# NHS Prescription Cost: £9.90 Per Item | Pick My Pharmacy URL: https://pickmypharmacy.co.uk/answers/how-much-is-an-nhs-prescription/ Description: The NHS prescription charge in England is £9.90 per item, frozen for 2026/27. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. --- - [Home](/) - /[Answers](/answers/) - /How much is an NHS prescription in 2026? Costs & Charges # How much is an NHS prescription in 2026? By [Kaiser Khan](/author/kaiser-khan/) · Updated 9 July 2026 In short An NHS prescription costs £9.90 per item in England — the charge has been frozen for both 2025/26 and 2026/27. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. If you pay for four or more items in three months, a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) works out cheaper. At a glance - ·England: £9.90 per item — frozen for 2025/26 and again for 2026/27 - ·Free in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland - ·The charge is per item, not per prescription form - ·3-month PPC costs £32.05; 12-month PPC costs £114.50 - ·Around 9 in 10 prescription items in England are dispensed free under an exemption - ·The charge is set nationally — no pharmacy can charge you more or less for an NHS item ## What the £9.90 charge actually covers The NHS prescription charge is a flat fee of £9.90 per item dispensed in England, regardless of what the medicine actually costs the NHS. A £3 pack of tablets and a £300 speciality medicine both cost you £9.90. The charge applies per item, not per prescription form — if your GP prescribes three medicines on one form, you pay £29.70. It is set by the government each April and is identical at every pharmacy in England, whether that is a high-street chemist, a supermarket pharmacy, or an online distance-selling pharmacy. No pharmacy can discount or inflate an NHS charge, so there is no point shopping around for NHS items — although it is worth comparing pharmacies on opening hours, delivery, and private service prices. ## Who doesn't pay: exemptions and free prescriptions Most people never pay the charge. In England you are exempt if you are 60 or over, under 16, or 16–18 in full-time education; pregnant or within 12 months of giving birth (with a maternity exemption certificate); have a listed medical condition such as diabetes treated with medication, epilepsy, cancer, or hypothyroidism (with a medical exemption certificate); receive certain benefits including Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related ESA, Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, or qualifying Universal Credit; or hold an NHS Low Income Scheme HC2 certificate. Everyone in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland gets NHS prescriptions free. Our free prescription checker can tell you in under a minute whether you are likely to qualify. ## When a prepayment certificate saves you money If you pay for prescriptions regularly, a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) caps your costs. A 3-month PPC costs £32.05 and pays for itself if you need four or more items in three months (4 × £9.90 = £39.60). A 12-month PPC costs £114.50 and beats pay-per-item at twelve or more items a year (12 × £9.90 = £118.80). Someone taking two medicines every month would pay £237.60 per year item-by-item, so a 12-month PPC saves them over £120. There is also a separate HRT PPC at £19.80 that covers a year of listed HRT prescriptions. You can buy PPCs online from the NHS Business Services Authority, by phone, or at some pharmacies. ## Paying for prescriptions across the UK England is the only UK nation that still charges. Wales abolished prescription charges in 2007, Northern Ireland in 2010, and Scotland in 2011. What matters is where the prescription is dispensed and the arrangements attached to it: if you live in Scotland or Wales but collect a prescription from a pharmacy in England, the English charge can apply unless you hold a relevant exemption or entitlement card. If you are ever unsure whether you should pay, ask the pharmacy team before the item is dispensed — ticking the wrong exemption box on the prescription form can lead to a penalty charge notice of up to £100 on top of the original fee, so it pays to check rather than guess. A pharmacist can also tell you whether a cheaper over-the-counter alternative exists for a one-off minor ailment. Next step ## Compare Pharmacies for What You Need See NHS services, private prices, and reviews side by side — GPhC-checked, free, and no obligation. Pharmacies you don't pick never see your details. [Browse pharmacies](/pharmacies/)[Prescription Cost calculators →](/calculators/) ## People Also Ask Is the NHS prescription charge per item or per prescription?+ Per item. Each medicine, dressing, or appliance on the prescription form attracts its own £9.90 charge in England. Three medicines on one form cost £29.70 unless you are exempt. Can a pharmacy charge more than £9.90 for an NHS prescription?+ No. The NHS prescription charge is set nationally and is the same at every pharmacy in England. Pharmacies only set their own prices for private services and private prescriptions. Is it ever cheaper to buy the medicine over the counter?+ Sometimes. For short courses of common medicines — such as hay fever tablets or simple painkillers — the shop price can be below £9.90. Ask the pharmacist; they can tell you when an over-the-counter option is suitable and when you should stick with the prescribed item. What happens if I wrongly claim a free prescription?+ The NHS Business Services Authority runs exemption checks. If you tick an exemption box you are not entitled to, you can be sent a penalty charge notice of the original charge plus a fine of up to £100. If you are unsure, pay and ask for an NHS receipt (FP57) so you can claim a refund once your exemption is confirmed. Keep reading - [What is a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC)?](/answers/what-is-a-prescription-prepayment-certificate/) - [Who gets free NHS prescriptions?](/answers/who-gets-free-nhs-prescriptions/) - [Are prescriptions free in Scotland and Wales?](/answers/are-prescriptions-free-in-scotland-and-wales/) - [What does a private prescription cost in the UK?](/answers/what-does-a-private-prescription-cost/) - [How do repeat prescriptions work?](/answers/how-do-repeat-prescriptions-work/) - [PPC savings calculator](/calculators/ppc-savings-calculator/) - [Free prescription eligibility checker](/calculators/free-prescription-checker/) - [How to save money on prescriptions](/guides/how-to-save-money-on-prescriptions/) - [NHS prescription services](/services/nhs-prescriptions/) - [Compare pharmacies near you](/pharmacies/) **Affiliate disclosure:**Pick My Pharmacy is free to use. We may earn a fee when you visit a referral partner or send a private-service enquiry. That never changes ratings, match results, or the prices you pay. Outbound partner links userel="sponsored". See[affiliate compliance](/methodology/#affiliate-compliance)and[how we make money](/how-it-works/). This article is general information for UK patients, not medical advice, and NHS rules and charges change — confirm current rules on [nhs.uk](https://www.nhs.uk) or speak to a pharmacist or GP before acting. For urgent medical help call NHS 111, or 999 in an emergency. Price figures are indicative benchmarks from our[methodology](/methodology/).