The Church of England’s Tables of Parochial Fees from 1 January 2021* (“the Table”), prepared by the Archbishops’ Council, are now available on the C of E website as an A3 table, an A4 table, and as a short A4 summary. The basic fees are listed below, but readers are advised to visit the Church’s website to read the accompanying notes. An explanation of the basis for the calculation of these fees and the timing of their publication is below.
* The Church of England’s Tables of Parochial Fees from 1 January 2022 have now been published and are summarized here.
The following costs are set by the Church of England nationally and are the same for every church. The basic legal fees include the cost of the vicar, the church, calling the banns, a banns certificate, the marriage certificate, lighting and all administration.
- Publication of banns: £31
- Certificate of banns, if required: £15
- Marriage service: £464
- Marriage certificate at registration, if required: £11
For a couple marrying in their own parish (providing both live there) the cost is £506; if a couple marry away from where they live, the cost is £552, here. Not covered are extras such as the costs of choir, organist, bellringers, verger &c., for which new advice was issued in February 2019. These extras are summarized here.
Funerals
A Church of England funeral is not necessarily in a church. The minister can lead the whole funeral service in a different place, or, a church service can be incorporated into part of the day, wherever the funeral takes place. Further information is here. The costs are:
- Service (in church, cemetery, or crematorium): £199
- Burial in churchyard, preceding or following on from service in church: £320
- Burial in churchyard, on separate occasion or without service in church: £348
- Burial in cemetery or cremation immediately preceding or following on from service in church: £29
- Burial certificate, if required: £15
Note B2. Funerals & Burials states “i) No fee is payable in respect of a burial of a still-born infant, or for the funeral or burial of a person dying within eighteen years after birth”.
Monuments
These normally range from £46.00 to £144.00 depending on the type and size of the monument required. Note 2 in the Table defines ‘monument’ as including headstone, cross, kerb, border, vase, chain, railing, tablet, plaque, marker, flatstone, tombstone or monument or tomb of any other kind.
Baptisms
There is no fee for a service of baptism
- Certificate of baptism, if required: £15
Searches in church registers
- For the first hour (inclusive of one copy of an entry in certain registers): £31.00
- For each subsequent hour or part of an hour £31.00
- Additional copies of entries: £14.00
Access to such records is subject to the Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1978, S20: Searches of certain register books.
Notes
At its February session on 21 February 2019, General Synod approved the Parochial Fees and Scheduled Matters Amending Order 2019, which will make provision for parochial fees for the years 2020 to 2024, inclusive. This is reported in our post, Church of England Parochial Fees – Changes for 2020 to 2024. The Parochial Fees for 2020 have been based upon the Consumer Prices Index for August 2020, reported by the Office for National Statistics on 16 September 2020.
[Back]
The fees shown in the table do not include charges for heating, the services of a verger, music (e.g. organist, choir), bells, and flowers, which are fixed by the Parochial Church Council. In the case of a marriage service or a funeral service in church, any costs and expenses incurred in respect of routine administration (including arranging dates and times and the making of entries in registers), making the church available and lighting it are included in the fee prescribed as payable to the Parochial Church Council.
Our post, New advice on “extras” for weddings and funerals, summarizes the current advice on the additional costs not included in the statutory fees.
[Back]
Calculation of costs of wedding
The Church of England Your Church Wedding explains:
The figure for marrying in 2021 breaks down as follows for couples marrying in their own parish:-
- the fee set by law payable to the church: £464
- your marriage certificate: £11
- having your banns read at the home church: £31
Total for marrying in your home parish (providing you both live there) in 2021: £506
If a couple marry in 2021 away from where they live, the cost breaks down like this:-
- the fee set by law payable to the marrying church: £464
- your marriage certificate: £11
- having your banns read in the marrying church £31
- having your banns read at your home church: £31
- the banns certificate from your home church: £15
Total for marrying outside your parish in 2021: £552.
[Back]
Hi
A question from our Vicar…
Should we be asking for transport costs as we cannot now travel in the hearse for both this ‘cremation only service’ and also if their is a Committal following church service?
You’d better ask your archdeacon or your diocesan registrar.
My mother died in Spain during lockdown ,we would like a memorial service here ,how much will it cost please
Dear Carole, we are sorry to hear of your loss. In the Church of England, there is no set fee for a memorial service, but the Archbishops’ Council recommends that, where a memorial service is on a similar scale to a funeral service, the PCC fee should be based on the statutory fee for the service, with the Parochial Church Council (PCC) receiving the equivalent of the combined Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF) and PCC fee. Details of the statutory fees for 2021 are at https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/Parochial%20Fees%20A4_21b.pdf. Since the fee for the service is set locally, your vicar will be able to advise you further.
Under the legislation for the coronavirus, from 21 June, there is no longer be a maximum number of attendees set out in law for commemorative events. Instead, the number of attendees will be determined by how many people (including guests of all ages and those working at the event) the COVID-secure indoor or outdoor venue can safely accommodate with social distancing measures in place. Again, the vicar should be able to advise. The government advice on commemorative events is at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-a-funeral-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-a-funeral-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic.
Regards
David Pocklington
Hi, thank you for a very helpful article.
We have just enquired about getting married in church. We have been sent a list of fees, which includes the fee to the Diocese and service fee, totalling £495, as expected. There is also an additional £500 “local wedding planning and booking tariff”. Is this £500 legal? Several sites we have visited claim it may not be?
Many thanks
Joe
Thanks Joe
At L&RUK we do not answer specific queries, although we may indicate where relevant information is to be found. On the vexed question of “extras” such as heating and music for church weddings, this is covered in the General Synod Legal Advisory Commission document. A summary is also given in the Table of Fees for 2021 The parish priest or the Diocesan Registrar should be able to clarify queries relating to the charges payable to the church.
Where weddings are arranged by a third party, commercial organizations, there may be further charges relating to their involvement.