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PS17/26 – Regulated fees and levies: Rates proposals 2026/27

AI Analysis

Executive Summary

PS17/26 confirms the Bank of England’s and PRA’s final **fees and levies rates for 2026/27**, including a 3% overall increase in the Bank’s core levies (within CPI) but a small **reduction** in the PRA levy and a clarified mechanism for the “Cost of Transition” away from the legacy Cash Ratio Deposit (CRD) model. For compliance and finance teams in PRA‑regulated firms, this directly affects **prudential fee budgets, cost allocation models, and forecasting**, and requires understanding of the new transition adjustment that can materially change the Bank of England Levy as interest rates move.

What Changed

  • - The Bank’s core levies (Bank of England Levy, PRA Levy, FMI Levy, and other core levies) are constrained to grow by no more than CPI in 2026/27, with the Bank’s operating costs and associated core levies budgeted to rise 3% year‑on‑year relative to
  • Within this 3% cap, the Bank of England Levy (operational policy cost component) is budgeted to increase from £328 million (2025/26 budget) to £353 million in 2026/27, an 8% year‑on‑year rise driven by the investment portfolio mix.
  • The PRA Levy is set to decrease slightly from £350 million (2025/26) to £345 million in 2026/27, a 1% reduction reflecting the PRA’s lower overall Total Funding Requirement and a different investment portfolio mix.
  • The FMI Levy is budgeted to increase from £17 million (2025/26 budget) to £18 million in 2026/27, representing a 3% rise in costs for financial market infrastructure supervision.
  • Overall, the Bank’s core levies (Bank of England Levy, PRA Levy, FMI Levy) are forecast to move from £695 million (2025/26 budget) to £715 million in 2026/27, a £20 million (3%) increase within the CPI growth constraint.
  • The policy statement confirms that almost 97% of the Bank’s operational costs continue to be recovered via levies and fees (Bank of England Levy, PRA Levy, FMI Levy, and other fees such as RTGS tariffs and banknote‑related management fees) with the r

Suggested Considerations

  • Review the PS17/26 final numbers and tables to identify your firm’s applicable PRA fee‑block(s), the applicable Bank of England Levy and FMI Levy components, and quantify the 2026/27 impact relative to 2025/26.
  • Update internal regulatory fee and levy forecasts, budgets, and accrual models to incorporate the 3% increase in core Bank levies, the 1% reduction in the PRA Levy, and any firm‑specific changes driven by business volumes or fee‑block allocations.
  • For treasury and finance teams, model the Cost of Transition by stress‑testing scenarios where Bank Rate is above or below the legacy CRD gilt return, to understand potential upward or downward adjustments to the Bank of England Levy and reflect this in multi‑year financial planning.
  • Ensure that board and relevant governance committees (e.g. Audit Committee, Risk Committee) are briefed on the 2026/27 levy changes, including the Cost of Transition mechanism, and that any material budget variances versus prior plans are explained and approved.
  • For firms previously affected by the CRD scheme, update internal regulatory funding documentation and policies to remove references to CRD funding and to describe the new levy‑based and Cost of Transition arrangements, ensuring consistency with PS17/26 and the 2024 Bank of England Levy Framework.
  • Incorporate the revised PRA TFR and AFR into firms’ prudential planning and recovery and resolution planning (RRP) assumptions, particularly where regulatory fees are treated as fixed operating costs in stress scenarios.

Key Dates

March 2024
– Legacy Cash Ratio Deposit (CRD) non‑interest‑bearing balances are converted into remunerated central bank reserves and the corresponding gilts portfolio is transferred to the Bank’s Banking Department, triggering the start of the Cost of Transition mechanism
17 April 2026
– PRA publishes CP7/26 “Regulated fees and levies: Rates proposals 2026/27”, consulting on draft fee rates, AFR and TFR for the 2026/27 fee year
15 May 2026 DEADLINE
– Deadline for firms to submit consultation responses on CP7/26 to the PRA
Early July 2026
– PRA publishes PS17/26 setting the final regulated fees and levies, including final 2026/27 PRA Levy, FMI Levy, Bank of England Levy amounts, and the application of the Cost of Transition mechanism for the 2026/27 fee year
From July 2026
– FCA/PRA joint invoicing cycle for 2026/27 periodic fees and levies begins; firms start to receive invoices incorporating the PRA Levy, Bank of England Levy, FMI Levy, and related statutory levies for the 2026/27 fee year
2026/27 fee year (1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027, as applicable in the PRA fees framework)
– New levy rates, PRA TFR and AFR, and Cost of Transition adjustment apply for the full fee year, feeding into firms’ ongoing fee accruals and budgeting

Compliance Impact

Non‑compliance with PRA and Bank of England fee and levy obligations, including late or non‑payment, can result in surcharges, debt collection, restrictions on permissions, and potentially enforcement action, with reputational and prudential supervision consequences.

Who is Affected

UK‑incorporated banks and building societiesUK‑authorised insurance and reinsurance undertakingsUK‑authorised credit unions and friendly societiesUK‑authorised ring‑fenced bodies and international banks operating via UK subsidiariesFinancial market infrastructures (FMIs)Firms and infrastructures that were previously subject to the Cash Ratio Deposit schemeTreasury, finance, and regulatory reporting functions

AI-generated analysis. May contain errors or omissions — verify with the original PRA source before acting. Full disclaimer.

Summary

Policy statement 17/26

Relevant Firm Types

BankInsuranceAsset ManagerAll Firms
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