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As an architect, maintaining your registration is crucial for your continued practice and legal recognition in the UK. To do so, you must pay an annual retention fee and ensure that your details are up to date in our records.
Key points
- Fee: The fee for 2025 is £205.
- Dates: The fee for 2025 must be paid by 31 December 2024. You must make an online professional declaration before you can make your fee payment.
- Continued use of the title: Architects who have not paid their retention fee before the fee collection period closes are automatically removed from the Register, and cannot use the title ‘architect’ in business or practice. If you are removed from the Register for non-payment of the retention fee but wish to continue using the title, you will have to pay an additional fee to be reinstated.
- Managing your registration: MyARB is your portal for accessing registrant services. MyARB allows you to manage your registration online, including fee payment, updating contact details, and accessing your certificates and receipts.
- Contact details: It’s essential to keep your contact details up to date and accurate. Your business details appear on the public Register, helping potential clients and the public verify your status as a registered architect, and we contact you about your registration at your address or email.
- CPD records: You do not need to have recorded your CPD to make your declarations or pay your retention fee. You have up to midnight 31 December to complete your CPD record for the year.
Updated 11 December 2024
Payment by direct debit is now closed.
All payments must be made using a credit or debit card, using the secure portal at myarb.arb.org.uk
When you have logged in to your MyARB portal, on the Home page, you will see either the option to ‘Pay the 2025 retention fee’ :
Or, if a Renewal application has been started already, you will see an APP-xxxxx number.
The APP number will be a live link. You can click this and complete the declaration and payment process from there:
Please allow the payment transaction to complete before navigating away from the portal.
If you have neither of these options, are unable to complete payment, or see any payment error messages, please email info@arb.org.uk with details, including a screenshot if possible.
Updated 12 November 2024
Maternity Leave
As the statutory regulator we are required to charge a single fee to remain on the Register, we do not offer reduced fees. You may wish to consider resigning from the Register and joining when you return to practice. We do offer a pro-rata fee which is reduced every quarter, and you may wish to consider this. If you wish to resign, you will need to login to the MyARB portal and make an application to resign. Please note if you are off the Register for more than two years, you will need to provide additional information to demonstrate your competence to practice and more information can be found here: arb.org.uk/architect-information/guidance-notes/csg-guidance/
If you decide to remain on the Register you are required to maintain CPD arb.org.uk/architect-information/cpd/
If you are experiencing financial difficulties, you may consider contacting the Architects Benevolent Society (www.absnet.org.uk), who can offer a range of support with the retention fee, and more generally.
If you are paying by Direct Debit, you need to act before 10 November 2024.
Your Direct Debit won’t be drawn if you haven’t completed your annual CPD compliance declaration, so ensure you can get into the MyARB account now.
Your Username is your personal email address - It may not be your business/work email address.
If you cannot remember your password, use the Forgot Your Password link on the MyARB profile screen. If you have tried this and have not been successful, you can email us (info@arb.org.uk) requesting your details to be resent. Please do not try and create a new login.
If you need your login details resent, please contact us at info@arb.org.uk well in advance of these deadlines to ensure you can access the portal and make the necessary declarations. This requirement was established last year, and it is your responsibility to log in ahead of time.
You should:
- Ensure you can log in to MyArb with (your personal email) immediately. Use the Forgot Your Password link if you can’t remember password.
- If you need to amend, make any changes to direct debit: On Home page, use relevant buttons to edit or cancel the existing debit. Ensure you do this before making your declaration.
- Make your declaration, using the Make My Declaration on the Home page. You’ll be asked to confirm your personal details as part of this process.
- The Debit will be drawn on or around 4 December. You can see the APP - XXXXX (reference number) has an “Awaiting Direct Debit” status on the Home page.
- Your certificate and receipt will be emailed after the debit has been paid in December.
About the Retention Fee
To legally use the title 'architect', you must remain on the Register. An annual retention fee is charged to those who wish to remain on the Register, and it must be paid by 31 December each year.
Ways to pay
You must pay your retention fee personally; an employer cannot pay your retention fee on your behalf. This is because you will be asked to make a declaration relating to your ongoing practice, direct debit mandate and compliance with the Board’s CPD requirements.
You can pay your retention fee for 2025 in one of two ways:
- Credit/Debit Card: Payments can be made 24/7 through the secure MyARB
- Direct Debit: Set up or manage your direct debit via MyARB until midnight on Sunday 10 November.
