Annual retention fee to remain unchanged for 2025
General Dental Council completes its review of plans for the next three years.
The Council of the General Dental Council (GDC) has reviewed its plans for the next three years and made the decision to maintain the Annual Retention Fee (ARF) at the same level as in 2024. The ARF for 2025 will be £621 for dentists and £96 for dental care professionals.
The GDC said that maintaining the ARF at the same level is possible due to “a combination of sound financial management, reducing the level of the GDC’s reserves over the three-year plan, making use of legislative changes to amend Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) fees, and the continued growth in the size of the registers.”
Earlier this year, the GDC’s Council revised the GDC’s reserves policy, agreeing a new target of three months of reserves at the end of the three-year planning period compared to the previous target of 4.5 months.
Our priority is patient safety and public confidence in the dental team.
Tom Whiting
Increasing ORE fees for the first time since 2015 and introducing an ORE application fee has contributed towards the ORE becoming cost neutral and ensuring that costs can be charged where they are incurred, rather than from existing registrants.
As well as continuing to improve core processes and timeliness, the Council has also agreed to invest in activities that will further increase efficiency and effectiveness by improving online services and making better use of recorded data. These will, over time, improve the experience for dental professionals accessing online services, such as registration and renewal, and also the data that will help to increase transparency and build trust.
Tom Whiting, the GDC’s Chief Executive, said: “Our priority is patient safety and public confidence in the dental team, and I believe that improving registrants’ experience of regulation is one way to ensure this. In the last five months I have met and listened to many dental professionals and stakeholders and their insight has been invaluable in helping me to understand the sector and the challenges faced.
“I see it as a good thing that, through improved planning and management, we are able to maintain the ARF at the same level and continue to invest to improve how we regulate over the next three years. Consulting on our Corporate Strategy for 2026 – 2028 next year will set the basis for the ARF in future.
“Looking ahead, I’m really looking forward to doing even more to work with dental teams and organisations who care for the oral health of patients across the UK.”