Is the ICO fee email a scam?

Real ICO emails come from the ICO and point you to ico.org.uk. Be wary of firms charging extra to "register" you; you can pay the ICO directly.

Is the ICO a government body?

The ICO is the UK's independent regulator for data protection.

Home › Answers › Data, privacy and GDPR

Do I need to pay the ICO fee, and how much is it?

Last checked: 17 October 2026 · The AI Till, UK

Short answer

Probably. The Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018 require organisations, including sole traders, that use personal information to pay the ICO a yearly data protection fee unless they're exempt. Most small businesses pay £52 (tier 1) or £78 (tier 2), and you save £5 by paying by direct debit. Not paying can lead to a fine.

How much is the ICO fee? (17 October 2026)

Tier	Who	Yearly fee
Tier 1	Turnover up to £632,000 or no more than 10 staff; charities	£52
Tier 2	Turnover up to £36 million or no more than 250 staff	£78
Tier 3	Everyone else	£3,763

These amounts have applied since 17 February 2025. Direct debit takes £5 off each tier.

Who is exempt?

Some organisations don't need to pay, for example if you only process personal data for staff administration, your own advertising and marketing, or your accounts and records, and you don't use CCTV for crime prevention. Use the ICO's online self-assessment to check. Using AI tools on customer data doesn't by itself change your tier, but it does mean you're processing personal data.

Is it a legal requirement?

Yes, unless you're exempt. It's an annual fee, renewed each year.

Sources

Checked 17 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the source before you rely on it. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.

More on data, privacy and gdpr

All data, privacy and gdpr answers · All answers · Guides · AI tools directory

Get one useful AI tool in your inbox each weekday

Free, plain English, five minutes to read. Unsubscribe any time.

See our privacy notice.