We cannot accept cash, cheques, BACS bank transfers, or postal orders. Please ensure your payment is made on time to avoid additional fees or disruption to your registration.
FAQS
MyARB and registration details
Do I need to have a profile on MyARB?
I don’t know how to access my ARB profile. How can I get my access details?
Contact us at info@arb.org.uk to receive your login details. Please include your full name, and your registration number so we can identify you. If you have already signed up to the portal, you access this here.
What is the difference between my ‘registration’ contact details and ‘business’ contact details on MyARB?
We require a 'registration' contact address and email for regulatory communications and a 'business' address for the online Register. Your registration contact details remain private.
The Architects Act 1997 requires us to record a business address for every registered architect, and for that information to be publicly available on the Register. The address you give for your business address should be the address from which you conduct the majority of your business. It can be a home address if you work from home, or it can be a PO Box. The address can be partially hidden, but it must show the town or city and the first part of the postcode, for the purpose of public protection and ease of identification of those who are registered. You can find out more about how to have your business address concealed here.
I am not working currently - do I still need to log into the portal?
If you are a registered architect you must login to MyARB. If you are retired, you may not need to continue to be registered. You do not need to be on the Register to call yourself an architect in social situations, but you must be on the Register if you are using the title ‘architect in business or practice. To find out more about resigning from the register, visit this page.
I have a specific need or disability and I am unable to use MyARB. What are my options?
If you believe you need a reasonable adjustment, it’s important to reach out to us directly. Please contact us at info@arb.org.uk to discuss your situation.
Our team will guide you through the process of requesting an adjustment and provide you with the necessary support and information on how to proceed.
Retention fee and direct debit
I already have a direct debit in place. Do I still need to login to MyARB?
Yes, logging into the portal is still necessary even if you have a direct debit set up. While the direct debit arrangement ensures that payments are automatically taken from your account, logging in to the portal is essential for several reasons:
- You must complete your annual declarations relating to your ongoing practice, direct debit mandate and compliance with the Board’s CPD requirements. Without completing your declaration, we will not be able to draw your retention fee payment.
- Your circumstances may change over time. Logging into MyARB allows you to update your information, ensuring that the Direct Debit is processed accurately, and ensures we have a current mandate to take the payment from the correct account.
- The Architects Act 1997 requires you to actively confirm or verify details on a regular basis, even if you have an automatic payment method in place. Logging in ensures that you remain in compliance with these requirements.
Failure to log in and make your declaration will prevent us from processing your direct debit payment, which could result in missed payments. If you have not activated your MyARB profile, we will not request a direct debit payment, and your retention fee will remain outstanding.
What are the declarations that I must make when paying the retention fee?
Regarding your CPD declaration, you will be asked to confirm that you have completed your CPD and if you have saved it on MyARB or with RIBA.
- If you are a RIBA member and choosing to record your CPD with RIBA you will only have to upload your RIBA record to MyARB if you are selected for annual review. You must still sign a declaration on MyARB to confirm you have completed your CPD for 2024.
- Please note we cannot accept any other type of CPD record from other CPD providers. If you are not a RIBA member choosing to record your CPD with RIBA, then you must record your CPD through MyARB.
- CPD certificates or attendance certificates will not be accepted as evidence of participation in CPD. Please do not upload any to MyARB.
- If you are new to the Register this year, you do not need to submit a CPD record but you must still make your declarations, so you must still log on.
- If you have been unable to complete your CPD, you can apply for a deferment. This must be done as part of the retention process, so you must still log on.
For guidance and specific FAQs on the CPD scheme please see this page. If you have any questions about CPD, please email CPD@arb.org.uk
What will happen if I don’t pay my retention fee before the collection period closes?
If you do not make the declaration and payment by the 31 December 2024, you will be automatically removed from the Register, and no longer legally able to use the title 'architect'. You will need to apply to re-join the Register, and pay the relevant re-joining fees.
CPD
Do I have to have completed my CPD record to complete the retention process?
I don’t want to record my CPD on MyARB and I’m not a RIBA member. Can I record my CPD in some other way?
Provided they are not also recording their CPD with RIBA, all architects are required to use MyARB to record their CPD activities, unless you have a valid ‘reasonable adjustment’ in place.
