Vet Prescription Fee Cap: What It Actually Means for Your Next Bill

The CMA made its veterinary market Order in September 2026. Its written prescription fee cap starts in March 2027 for larger veterinary businesses and September 2027 for smaller ones. You can ask your vet for a written prescription now; check the practice's current fee until the cap applies.

The headline

In 2026 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) concluded its investigation into the UK veterinary market and made legally binding rules. One of the changes is a written prescription fee cap, including VAT:

• →£21 maximum for the first medicine prescribed within a consultation
• →£12.50 maximum for each additional medicine prescribed at that same consultation

The CMA found that many practices charged £30 or more per written prescription before the cap. If your pet needs long-term medication, the fee is one part of the total cost to compare.

Why the cap exists

The CMA found that over 70% of pet owners buy long-term pet medication from their vet practice, even though many could save £200 a year or more by buying suitable medicine from a regulated online retailer.

The cap is intended to prevent an unusually high prescription fee from erasing the saving available elsewhere. It does not guarantee that buying online will be cheaper for every medicine or every pet.

What the cap means for you

1. You can request a written prescription now. The RCVS says a vet should make this option available when appropriate following a clinical assessment. You do not have to buy suitable medication from the practice.
2. The cap applies from your practice's deadline. Once it takes effect, the first medicine prescribed within a consultation has a maximum written prescription fee of £21, and each additional medicine prescribed at that consultation has a maximum fee of £12.50.
3. You can compare the full cost. Check the medicine price, prescription fee and any delivery charge against the practice's price. Use a regulated retailer and ask the vet when your pet needs reassessment.
4. The cap is tied to a consultation, not a month of supply. Ask your vet how long the prescription is valid and whether repeat dispensing is clinically appropriate.

What the cap does NOT cover

• →The medicine itself. The cap is on the written prescription fee, not the price of the drug.
• →Consultations and clinical checks. Your vet may need to assess your pet before prescribing or renewing medication; the cap does not remove that clinical requirement.
• →Dispensing and delivery. Those costs are separate from the written prescription fee and should be included when you compare totals.

How to use this to save money

• →Ask whether a written prescription is suitable for medication your pet needs regularly. Your vet must decide what is clinically appropriate.
• →Check the fee and the date. The £21 / £12.50 caps start in March 2027 for larger businesses and September 2027 for smaller ones. Until then, ask what the practice charges.
• →Compare the total price at the practice and a regulated retailer, including the prescription fee and delivery.
• →Ask about repeats. Your vet can explain the prescription's validity, repeat dispensing and when another clinical check is needed.

Key facts to remember

• →Cap from the applicable 2027 deadline: £21 for the first medicine and £12.50 for each additional medicine prescribed at the same consultation, including VAT.
• →The CMA found many practices charged £30 or more for a written prescription.
• →Over 70% of owners buy long-term medication from their vet; many could save £200 a year or more online.
• →Practices must actively tell owners about written prescriptions from June 2027 if they are larger businesses, or September 2027 if they are smaller ones. You can ask now.

Check current practice pricing directly and use the CMA timetable for the date that applies to your practice.