Check your rights on DBS checks — spent convictions, filtering rules, what employers can ask, and how to dispute an incorrect DBS certificate — checked against official sources.
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Tip: Tell us the type of conviction or caution, how old it is, the type of job you are applying for, and what level of DBS check has been requested.
Include where the job is and what it involves, the check level asked for if you know it, what is on your record (the sentence or caution, when, and your age at the time), and what you need: what will show, how to apply, or how to challenge a certificate.
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How much does a DBS check cost?
In England and Wales, from 5 October 2026 a Basic check costs £20 and a Standard check £20. An Enhanced check costs £41. Before 5 October 2026 these were £21.50, £21.50 and £49.50. Standard and enhanced checks for volunteers are free.
What is the difference between Basic, Standard and Enhanced DBS checks?
A Basic check shows unspent convictions only and is available for any role. A Standard check shows spent and unspent convictions and cautions subject to filtering, for eligible roles only. An Enhanced check adds local police information and is for roles working with children, vulnerable adults and certain professions.
When do old convictions stop showing on a DBS check?
Protected (filtered) convictions are not disclosed on Standard or Enhanced checks. In England and Wales, an adult conviction is filtered after 11 years if it was non-custodial and not a specified offence, an adult caution after 6 years, and a youth conviction after 5.5 years.
What is the DBS Update Service?
It is for standard and enhanced certificates. It costs £16 a year, or £15 a year from 5 October 2026, and is free for volunteers. You must register within 30 days of your certificate being issued.
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The checker answers only from the guide for the nation you choose, plus what you tell it. If your question is not covered there, it says so instead of guessing. Each guide was checked against primary sources on 25 September 2026.
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What shows up depends on the level of check requested — a basic check shows only unspent convictions, while standard and enhanced checks can include spent convictions, cautions, and in some cases relevant police information even without a conviction.
Basic checks are available to anyone for any purpose; standard checks are for certain roles like security work; enhanced checks, used for roles working with children or vulnerable adults, can include additional police information at a chief constable's discretion.
If a standard or enhanced certificate is wrong, you can dispute it within 3 months of the date on the certificate, using the DBS certificate dispute form. DBS works with the police to decide the dispute.
UK Work Rights provides free, plain English guidance to help you understand where you stand. Each checker answers only from its own guide for your part of the UK, checked against official sources. We cover 67 free AI rights checkers, with guides for each part of the UK, across employment, housing, benefits, consumer, driving, family and more.
Our guidance covers many common situations, but complex or high-stakes cases need professional advice. For employment issues, contact ACAS in England, Wales and Scotland (0300 123 1100) or the Labour Relations Agency in Northern Ireland (03300 555 300). For free general advice, contact Citizens Advice (England 0800 144 8848, Wales 0800 702 2020), Citizens Advice Scotland (0800 028 1456) or Advice NI (0800 915 4604). For urgent housing problems in England, Shelter can help on 0808 800 4444.
Directed and published by Matt Thompson, founder of UK Work Rights. Guidance checked against GOV.UK, ACAS and legislation.gov.uk. This is general rights guidance, not legal advice.
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