Cyber Essentials pricing
Cyber Essentials Certification Cost: 2026 UK Prices
Cyber Essentials costs from £320 + VAT for organisations with 0 to 9 employees to £750 + VAT for 250+ employees on our Gold package. Every package includes the IASME certification fee, portal access, a pre-assessment check and a support call with an assessor.
Cyber Essentials pricing by company size
Updated October 2026. All prices exclude VAT, and Bronze matches IASME’s published fee for each size band. Certificates are valid for 12 months.
Micro organisations, 0 to 9 employees
0 to 9 employees
Bronze package
£320 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 3 to 5 working days
- Resubmissions
- 1*
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 10 working days
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
0 to 9 employees
Silver package
£410 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 48 hours (2 working days)
- Resubmissions
- 3*
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 1 month
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
0 to 9 employees
Gold package
£510 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 24 hours (1 working day)
- Resubmissions
- Unlimited
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 3 months
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
Small organisations, 10 to 49 employees
10 to 49 employees
Bronze package
£440 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 3 to 5 working days
- Resubmissions
- 1*
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 10 working days
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
10 to 49 employees
Silver package
£520 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 48 hours (2 working days)
- Resubmissions
- 3*
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 1 month
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
10 to 49 employees
Gold package
£620 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 24 hours (1 working day)
- Resubmissions
- Unlimited
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 3 months
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
Medium organisations, 50 to 249 employees
50 to 249 employees
Bronze package
£500 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 3 to 5 working days
- Resubmissions
- 1*
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 10 working days
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
50 to 249 employees
Silver package
£575 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 48 hours (2 working days)
- Resubmissions
- 3*
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 1 month
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
50 to 249 employees
Gold package
£675 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 24 hours (1 working day)
- Resubmissions
- Unlimited
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 3 months
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
Large organisations, 250+ employees
250+ employees
Bronze package
£600 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 3 to 5 working days
- Resubmissions
- 1*
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 10 working days
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
250+ employees
Silver package
£650 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 48 hours (2 working days)
- Resubmissions
- 3*
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 1 month
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
250+ employees
Gold package
£750 + VAT
- Assessment time
- 24 hours (1 working day)
- Resubmissions
- Unlimited
- Time to pass after first clarification
- 3 months
- Pre-assessment check
- Support call (up to 1 hour)
- Guide access**
- Access to the Cyber Essentials portal
- Certification and assessment fee
** Guide access is normally £85 + VAT for six months.
Need Cyber Essentials Plus?
Priced on your devices and sites, with the basic assessment included. See Cyber Essentials Plus cost.
Cost calculator
Work out your Cyber Essentials price
Enter your headcount and choose a package. Count every employee, including part-time staff: your size band sets the price.
Need the audited level too? Cyber Essentials Plus is quoted on scope: see what Cyber Essentials Plus costs or send the scoping questionnaire.
Micro (0 to 9 employees)
£410 + VAT
48 hours (2 working days) assessment · 3 resubmissions · 1 month to pass
Trusted by banks, payment providers and global brands
How much does Cyber Essentials cost in 2026?
The Cyber Essentials certification cost is £320 to £750 + VAT with Sovereign Secure, set by your number of employees and how quickly you want to be assessed. The table shows every Cyber Essentials cost UK organisations pay with us. If a tender or supplier form asks about the Cyber Essentials accreditation cost, it means the same certificate and the same price: organisations are certified, and the word "accreditation" is used loosely. All packages include the certification fee, access to the assessment portal, a pre-assessment check, a support call of up to an hour and six months’ guide access.
| Company size | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro (0 to 9 employees) | £320 + VAT | £410 + VAT | £510 + VAT |
| Small (10 to 49 employees) | £440 + VAT | £520 + VAT | £620 + VAT |
| Medium (50 to 249 employees) | £500 + VAT | £575 + VAT | £675 + VAT |
| Large (250+ employees) | £600 + VAT | £650 + VAT | £750 + VAT |
What does the IASME fee cover, and what do you get on top?
