PVG fee waiver introduced for Personal Assistants
From 1 August 2026, Personal Assistants starting a new role will no longer have to pay for their Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme check, following a new Scottish Government fee waiver.
The waiver, announced as part of the Scottish Budget 2026–27, is designed to improve terms and conditions for the social care workforce by removing the cost of PVG checks for eligible workers entering new roles. It will apply to applications received by Disclosure Scotland between 1 August 2026 and 31 July 2027.
Who is eligible?
The fee waiver applies to Personal Assistants (PAs) who are directly employed by someone receiving funding through Self-directed Support Option 1 and/or the Independent Living Fund Scotland (ILF Scotland). This includes children’s Personal Assistants, who are:
- starting a new job, or taking up a new position with their existing employer in an eligible role; and
- applying for a PVG check between 1 August 2026 and 31 July 2027.
This means many PA employers recruiting a new Personal Assistant during the scheme period will benefit from the removal of PVG application fees.
It’s important to remember that, since 1 April 2026, PVG scheme membership has been mandatory for Personal Assistants carrying out regulated roles, with new memberships lasting for five years. If you want to know more about these changes, read our previous article: Five-year PVG scheme membership coming into effect April 2026.
How to apply
For eligible Personal Assistant applications submitted offline, include the prefix “FSC” in both the Position Applied For field and the Personal Employer section of the application form, as well as in the subject line of the submission email. The payment section should be left blank.
Find out more
For full eligibility criteria, application guidance and frequently asked questions, visit the Scottish Government’s guidance on the Social care PVG checks fee waiver:
