ARB increases annual retention fee for registration by £6 for 2025

ARB is the UK regulator of the architects’ profession and exists to protect the public. ARB’s functions are set out in law; ARB must fulfil the responsibilities ascribed to it and must recover the costs of its work through a scheme of fees, which are also described in law. 

Each year architects on the UK register pay an annual retention fee which covers the cost of regulation. In 2025, ARB is setting the annual fee at £205. This is an increase of £6, equating to a 3% increase. 

Architects will be able to pay the fee from 24th October 2024 online. When paying their retention fee architects will also need to confirm they have carried out continuing professional development in accordance with ARB’s CPD scheme, and confirm that they have read and understood and continue to act in accordance with the Architects Code, before registration can be renewed.  

The retention fee is ARB’s main source of income to carry out our statutory functions and deliver our business plan and meet our Corporate Strategy goals. In 2025 ARB will enter the fourth year of its five-year strategy (2022-26), which includes bold and ambitious goals. In 2024 ARB: 

• Introduced the new CPD scheme in accordance with the Building Safety Act, and enabled architects to record and reflect on their professional development in the MyARB portal online; 
• Published a revised Architects Code of Conduct and Practice for consultation, updated in light of research into public and client needs and expectations, and engagement with architects; 
• Launched a major overhaul for registration of internationally qualified architects to improve access to the UK Register by simplifying the examination process and removing unintended complexity and barriers; 
• Continued its education reforms by establishing the Professional Practical Experience Commission, and implementing its new approach to accrediting qualifications using the new Standards for Learning Providers published in October last year; 
• Signed a new recognition agreement with Hong Kong, to make moving and working between the UK and Hong Kong easier for eligible graduates and architects; 
• Continued its IT transformation to improve and streamline service delivery for architects, accredited learning providers, and stakeholders. 

 In 2023, the last year in which ARB has a full set of annual data, ARB fulfilled its statutory functions by: 

• Maintaining registration of 41,886 architects; 
• Investigating 576 incidents of title misuse; 
• Managing and/or investigating 187 complaints received about architects; 
• Monitoring and/or maintaining 196 accredited qualifications across 67 learning providers; 
• Introducing mutual recognition agreements with the USA, Australia and New Zealand; 
• Analysing 2,034 responses across four public consultations; 
• Hosting 10 events attended by 476 architects and stakeholders. 

 

The retention fee is set annually by the ARB Board based on ARB’s strategic objectives and annual business plan. As ARB continues to deliver its strategy, the Board will endeavour to keep the retention fee as low as possible.  

 

ENDS 

 

Notes to editors 

ARB is an independent professional regulator, established by Parliament as a statutory body, through the Architects Act, in 1997. It is accountable to government. 

The law gives ARB a number of core functions: 

• To ensure only those who are suitably competent are allowed to practise as architects. ARB does this by approving the qualifications required to join the UK Register of Architects. 
• ARB maintains a publicly available Register of Architects so anyone using the services of an architect can be confident that they are suitably qualified and are fit to practise. 
• ARB sets the standards of conduct and practice the profession must meet and take action when any architect falls below the required standards of conduct or competence. 
• ARB sets requirements for and monitors the continuous professional development that architects must undertake, to provide assurance to the public about the continuing competence of the profession. 
• ARB protects the legally restricted title ‘architect’. 

 

The annual retention fee for architects will increase by £6 for 2025, taking the fee to £205 (from £199 for 2024). The actual increase is 3.015%. 

Architects can pay their fee through the MyARB portal. They will receive a personalised statutory notice which will include details about how to pay their retention fee online by debit or credit card, or through direct debit. ARB cannot take payment by cash, cheque, BACS, banker’s draft or postal order. Any payments made in these ways will be returned and Registration will not have been paid. 

 

For more information visit arb.org.uk/architect-information/maintaining-registration/annual-retention-fee. 

The full list of ARB’s fees is also available online at arb.org.uk/architect-information/applying-for-registration-for-the-first-time/fees. 

More information about ARB’s role and work, with facts and figures demonstrating its performance in 2023, is available at https://arb.org.uk/publications/publications-list/annual-report/2023-year-in-review. 

More information about ARB’s five-year corporate strategy is available at www.arb.org.uk/5yearstrategy. 

 

For questions and information requests, please contact the ARB Policy & Communications team at media@arb.org.uk