IASME, which runs the scheme for the NCSC, publishes a standard Cyber Essentials fee for each size band on its Cyber Essentials FAQ. Our Bronze package costs exactly that fee. Silver and Gold add speed and resubmissions, not a different certificate: every package leads to the same Cyber Essentials certificate.
| Company size | IASME published fee | Our Bronze | Our Silver | Our Gold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micro (0 to 9) | £320 | £320 | £410 | £510 |
| Small (10 to 49) | £440 | £440 | £520 | £620 |
| Medium (50 to 249) | £500 | £500 | £575 | £675 |
| Large (250+) | £600 | £600 | £650 | £750 |
All figures exclude VAT. The fee covers portal access, where you answer the questions, the assessment of your answers by a qualified assessor and, when you pass, your certificate and listing on the public certificate search. Eligible organisations that opt in also receive IASME’s included cyber insurance at no extra cost. Our packages add a pre-assessment check of your answers before you submit and a call with an assessor, which is where most first-time problems are caught.
What does speed buy you?
The main difference between packages is how fast your submission is assessed and how many chances you get to fix answers.
| Package | Assessment time | Resubmissions | Time to pass after first clarification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 3 to 5 working days | 1 | 10 working days |
| Silver | 48 hours (2 working days) | 3 | 1 month |
| Gold | 24 hours (1 working day) | Unlimited | 3 months |
Gold is the right choice when a contract deadline is close. A 24-hour assessment costs from £510 + VAT with us. For comparison, one UK provider we reviewed in September 2026 publishes a 24-hour option at £620 to £1,000 + VAT depending on size. Each resubmission beyond your package limit costs £100 + VAT.
Are there hidden costs?
There are no extra charges from us beyond additional resubmissions. The costs to plan for are your own:
- Fixes. Replacing or upgrading unsupported software and devices, such as Windows 10 PCs without Extended Security Updates or old firewalls, is usually the biggest cost.
- IT provider time. If a managed service provider runs your IT, they may charge to enable MFA, change configurations or gather evidence.
- Internal time. Someone who knows your IT needs to prepare and answer the questionnaire. Our free Cyber Essentials readiness check shows how much work is ahead.
- Extra support. If you want hands-on help beyond the included call, see Cyber Essentials consultancy and support.
How much does Cyber Essentials renewal cost?
Renewal costs the same as a first certificate: from £320 + VAT, using the same size bands and packages. Certificates last 12 months with no grace period, so start four to six weeks before expiry. You can renew with us even if another certification body issued your current certificate; see Cyber Essentials renewal.
What is the total cost of Cyber Essentials vs Cyber Essentials Plus?
Cyber Essentials Plus adds a technical audit of a sample of your devices, so it costs more and is priced on your scope rather than your headcount alone. Published CE+ prices from UK providers we reviewed in September 2026 range from £999 to £3,999 + VAT. Our CE+ quotes include the basic Cyber Essentials assessment, so you do not pay for it twice. See Cyber Essentials Plus cost for the full breakdown, or our comparison of Cyber Essentials vs Cyber Essentials Plus.
Why buy from Sovereign Secure?
- We are the certification body. Sovereign Secure is an IASME-licensed Cyber Essentials certification body, so the assessor who checks your answers issues your certificate. There is no reseller margin.
- Published, fixed prices. Bronze matches the IASME fee, and a 24-hour Gold assessment starts at £510 + VAT.
- More than Cyber Essentials. We are also a PCI SSC-approved QSA company and ISO 27001 certified, so you can grow into Cyber Essentials Plus, PCI DSS or ISO 27001 with the same team.
Before you start
What to prepare before you order
Six things that make your assessment faster and your first submission far more likely to pass. The full list of rules is in our Cyber Essentials requirements and checklist.
How to pass Cyber Essentials first time →- 01
Maintain an up-to-date asset inventory
List every device with make, model and operating system, including personal devices staff use to access company data such as email.
- 02
Identify systems that need upgrading
Find unsupported software and hardware early, particularly firewalls and servers, as these upgrades take longest.
