Tax relief is available for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) fees paid by employers according to new legislation.
Brought into force on 10 June 2013, the legislation provides tax relief where employers pay for or reimburse DBS Update Service subscription fees.
The Update Service allows individuals to keep their DBS certificates (previously known as CRB certificates) up to date, letting employers or prospective employers carry out free online checks to see if any new information has come to light since the certificate was issued.
There is an annual subscription fee of £13 to join the Update Service.
It is estimated that there will be approximately 11.4 million subscriptions to the DBS Update Service over the first five years.
The Home Office estimates that currently around 80% of DBS checks relate to public sector employees, most of whom will either have the fee paid or reimbursed by their employer.
More information is available on the HM Revenue and Customs website.
