplified process for certain Permitted Development types where you need council confirmation before proceeding. From April 2026, Prior Approval for a larger rear extension costs £249. Converting commercial (Class E) premises to dwellings costs £260 per dwelling created.

From April 2026, discharging a condition on a householder application costs £89 per request. For all other applications, the fee is £309 per request.

Under regulations introduced in 2023, planning fees in England now increase annually in line with the CPI from the preceding September, capped at 10% per year. This was introduced to help LPAs recover more of their actual costs for processing applications, addressing a significant funding gap between fee income and the true cost of the planning service.

This calculator is for guidance only. Fees are based on the statutory schedule effective 1 April 2026 (England). Always confirm the exact fee with your Local Planning Authority prior to submission. Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland have separate fee schedules.

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