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# GDC sets 2027 dentist retention fee at £720 as complaints climb
- URL: https://www.morningsurgery.com/gdc-annual-retention-fee-2027/
- Published: 2026-11-03T20:47:17.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T20:47:17.000Z
- Description: Dentists will pay £720 to stay registered in 2027, up 3.1%, as fitness to practise concerns keep rising.
- Author: Dr Hassan Maimouni
- Tags: Dental

The General Dental Council (GDC) has confirmed that dentists will pay an Annual Retention Fee of £720 in 2027\. Dental care professionals (DCPs), such as hygienists, therapists and nurses, will pay £111.

That is a rise of £22 for dentists, from £698, and £3 for DCPs, from £108\. Both go up by 3.1%, in line with the Consumer Prices Index for August 2026\. The regulator announced the decision on 30 October.

The GDC says the extra money will go on fitness to practise (FtP) work, where demand keeps growing.

## Background

Concerns reported to the GDC reached 1,766 in 2025\. That is 26% more than the 1,401 received in 2024, and well above the 1,134 seen in 2020\. Open cases at the first, assessment stage rose by 35% to 761 by the end of 2025.

The fee for 2026 rose by 12.5%. Last year the GDC promised that any rise in 2027 and 2028 would not exceed CPI, except in exceptional circumstances. It says the 2027 fee keeps to that promise. Chair Dr Helen Phillips said the council checked the impact on registrants before agreeing the figure.

## The bigger picture

Chief executive Tom Whiting said the regulator also wants faster, less stressful investigations. But he warned that the volume of concerns will need further action in future years. The GDC plans to engage with the profession on this in the coming months. The British Dental Association called the rise modest, but still an unwelcome extra bill for a stretched profession.

## Analysis: what it means for your clinic

For most practice owners, the direct cost is small. A practice that pays fees for four dentists and ten DCPs would see its bill rise by about £118 a year.

The bigger issue is the trend behind the fee. More concerns mean longer queues, and the GDC admits it cannot speed up cases as fast as it would like. An open case can weigh on a clinician, and on the rota, for months. Clear complaint handling at practice level, and putting things right early when patients are unhappy, remain the best defence.

The CPI cap also gives some certainty for 2028 budgets, unless the GDC uses its exceptional circumstances clause.

## What to watch next

- The GDC's promised engagement on FtP reform in the coming months.
- Whether FtP concern numbers keep rising when 2026 figures are published.
- Any move to go above the CPI cap for 2028.

## Sources

- [GDC: Annual Retention Fee confirmed for 2027](https://www.gdc-uk.org/news-blogs/news/detail/2026/10/30/annual-retention-fee-confirmed-for-2027?ref=morningsurgery.com)
- [Dentistry.co.uk: Annual Retention Fee to rise as fitness to practise causes financial strain](https://dentistry.co.uk/2026/10/30/annual-retention-fee-to-rise-as-fitness-to-practise-causes-financial-strain/?ref=morningsurgery.com)