FAQs about PC, registration and recognition renewal

You need to complete our "non-renewal of your practising certificate or registration" notification. This will be available online; for the latest information, visit mySRA.

However, if you intend to practise from 1 November 2011, you do need a practising certificate or registration.

See Do I need a practising certificate?

No. We cannot send you a paper form.

If you have a disability that impacts your use of the internet, please call our Contact Centre on 0870 606 2555 to explain your needs. If you are calling from overseas, please dial +44 (0) 1527 504450.

Please note that the practising certificate renewal form refers to the 2009/10 CPD year.

If you need an extension for 2010/11, please send your request to contactcentre@sra.org.uk. Alternatively, you can call our Contact Centre on 0870 606 2555 or, if you are calling from overseas, +44 (0) 1527 504450. Lines are open 09.00 to 17.00, Monday to Friday. Calls will be recorded for monitoring and training purposes.

The extension will be for six months, and will run until 30 April 2012.

The authorised signatory or organisation contact can complete the online firm renewal form.

Only the authorised signatory can complete the declaration.

If no authorised signatory or organisation contact is nominated, the following may complete the form:

• any solicitor or registered European lawyer partner or partner equivalent,
• any solicitor or registered European Lawyer in a "commerce and industry" organisation.

In this situation, notifications will be sent to all of the above within your firm or organisation.

The authorised signatory can complete the declaration on the online firm renewal form.

If no authorised signatory has been nominated, the following may complete the declaration:

• a solicitor or registered Eurpoean lawyer partner or partner equivalent,
• a solicitor or registered Eurpoean lawyer in a "commerce and industry" organisation.

In this situation, notifications will be sent to all of the above within your firm or organisation.

If you are subject to regulation 3 of the SRA Practising Regulations, you need to complete one of the following individual applications:

• renewal of practising certificate,
• renewal of registered foreign lawyer registration,
• renewal of registered European lawyer registration.

The above applications will be available online. For the latest information, visit www.sra.org.uk/mySRA.

If you are on a firm's renewal of practising certificate/registration and organisation recognition application and are subject to regulation 3 of the SRA Practising Regulations, the firm will be informed that you need to complete one of the above applications.

Please note that there is no longer a separate regulation 3 application. The relevant questions are now part of the above applications.

Since it is the SRA that has taken the decision to move the renewal date for individuals subject to regulation 3, you will not be deemed to be in breach of the Practising Regulations.

The deadline for submitting your renewal form has been extended into 2012.  For further updates please visit mySRA.

No. You cannot submit an incomplete application. You must enter all required information, including your professional indemnity insurance policy number.

A complete application must be submitted by the deadline. 

You need to update your details using mySRA. This will automatically update the firm's renewal application.

If you do not do this before the firm's application is submitted, you will need to complete one of the following applications:

• renewal of practising certificate,
• renewal of registered foreign lawyer registration,
• renewal of registered European lawyer registration.

The above applications will be available online; for the latest information, visit mySRA.

You need to complete and submit one of the following individual applications:

• renewal of practising certificate,
• renewal of registered foreign lawyer registration,
• renewal of registered European lawyer registration.

Forms will be available online; for the latest information, visit www.sra.org.uk/mySRA.

The fee has been set at £328 plus a £60 contribution to the compensation fund.

Read more about the 2011/12 fee policy

The cost of firm recognition is calculated on your turnover, based on your last complete (12-month) accounting period prior to 1 November 2011 (defined as England and Wales gross fees) and the number of regulated individuals in your firm. An online calculator is available to provide an indication of the total fees and contributions payable.

A flat compensation fund fee of £772 is payable if your firm holds client money.

Read more about the 2011/12 fee policy

An estimated flat fee of £60 is payable, irrespective of whether you hold client money. The exception to this is Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) solicitors, for whom there is a statutory exemption from this contribution.

Read more about the 2011/12 fee policy

Yes. There are reduced renewal fees for maternity leave.

The fee is reduced to £188 plus a £60 contribution to the compensation fund and is available if you

• are taking maternity leave at the time you apply for renewal, or
• started maternity leave on a date between 1 November 2010 and 31 October 2011.

Read more about the 2011/12 fee policy

You need to make payment by debit card or credit card if you are making one of the following applications:

• renewal of practising certificate,
• renewal of registered foreign lawyer registration,
• renewal of registered European lawyer registration.

If you are completing a firm's renewal of practising certificate/registration and organisation recognition application, you can pay by

• debit card or credit card,
• BACs,
• CHAPs,
• Telegraphic Transfer, or
• Exclusive Benefits.

Please note that we do not accept payment by cheque.

