About your subscription
Membership subscriptions are governed by the bye-laws and set by Council.
Your subscription depends on your membership type and, for some types, where you live. The Membership page lists the membership types - click through to each page to see this year's subscription fee.
Fellows, Ordinary Members and Associate Members who are resident in the UK pay two annual levies, as part of their subscription, that help cover our work in global child health - see more about these levies below.
Your subscription does not cover:
- registration for training, including access to RCPCH ePortfolio - this has a separate fee, as indicated on the relevant membership type page; you can add training at the same time as you apply for membership
- examinations, including MRCPCH (membership exam) and Diploma of Child Health
- START - the assessment for paediatric trainees as they prepare for completion of training.
See membership subscription costs for 2024
When to pay
When you first apply for membership or change your membership type, you can pay your subscription for the remainder of the current calendar year.
You can renew your membership each year, and we will send you a renewal notice in December.
How to pay
You can manage your payments in your online account. Simply log in, and from your account go to the Membership panel.
Direct Debit (UK bank accounts only)
If you have access to a UK bank account, we encourage you to pay by Direct Debit - annually or monthly.
- To set up, log in and go to My account (at top of website), then follow links on the Membership block.
- To change the frequency of your payments, log in, go to My account, then to the Membership block and select Change Direct Debit frequency.
Credit or debit card
- Select Make a new payment, then Pay by credit or debit card
- If you are using Internet Explorer version 8 or below, you will be unable to use our online payment system. If possible, upgrade your web browser.
- If your card payment is declined, please contact your card issuer to find out why. This may be due to a number of reasons, including where cards issued outside the UK are for domestic use only.
Bank transfer
If you are unable to pay by Direct Debit or card, you can pay via bank via transfer. You can download a letter with detailed instructions below.
Apply for a concessionary rate
Concessions on the membership subscription - and, where relevant, training fee - may be available for some members, for example, due to financial hardship, maternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or working less than full time.
Find out more and apply for a concession
Refund and discounts
As of January 2017, RCPCH Executive Committee agreed not to backdate discounts. This means members are responsible to inform for informing us in advance of any change of circumstances in order to get a discount for the full period.
Change of circumstances include the following (please note that this list is not exhaustive):
- working less than full time (only available for Associates, Ordinary Members and Fellows resident in the UK)
- maternity, shared parental or adoption leave
- sick leave
- retirement
- moving overseas (only available for Associates, Ordinary Members and Fellows)
- volunteering
- unemployment
- career break
- leaving paediatrics
- joining another UK medical college (only available for Associates, Ordinary Members and Fellows resident in the UK).
Claim tax relief (UK residents)
If you are resident in the UK, your subscription is fully allowable as a deduction from taxable income. This means you can claim back at least 22% of your subscription.
If you are registered for training, you may also claim tax relief on your training fees as of 10 May 2013.
If you need a receipt for your subscription and/or training fees, please contact the Member Services Team on membership@rcpch.ac.uk.
Guidance on how to claim tax relief on GOV.UK
You may also be able to claim tax relief on RCPCH examinations.
Annual levies
Our overseas levy (OL) supports internationally-orientated activities. It aligns with the College's objective to improve child health through advocacy, policy, technical or hands-on support in global regions, particularly those with high rates of child mortality and morbidity.
OL is used to support RCPCH activities in countries defined as low-income - that is, the poorest 35-40 countries in the world. Since the mid 2000s, RCPCH has progressively refined its use of the oversees levy (OL), which now comprises 4% of the total membership cost. For every £1 of OL we receive from membership, we generate £20-30 of grant funded programme value.
Our global child health programmes focus primarily on low- and lower-middle-income countries and , wherever possible, in partnership with sister paediatric bodies. We anchor our programmes in the hospital sector, concentrating on improving quality in the secondary level of care.
Alongside the OL, we have a visiting fellowship scheme. On a competitive basis, paediatric clinicians from around the world are supported to locate within partnering UK hospitals to observe and learn.