Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs)complex
If you need more than 13 prescribed medicines each year, you could save money with a 12-month PPC.
You can also buy a three-month PPC, which will save you money if you need more than three prescribed medicines in three months.
The charge for a single prescribed medicine is £7.85, whereas a three-month PPC will cost you £29.10 and a 12-month PPC £104.00.
How much can I save?
Number of prescribed medicines you need each month | Saving with a 12-month PPC | Saving with a three-month PPC |
2 | Over £80 a year | Over £15 in three months |
3 | Over £175 a year | Over £40 in three months |
4 | Over £270 a year | Over £65 in three months |
- Telephone order line and advice about PPCs - 0300 330 1341
- General public - buy or renew a PPC online
- Pharmacies registered to sell PPCs - login or register interest to sell
Note: You must be resident in England to purchase a PPC from us. Some people can get free prescriptions on age, income or medical grounds. Check the other pages in the help with health costs area to see if you can get free prescriptions before buying a PPC. Your browser must support 128-bit encryption to buy a PPC using our online applications.
Direct Debit - the most convenient way to pay
The most convenient way to pay for a 12-month PPC is by Direct Debit, which allows you to spread the cost by paying for it in 10 monthly instalments. By using this option we can also normally automatically renew your PPC. You would not have to worry about forgetting to renew your PPC.
Note: If you pay using the Direct Debit instalment option you are entering into a commitment to pay all of the instalments. If you use the certificate after failing to pay an instalment you may face penalty charges.
Once your Direct Debit is set up, we will send you a letter showing the amount we will debit from your bank or building society account each month. We will then collect that amount without you having to do a thing. You cannot choose the date of the month that your first instalment will be collected, but the date of the month can be changed once the first instalment is paid. You should expect to receive your PPC seven to 10 working days after your first payment has been collected.
What a PPC covers
Your PPC will cover you for all of the NHS prescriptions you need during the period of your PPC, no matter how many you need.
Before your PPC arrives
If you have to pay a prescription charge while you are waiting for your PPC, you may get a refund as long as you have an FP57 receipt and refund claim form and your PPC is valid on the date you pay. The pharmacist or dispensing doctor can only issue an FP57 at the time you pay the prescription charge - they cannot issue you one later. You can claim the prescription charge(s) back up to three months after paying. The FP57 tells you what to do - but remember the PPC itself can only be backdated by one month.