Turnover means a firm's total gross fees arising from work undertaken from offices in England and Wales.

• Gross fees includes: all professional fees of the firm including remuneration, retained commission, and income of any sort whatsoever of the firm (including notarial fees). Work in Progress (WIP) should be included.
• Gross fees does not include: interest, reimbursement of disbursements, VAT, renumeration from a non-private practice source, dividends, rents, and investment profit.

Full definition of turnover

Please email operations@sra.org.uk as soon as possible with the following information:

• firm ID
• firm name
• turnover figure we currently have
• the correct turnover figure
• dates to which the correct turnover figure applies
• an explanation for the correction

You must notify us of any correction to your firm's turnover figure before you submit the renewal application for your firm.

You must provide us with an estimate of turnover for the first 12 months of practice, irrespective of whether you complete your first 12 months of practice after 31 October 2011. Please explain how you made the estimate.

VAT Returns Box 6 could potentially be used as a reasonable proxy for estimation purposes and pro-rated (scaled up to a 12-month period).

The turnover figure you provide us with should be for the last complete 12-month accounting period prior to 1 November 2011.

If you are a new firm, you must provide us with an estimate for your first 12 months of practice.

You need to

• provide the turnover for the 12-month period immediately preceding the new accounting period end date prior to the 1 November 2011, or
• take the last closed accounts period prior to the 1 November 2011 and scale it appropriately (e.g. if the last closed accounting period was six months, it should be doubled; if the last closed accounting period was 15 months, it should be divided by 15 and multiplied by 12).

The turnover figure must be for a 12-month period.

Definition of closed accounts

You need to complete a notice of succession form (NS1) signed by all affected parties and send it to us within 28 days of the change, if

• your firm has succeeded to the whole or a part of one or more firms, or
• your firm has split or ceded part of its practice to another firm(s) and wishes this to be considered by us.

We will ensure the turnover figure on which the 2011 renewal fee is based reflects the impact of the merger or split.

A glossary of terms and further guidance can be found in our NS1 guidance notes.

NS1 form and guidance

Yes. An office manager can complete a firm's renewal form, but only if they are nominated as the firm's organisation contact.

If you are not already registered, you must register online with mySRA in order to be nominated. If you are not a solicitor nor a registered European lawyer you can create an account by selecting "register" via mySRA services.

You will not be eligible to complete the declaration. The declaration can only be completed by the authorised signatory or a solicitor or registered European lawyer who holds the post of partner or partner equivalent.

An authorised signatory is a nominated individual eligible to sign a firm's renewal of practising certificate/registration and organisation recognition application. This can be

• a solicitor or registered European lawyer (REL) who holds the post of partner or partner equivalent,
• a solicitor or REL in a "commerce and industry" organisation.

To add the role of authorised signatory you need to edit your professional details via mySRA and add a new role. The authorised signatory can nominate an organisation contact to complete the renewal application on behalf of your firm. There are no restrictions on who can act as an organisation contact. When you log in, the option to nominate an organisation contact can be found under "My Organisations".

If no authorised signatory or organisation contact is nominated, communications will be sent to all of the above within your firm.

An organisation contact is the person nominated by the authorised signatory to complete the renewal application on behalf of a firm.

There are no restrictions on who can be an organisation contact. However, anyone not already registered with mySRA must create an online account in order to be nominated. If you are not a solicitor nor a registered European lawyer you can create an account by selecting "register" via mySRA services.

If no authorised signatory or organisation contact is nominated, communications will be sent to all of the following within your firm or organisation:

• solicitors and registered European lawyers (RELs) who hold the post of partner or partner equivalent,
• solicitors and RELs in a "commerce and industry" organisation.

You will need to agree to the online declaration by ticking the relevant box.

Only the authorised signatory can do this for the firm renewal application. If an authorised signatory has not been nominated for your firm or organisation, one of the following can complete the declaration:

• a solicitor or registered European lawyer (REL) who holds the post of partner or partner equivalent,
• a solicitor or REL in a "commerce and industry" organisation.

You need to request a new activation key. To do this, go to mySRA, select mySRA services, then Activation letter lost?

A new activation letter will then be sent to your primary address within five working days. The activation code will remain valid for 28 days.

You need to request a new activation key. To do this, go to mySRA, select mySRA services, then Activation letter lost?

A new activation letter will then be sent to your primary address within five working days. The activation code will remain valid for 28 days.

Yes. When you access mySRA, please use a computer with a Windows or OSX (Mac) operating system, and please use one of the web browsers listed below:

• Internet Explorer 6, 7 or 8,
• Opera 11.01 or later,
• Safari 5 or later.