The Home Office has set new annual charges for establishment licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (Fees) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/291) was made on 12 March 2026, laid before Parliament on 16 March, and comes into force on 6 April 2026 across England, Wales and Scotland.
For each 12‑month period beginning with 6 April, the fee comprises a fixed and a variable element. The fixed element is £1,168, payable where an establishment licence is in force for the whole or any part of that period. The variable element is £382 for each person who, during the whole or any part of that period, holds a personal licence that specifies the same establishment named on the section 2C licence.
The 2026 Order revokes the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (Fees) Order 2024 (S.I. 2024/362). The fixed element rises from £1,007 to £1,168 and the variable element from £329 to £382, an increase of around 16 percent on both components compared with the 2024 rates.
Illustrative costs are material for budget holders. A small establishment listing 10 personal licence holders moves from £4,297 under the 2024 Order to £4,988 under the 2026 Order, an increase of £691. With 50 personal licences the charge increases from £17,457 to £20,268; with 200 personal licences, from £66,807 to £77,568.
The charge is levied on the holder of an establishment licence granted under section 2C of ASPA, which authorises an undertaking at a specified place. Counting for the variable element is by person and is triggered where the individual holds a personal licence at any time in the period and that licence specifies the establishment named on the section 2C licence.
The period definition matters operationally. Because both elements are payable where a relevant licence is in force for any part of the 12‑month window beginning 6 April, joiners and leavers within the year can still affect the charge if their personal licences specify the establishment at any point during that period.
There are no transitional provisions in the instrument. From 6 April 2026 the 2024 Fees Order ceases to have effect and the new rates apply to the 12‑month period running from that date. Institutions in Northern Ireland are unaffected, as the Order extends to England, Wales and Scotland only.
For research offices and finance teams, the change lands at the start of the 2026/27 financial year. Organisations should re‑baseline indirect cost models and internal recharges, confirm which personal licences specify the establishment on 6 April, and ensure any cross‑site arrangements are recorded accurately for fee counting.
The Order is made under section 8 of ASPA. The Explanatory Note confirms that a full impact assessment has not been produced on the basis that no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen. Day‑to‑day administration, including invoicing, remains with the Home Office’s Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU).