CPD certification is the quickest recognition a course can get, and the hardest to price in advance. The three general CPD bodies in the UK do not publish their fees, and each quotes after an enquiry. The bodies that do publish prices are specialist ones: IOSH for health and safety courses and the Institute of Leadership for management programmes. None of these marks is a regulated qualification, and none puts a level on your course. We checked each body's own pages on 5 October 2026.
How do you apply to a CPD body, and how long does it take?
The three general bodies follow the same outline. You make contact, somebody talks to you about what you run, you join as a member or registered provider, and then each course is assessed on its own. The CPD Standards Office starts with a free consultation call and gives a standard assessment time of up to 30 days. The CPD Group registers providers free of charge and says it aims to begin reviewing a submission within 2 to 3 weeks. The CPD Certification Service does not state a turnaround on the pages we read.
- Make contactAn enquiry form or a call about what you run.Free consultation call at the CPD Standards Office
- Discussion and quoteYou talk through your courses and the body quotes a price.Fees are not published
- JoinYou become a member or a registered provider.Registration is free at The CPD Group
- Each course is assessedEvery activity goes through assessment on its own.Up to 30 days at the CPD Standards Office
- CertifiedThe course can carry the body's mark. It has no level and it is not a regulated qualification.
| Body | How you apply | Published turnaround | Published fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| The CPD Certification Service | Enquiry form, a discussion, membership, then each activity goes to its assessments team | None found | Not published |
| The CPD Standards Office | Free consultation call, portfolio submission, assessment, then trustmark and directory listing | Up to 30 days, or 14 days on a paid fast track | Not published |
| The CPD Group | Free provider registration, then each activity assessed individually | Aims to begin review within 2 to 3 weeks | Registration free, activity fees not published |
| IOSH course approval | Eligibility check, registration, review, revisions, licence | Typically 7 to 9 months | Published, from 1,150 pounds |
| Institute of Leadership, Institute Approved | Application form and course materials sent by email | Outcome within 20 UK working days | Published, from 1,500 pounds plus VAT |
Sources: each body's own website and brochures, linked below. Checked 5 October 2026.
Why do the main CPD bodies not publish their prices?
Prices are missing for a reason. The CPD Certification Service says its membership levels are set after an initial dialogue about the number of training activities you have. The CPD Standards Office says on its cost page that there is no single fixed price for CPD accreditation. The CPD Group charges at the level of the activity. The only way to get a number is to ask, and we suggest asking all three with the same list of courses in front of you so that the quotes can be compared.
One term in the small print changes the real cost. Membership of the CPD Standards Office runs for a minimum of two years and then carries on as a one-year rolling arrangement, so its quote is a two-year commitment.
What do IOSH and the Institute of Leadership charge?
IOSH approval of your own health and safety course carries three charges: a one-off approval fee that rises with the length of the course, a licence fee for each course title and a certificate fee for every delegate. We priced a one-day classroom course in the Core Skills category from the brochure. It would pay 1,150 pounds for approval and 286 pounds for its first licence, then 172 pounds each year to renew the licence and 23 pounds a certificate. Two cautions come with those numbers. IOSH presents the approval table as a general guide, and the brochure is silent on VAT, so get both confirmed. The bigger issue is time, because IOSH puts the whole approval at 7 to 9 months, with approval then lasting five years.
- Eligibility check
- Registration
- Review
- Revisions
- LicenceApproval lasts five years.Typically 7 to 9 months from start to finish
| IOSH course length | Approval fee, face to face | Approval fee, e-learning |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 day | 1,150 pounds | 1,600 pounds |
| 2 days | 1,550 pounds | 2,000 pounds |
| 3 days | 1,950 pounds | 2,400 pounds |
| 4 days | 2,350 pounds | 2,800 pounds |
| 5 days or more | 2,750 pounds | 3,200 pounds |
Source: IOSH, Getting your course approved by IOSH (brochure dated 1 June 2025). Checked 5 October 2026.
| IOSH licence category | Initial licence fee, per course title | Annual renewal, per course title |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Education | 510 pounds | 370 pounds |
| Management Education | 370 pounds | 230 pounds |
| Core Skills | 286 pounds | 172 pounds |
IOSH certificates are charged per person: 23.00 pounds face to face and 28.10 pounds for e-learning. Same source and date.
The Institute of Leadership prices its Institute Approved mark by the size of your business. A business with turnover below 25 million pounds pays 1,500 pounds plus VAT for its first programme, and every further programme title is 500 pounds plus VAT. The Institute says it will respond to an application with an outcome within 20 UK working days.
| Institute of Leadership, first programme | Fee |
|---|---|
| Small business, turnover below 25 million pounds | 1,500 pounds plus VAT |
| Medium business, turnover up to 500 million pounds | 2,000 pounds plus VAT |
| Large business, turnover over 500 million pounds | 3,000 pounds plus VAT |
| Each additional programme title | 500 pounds plus VAT |
| Studying membership, where included | 65 pounds plus VAT per learner |
Source: the Institute of Leadership's own accreditation page. Checked 5 October 2026.
Does CPD certification give my course a level?
None of this puts your course on a qualifications framework, and the bodies are open about it. The plainest wording is the CPD Standards Office's, which says CPD accreditation carries no Ofqual or RQF status. IOSH says its approved courses are awareness-based and sit outside any qualification framework. The Institute of Leadership's guidance asks providers not to put the word Level in a programme title at all. A tender that asks for a Level 3 or a Level 5 is asking for something else, and our pages on the awarding organisation route and on MFHEA explain how to get it.
Apollo Accreditation is a consultancy. It is not a regulator or an awarding organisation and does not award qualifications. Fees and rules change, so confirm them with the body named before you act on them.
Common questions
How much does CPD accreditation cost?
We cannot quote a figure for the three general CPD bodies, because none of them publishes one. Each sets its price after talking to you about how many courses you want assessed. The published prices we found belong to specialist bodies. The Institute of Leadership starts at 1,500 pounds plus VAT, and IOSH starts at 1,150 pounds for a one-day classroom course, with licence and certificate fees on top.
How long does CPD certification take?
It varies a good deal by body. The CPD Standards Office gives up to 30 days, or 14 days on its paid fast track. The CPD Group says it aims to start its review within 2 to 3 weeks of receiving a course, and the Institute of Leadership promises an outcome within 20 UK working days. IOSH is much slower, at 7 to 9 months for the whole approval.
Is CPD certification regulated by Ofqual?
No. Ofqual's remit is qualifications, examinations and assessments in England. CPD certification bodies are private companies and sit outside it, a point the CPD Standards Office makes on its own site when it says CPD has no single statutory regulator. A CPD mark shows a buyer that somebody independent has looked at the learning. It does not make the course a regulated qualification.
Can I put a level on a CPD certified course?
Not on the strength of a CPD certificate. A level comes from a qualifications framework such as the RQF, the SCQF or the MQF, and a course only gets onto one of those through a regulated or credit rated route. The Institute of Leadership even asks providers to leave the word Level out of programme titles.
Which CPD body should I choose?
We would not pick one for you without knowing who buys your courses. Ring two or three of your clients and ask which CPD marks their procurement or training teams actually check for. Then send the same course list to the bodies they name and compare the quotes. For a health and safety or management course, get a price from IOSH or the Institute of Leadership too.
Planning a programme, an accreditation route or a quality system?
Book a 30 minute scoping call. We will map the route, the standards that apply and a realistic timeline. No preparation needed.
Book a 30 minute scoping callPrefer to write first? Contact us.
Sources
- The CPD Certification Service, Become accredited
- The CPD Standards Office, Cost of accreditation (updated 24 August 2026)
- The CPD Standards Office, How the process works
- The CPD Group, How to get a course CPD accredited
- IOSH, Getting your course approved by IOSH (brochure, 1 June 2025)
- IOSH, Tailored course approval: frequently asked questions
- Institute of Leadership, Institute Approved accreditation and fees
- Institute of Leadership, Institute Approved guidance
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