- 03
Create a network diagram
A simple diagram helps you decide which parts of your infrastructure are in scope and which can be excluded.
- 04
Inventory your cloud services
List every cloud service you use. None can be excluded from scope, and each needs multi-factor authentication (MFA) switched on wherever it is offered.
- 05
Answer every portal question
Incomplete answers are the most common reason for a clarification request. Be specific.
- 06
Choose the right company size
Price depends on company size, and choosing the wrong band delays certification. Count all employees, including part-time staff.
Benefits of Cyber Essentials certification
Certification reassures customers and partners that your security defends against the most common online threats. Many UK government contracts, and their supply chains, require it. See Cyber Essentials certification for how the scheme works. Not sure a customer requires it? Our FAQs answer do I need Cyber Essentials in a few lines.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Cyber Essentials Plus adds confidence by verifying that the controls are properly implemented, through technical tests carried out by the certification body. Read about Cyber Essentials Plus certification and audit.
FAQ
Cyber Essentials cost questions
Can't find your answer? Call us on +44 161 523 5276 or send us a message.
How much does Cyber Essentials cost?
Cyber Essentials costs from £320 + VAT for organisations with 0 to 9 employees to £750 + VAT for 250+ employees on our Gold package. The price depends on company size and how fast you want to be assessed, and always includes the certification fee, a pre-assessment check and a support call.
Which package should I choose?
Choose Gold if you need your certificate fast or want unlimited resubmissions and three months to pass. Silver suits most organisations with some IT support in-house. Bronze is for organisations confident they already meet the requirements.
Is your price the same as the IASME fee?
Our Bronze prices match IASME’s published fee bands exactly (£320 to £600 + VAT). Silver and Gold cost more because they add faster assessment and more resubmissions.
Are prices per year?
Yes. Cyber Essentials certificates are valid for 12 months, and each annual renewal is priced the same way. See Cyber Essentials renewal.
Is VAT included?
No. All prices are shown excluding VAT at the current rate.
How much is Cyber Essentials Plus?
Cyber Essentials Plus is quoted individually because it depends on the number of devices, operating systems and sites to test, and the basic assessment is included in our CE+ price. See Cyber Essentials Plus cost for published UK prices, or complete our scoping questionnaire for a fixed quote.
What happens if I use up my resubmissions?
Each additional resubmission after reaching your package limit costs £100 + VAT.
Are there any other costs?
Only extra resubmissions beyond your package limit (£100 + VAT each). Guide access (normally £85 + VAT for six months) is included in every package. Your own costs are internal time and any fixes, such as replacing unsupported software or paying your IT provider to enable MFA.
Is Cyber Essentials worth the cost?
For most organisations, yes: from £320 + VAT it opens contracts that require it and puts in place controls that guard against the most common cyber attacks. Our guide answers is Cyber Essentials worth it in more detail.
How hard is it to get Cyber Essentials?
Not hard if your scope is right, MFA is on for every cloud service and your software is still supported. Our guide explains how hard it is to get Cyber Essentials and what to fix first.
Does the price include cyber insurance?
Yes, for eligible organisations, at no extra cost. IASME includes cyber liability cover with a £25,000 limit if you certify your whole organisation, are domiciled in the UK or Crown Dependencies, have annual turnover under £20m and opt in. See Cyber Essentials insurance.
Can you get Cyber Essentials for free?
Not at the moment. The NCSC’s Funded Cyber Essentials Programme, which gave eligible micro and small organisations free support towards certification, is closed (checked 13 October 2026). If a new round opens, IASME will announce it; our guide to Cyber Essentials for charities lists the free help that is still available.
Free consultation
Your certification is our business
We aim to reply within one working day, and send a fixed quote once your scope is confirmed.
- PCI SSC-approved QSA, QPA, CPSA, P2PE and 3DS assessors
- IASME-licensed Cyber Essentials certification body
- Clients across the UK, US, Europe, Middle East and Asia since 2012
“The Cyber Security Services were delivered on time and price was competitive.”
Call +44 161 523 5276
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