Retention and other fees

Section 8 of the 1997 Architects Act allows ARB to set a fee that architects must pay if they want to remain on the Register. Paying the fee means that you can continue to call yourself an architect, a title which sets you apart from your non-registered competitors. Your ARB registration is your licence to practise as an architect.

We send out the retention fee invoice at the end of November/beginning of December. You can pay the fee by debit or credit card, cheque, banker’s draft, postal order or by BACS (bank transfer). Please remember to write your name and registration number on the reverse of your cheque, banker’s draft or postal order. You can also pay your fee by direct debit, or make your payment online, using our secure Registrants’ Services section of the website.

If you already pay by direct debit, you need do nothing more. We will collect your fee at the beginning of January each year. We will include your bank details on the invoice that we send. Please check these carefully and let us know straight away if they’re wrong.

If you would like to pay your fee by direct debit you can download a form here or you can call us on 020 7580 5861 to set up a direct debit arrangement over the phone. You need to have the arrangement in place by the end of February in the year that you wish your direct debit arrangement to take effect.

The fee is due on 1 January each year, and you have three months to pay it. The cut-off date for payment is 31 March and you will need to have paid your fee by then to avoid your name being removed from the Register. It is important that we have your current contact details so we can be sure that we are sending the mailing to the correct address. Please let us know if these have changed, or you can visit the secure Registrants’ Services section of the website, and update the details yourself.

The links above provide additional information concerning the 2009 fee.