How Much Is CHAS Accreditation? Real Prices for Standard, Advanced & Elite

If a main contractor has just told you "we can't use you until you're CHAS", the only question you actually want answered is how much is CHAS accreditation going to cost you this year. Here is the number, then the catches — no callback form, no sales call.

The short answer

As shown on the Veriforce CHAS pricing page on 30/07/2026, CHAS membership starts at £429 + VAT per year for CHAS Standard, £659 + VAT for CHAS Advanced and £909 + VAT for CHAS Elite (the tier that includes the Common Assessment Standard). Those are "from" prices at the smallest employee band — CHAS states that its assessment and membership costs scale with the size of your organisation, so a firm with 12 on the books pays more than a sole trader for the same tier. CHAS membership is an annual subscription, and CHAS does not publish a reduced second-year rate, so budget the same banded fee every year. Add 20% VAT (reclaimable if you're VAT-registered) and the real first-year cost of the entry tier is £514.80 including VAT. The biggest avoidable cost isn't the fee at all — it's paying for a tier you didn't need, or paying twice because a second buyer wants a scheme CHAS doesn't cover.

How much is CHAS accreditation for each tier?

Why is the price you're quoted higher than £429?

CHAS prices by headcount band, not per company. The Veriforce CHAS pricing page uses an employee slider running from 1 employee up through bands like 2–4, 5–15, 16–30 and beyond, and the fee steps up as you move along it — which is why trade bodies such as the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association tell members that CHAS cost is banded and you must confirm your total office and site staff when you apply.

The part that catches small firms out is who counts as an employee. According to the CHAS FAQ, the employee number includes direct employees, PAYE staff, permanent, temporary and part-time workers and labour-only subcontractors — it excludes bona fide subcontractors who work with their own tools and carry their own insurance. So the two lads you take on by the day for a big shutdown can push you into the next band and put your renewal quote up, even though your payroll hasn't changed.

Does CHAS accreditation get cheaper in year two?

On the evidence available as of 30/07/2026, no. The CHAS FAQ describes membership as an annual subscription for an annual fee, and distinguishes your membership expiry (your annual payment date) from your compliance expiry (your annual assessment renewal) — two dates, one recurring bill. CHAS publishes a single annual price per package and band with no advertised year-two discount.

There's a second tell. The Asbestos Removal Contractors Association advertises to its members a 20% discount on a new CHAS application but only 10% on a renewal — a structure that only makes sense if renewals are billed off the same list price as new applications rather than a reduced loyalty rate. TODO(verify): the exact renewal invoice against the new-joiner price for an identical band, which CHAS does not publish.

What do you get for the money — and what still isn't covered?

That bottom row is the honest bit no pricing page leads with. CHAS assesses the paperwork you upload; it doesn't write it. CHAS says applications are reviewed by an assessor within 10 working days of submission and can be done entirely as a desktop assessment, so the clock only starts when your evidence is actually in. If your health and safety policy is three years old and unsigned, the fee buys you a queue place, not a pass — our CHAS documents checklist covers what assessors expect to see.

Worked example: a 12-engineer M&E firm

Say you run 12 engineers, mostly on commercial maintenance. One main contractor wants SSIP; a housing association framework you're chasing asks for the Common Assessment Standard.

• Route A — Standard now, upgrade later. You pay the Standard fee for your band (from £429 + VAT at the smallest band, more at 5–15), clear the SSIP gate, and lose the housing association bid. If you upgrade to Elite mid-year you're back in the assessment queue and re-uploading the same insurance, policy and training evidence.
• Route B — Elite once. You pay from £909 + VAT and cover SSIP and the Common Assessment Standard in a single assessment. At the entry band that's £480 + VAT more than Standard — £576 including VAT at the 20% standard rate published by HMRC on GOV.UK.

