Vet prescription fees: written prescription costs in the UK

A written prescription lets you obtain the medicine your vet prescribes from another suitable supplier. The fee for providing it is separate from the medicine price. Compare the total cost before deciding where to buy.

What does a written prescription cover?

It records the medicine and instructions authorised by your vet; it does not include the medicine itself. You can request a written prescription and buy the prescribed medicine elsewhere. Your vet may charge a reasonable fee and may need to examine your pet or carry out monitoring before prescribing.

A consultation or recheck assesses your pet's health and can be charged separately. Ask whether the prescription fee is per medicine, per prescription or part of a package, and what any repeat authorisation allows.

RCVS guidance on prescription medication ↗

Compare the full cost, not just the fee

Match the exact medicine, strength, formulation and quantity, for the same treatment period.
Ask for the prescription fee including VAT, its scope and any consultation, monitoring or recheck charges.
Include delivery and any retailer charges. Check stock and how long prescription processing and delivery will take.
Confirm validity, authorised repeats and when another prescription or assessment is needed. Do not assume one fee covers every order.

Buying elsewhere can be useful when the total is lower and the supplier can fulfil your prescription in time. It is not always cheaper. Follow your vet's instructions; do not change medicine or delay treatment to chase a lower price.

The calculator only compares eligible medicine offers when available. If evidence or required costs are missing, it may show no comparison or saving.

Open the prescription savings calculator

Check an online supplier on the VMD register ↗

Future CMA prescription-fee caps

As at 10 October 2026, these caps are not yet mandatory. They concern providing written prescriptions, not medicine prices or consultation charges.

Article 18 sets initial VAT-inclusive caps of £21.40 for the first medicine and £12.70 for each additional medicine prescribed at the same consultation or prescribing event outside a consultation. The additional-medicine cap is not a repeat-dispensing fee. These amounts apply until 31 March 2028, with later inflation adjustments.

Large veterinary businesses: from 23 March 2027.
Small veterinary businesses: from 23 September 2027.

Article 3 requires compliance from the next Working Day after its table dates of 22 March and 22 September 2027. Business size follows the Order's definitions, not the size of a single branch.

The caps cover the Order's first-opinion and out-of-hours veterinary services for household pets. They do not cover every veterinary service. Once applicable, preparing or transmitting the prescription cannot attract an extra administration fee.

Final CMA Order: Articles 3 and 18 (PDF) ↗CMA explanatory note: paragraphs 182–190 (PDF) ↗

Estimate helperBefore you agree to a written prescriptionQuestions to make the estimate easier to understand.

Separate the clinic prescription fee from the cost of the medicine, delivery and any consultation or monitoring needed.

These are possible components only: the price may include some, all or none of them. Ask the clinic whether each item is covered. Prices are not directly comparable unless the scope matches.

What to confirm

Confirm whether the fee is per prescription, per medicine or per item, and how many repeats it permits.
Ask how long the prescription is valid and whether a recheck or monitoring test would be charged separately.
Check the exact medicine, strength, formulation, pack quantity and delivery cost before comparing retailers.

For medicines sold online, use the VMD register where registration is required and follow the prescription supplied by your vet.

Open the reusable estimate checklist

□ An itemised list of likely charges
□ VAT included in every figure
□ Anaesthesia, sedation and monitoring
□ Diagnostics and laboratory tests
□ Medicines and take-home pain relief
□ Follow-up appointments and aftercare
□ What could increase the estimate
□ The amount or circumstance that triggers a call before more work

Sources and current status

Current professional guidanceRCVS guidance says non-emergency treatment should have a written estimate with likely itemised charges, complications, follow-up and VAT; material increases should be discussed before continuing. RCVS source ↗

Current lawThe Consumer Rights Act covers consumer services, including reasonable care and skill and a reasonable charge if no exact price was agreed. GOV.UK source ↗ Online suppliers of POM-V, POM-VPS and NFA-VPS medicines must be VMD-registered before supply. VMD guidance ↗

Future CMA prescription-fee capsFor the final Order and its staged compliance dates, read the prescription-fee guidance above.

Compare total prescription costs Browse medicines Check the VMD register ↗

Worried about paying for treatment? See practical support options.

Want to compare another practice or seek another veterinary opinion? See the switching and second-opinion checklist.

Recorded prescription fees: a limited subset

These 40 clinic records are selected because their stored location is labelled “GB”. They are not a representative sample of all UK veterinary practices, and that label does not verify a clinic's location. Check the postcode and clinic profile.

Sources include third-party directories as well as clinic-group pages. A recorded amount is not a confirmed current quote: the source may qualify it as indicative, and fee definitions and inclusions differ. An unavailable checked date means freshness is unknown. A shown date is the recorded source check, not a new verification.

Records are alphabetical, without a national range, average or cheapest ranking. Conflicting amounts remain excluded from comparison. Confirm the fee, VAT, number of medicines and other charges with the practice.

View 40 recorded clinic entries and their sources

Procedure

Alma Veterinary Hospital

Ownership not confirmed

£34.66

Recorded fee; confirm current amount · Written Prescriptions

Confirm service and inclusions before comparing.

SL4 3HE

Recorded source · Checked date unavailable · View source (opens in new tab)

What does a written prescription cover?

Compare the full cost, not just the fee

Future CMA prescription-fee caps

What to confirm

Recorded prescription fees: a limited subset

Alma Veterinary Hospital

Animal Trust Vets CIC - St Helens

Animal Trust Vets CIC with 24/7 Pet A&E - Teesside

Ashworth Veterinary Group

Avenue Veterinary Centre

Bourne Veterinary Practice

Cherry Tree Veterinary Practice Ltd

Creature Comforts St Albans

Downland Veterinary Group

Downland Veterinary Group

E C Straiton & Partners

E C Straiton & Partners Ltd

Farnham Veterinary Hospital

Gilmoor Vets

GKG Vets - Thatcham

Grazely Vets

Heartwood Vets

Hillyfields Vets

Holly House Veterinary Clinic

J Krumina Veterinary

Kingswood Vets

Leodis Veterinary Surgery

Lynwood Vets

Maltman Cosham Veterinary Clinic

Marshall & Till (Belper) Ltd

Potter House Vets (Potter House Ltd)

Raoul Dowding Vets

Shinfield Vets

Shortheath Veterinary Surgery

Sprinz & Nash

Sprinz & Nash

Sprinz & Nash

The Carisbrooke Vets

Valentines Vets

Wellpets Vets Kent

Wellpets Vets Kent

Westway Veterinary Group

Wilson Veterinary Group

Wilson Veterinary Group Newton Aycliffe

Woodland Veterinary Centre

Prescription-fee questions

Is the prescription fee the price of the medicine?

Will buying prescribed medicine elsewhere always save money?

Does this page show a typical UK prescription fee?

Explore existing local prescription-fee records