On a single recurring £5k maintenance contract that turns on Common Assessment Standard status, Route B is arithmetic, not luxury. On a firm that only ever gets asked for SSIP, Route A is the right call and Elite is £480 + VAT of nothing. The decision is driven by what your buyers actually name in their PQQ, not by which tier looks most respectable — see do I need more than one accreditation before you upgrade.

Three legitimate ways to pay less than list price

1. 1
   Check your trade association first. ARCA tells full contracting members they can get 20% off a new CHAS application (Standard, Advanced or Elite) and 10% off a renewal, obtained via a discount code from the association before you apply. Plenty of federations run similar arrangements — ask yours before you hit "pay" on the portal, because you can't usually claim it retrospectively.
2. 2
   If you already hold the Common Assessment Standard elsewhere, don't buy it twice. CHAS states that contractors who have met the Common Assessment Standard with another assessment body can register that with CHAS and hold a CHAS membership free of charge. If a buyer wants to see you on the CHAS database and you're already CAS-certified through another body, that's a nil-cost route in.
3. 3
   Use SSIP Deem to Satisfy if you hold another SSIP scheme. CHAS lists an SSIP Deemed to Satisfy application route for contractors already assessed by an SSIP-recognised body. It doesn't make the membership free, but it cuts the assessment work — how far it goes is covered in SSIP mutual recognition explained.

Is CHAS the cheapest way to get SSIP?

Not automatically, and the reason is structural rather than a matter of one scheme being better value than another. Because CHAS prices by headcount band, the cost of a CHAS certificate rises as you take people on. SMAS Worksafe, another SSIP member body, states on its own site that it operates a flat-rate pricing structure so the price stays the same regardless of employee numbers, and argues CHAS can work out more costly for firms above around 50 people.

That's a vendor making its own case, so treat it as a prompt rather than a verdict: get a banded quote from CHAS for your headcount and compare it with a flat-rate scheme before you commit. If the buyer's PQQ says "SSIP-registered scheme" rather than "CHAS", any SSIP member body satisfies it — which is exactly the situation covered in our cheapest SSIP scheme comparison and the wider accreditation scheme comparison hub. If the PQQ names CHAS specifically, the comparison is academic.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is CHAS accreditation for a sole trader?

A sole trader sits at the smallest employee band, so the published "from" prices apply: £429 + VAT a year for CHAS Standard, £659 + VAT for Advanced and £909 + VAT for Elite as shown on the Veriforce CHAS pricing page on 30/07/2026. Confirm the current figure in the portal before paying, as scheme pricing changes without notice.

Does CHAS accreditation include VAT?

No. CHAS quotes its membership fees excluding VAT, so add the 20% standard rate published by HMRC on GOV.UK — £429 + VAT is £514.80 in total. If your business is VAT-registered you can normally reclaim it, which makes the ex-VAT figure the one to budget against.

Do I need CHAS Elite, or will CHAS Standard do?

CHAS Standard covers SSIP, which is what most main contractors ask for. CHAS Elite is the tier that includes the Common Assessment Standard, and CHAS points public sector bidders to it following PPN 03/24. Read the PQQ wording: if it names the Common Assessment Standard, Standard won't clear it.

Is CHAS renewal the same price as joining?

", CHAS publishes one annual fee per package and headcount band with no advertised second-year discount, and its FAQ describes membership as an annual subscription with an annual assessment renewal. Assume the same banded fee each year, and check whether a trade association renewal discount applies to you.

Can I get CHAS free if I already hold the Common Assessment Standard?

CHAS states that contractors who have met the Common Assessment Standard with another assessment body can register it with CHAS and hold a CHAS membership free of charge. It's worth a call to CHAS before paying for Elite if another assessment body has already certified you.

Last reviewed 30/07/2026. All figures are the published Veriforce CHAS "from" prices at the smallest employee band, checked on that date, and exclude VAT. Scheme pricing changes — confirm your banded quote with CHAS before you pay. This guide is information, not advice on your specific tender.