Another Year, Another Fee Rise
In April 2026, the Solicitors Regulation Authority confirmed a fresh round of SQE fee increases that will take effect from September 2026. The headline numbers: SQE1 rises by £72 to £2,006, SQE2 rises by £112 to £3,086, and the combined first-attempt cost climbs from £4,908 to £5,092 — an overall increase of 3.7%.
This is the fourth fee increase since the SQE launched in 2021. It follows a much larger 11% rise in July 2023 and smaller annual upticks since. The SRA frames this round as inflationary plus a small uplift to fund Welsh-language translation of the assessments. Whatever the framing, the practical effect on candidates is the same: the cost of qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales has just gone up again.
This post lays out exactly what is changing, when it applies, and the booking strategy that lets you pay the old rate if you act before the cut-off. If you are budgeting for the SQE in 2026 or 2027, reading this before you book could save you up to £184. The full cost picture is in our SQE cost breakdown 2026; this post is the focused update.
The Numbers, Side by Side
| Component | Current rate (until Sept 2026) | From September 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| SQE1 (full sitting — FLK1 + FLK2) | £1,934 | £2,006 | +£72 |
| SQE1 single paper (FLK1 or FLK2 alone) | £967 | £1,003 | +£36 |
| SQE2 | £2,974 | £3,086 | +£112 |
| Combined SQE1 + SQE2 | £4,908 | £5,092 | +£184 |
A few details worth highlighting.
The rise applies to bookings made from October 2026 onwards. If you book before the change takes effect, you pay the old rate even if you sit the assessment in 2027. The cut-off is the booking date, not the sitting date.
Resit fees rise too. A resit of a single FLK paper at £967 today becomes £1,003 from September 2026. Candidates resitting both papers pay £2,006 for the full sitting.
Welsh translation is part of the rationale. The SRA has stated that part of the uplift covers the cost of producing Welsh-language assessments. The bulk of the rise is inflation-linked.
What Triggered the 2026 Rise
The SRA's SQE Update April 2026 confirms three drivers behind the increase.
Inflation. The dominant factor. The SQE is delivered by Kaplan under contract to the SRA, and Kaplan's costs (test centre operations, Pearson VUE delivery, marker fees, item-development costs) rise with inflation. The SRA passes those costs through to candidates.
Welsh translation. A small additional uplift funds translating the assessments into Welsh, in line with the SRA's commitments under the Welsh Language Standards. This is a fixed cost spread across the whole candidate base.
Cohort growth. Although the SQE is now taking around 16,000 sittings per year, the marginal cost per candidate has not fallen at the rate originally projected. Test-centre capacity in popular regions remains constrained, and the SRA has had to expand provision rather than benefit from pure scale economies.
The SRA reviews the fee level annually. Although the 2026 rise is modest by historical standards (3.7% overall), the cumulative increase since 2021 is now substantial — and most candidates expect another inflationary uplift in 2027.
Who Is Affected and Who Is Not
The headline rule is straightforward: the fee you pay is the fee in force on the date you book, not the date you sit.
Affected:
- Anyone booking SQE1 or SQE2 from October 2026 onwards (because the September 2026 fee window applies to bookings from that point).
- Candidates resitting either paper from October 2026 onwards.
- Candidates who defer a booking to a sitting after September 2026 and re-book after that date.
Not affected:
- Candidates who book and pay the current rate before October 2026, even if their actual sitting is in January 2027 or later.
- Candidates who have already paid for a sitting that takes place before September 2026 (the July 2026 sitting and earlier).
- Candidates with reasonable adjustments who completed payment before the cut-off.
The Booking Strategy: How to Lock In the Old Rate
If you are sitting SQE1 in 2026 or planning SQE2 for early 2027, the booking calendar gives you a window to pay the current £1,934 / £2,974 rates rather than the new £2,006 / £3,086.
For SQE1 candidates
The next two sittings after this fee announcement are:
| Sitting | Booking window | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 SQE1 | 22 May – 28 May 2026 | £1,934 (current) |
| January 2027 SQE1 | TBA (typically Aug–Sept 2026) | Likely £2,006 if booked Oct 2026+ |
If you intend to sit January 2027, monitor the booking window carefully. If the SRA opens January 2027 booking before the September 2026 cut-off, you can pay the old rate. If it opens after, you pay the new rate.
The detailed sitting calendar is in our SQE1 exam dates and deadlines guide.
For SQE2 candidates
SQE2 sittings happen four times a year (January, April, July, October). The relevant booking windows for the next 12 months:
| Sitting | Approximate booking window | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 SQE2 | Likely August 2026 | £2,974 (current) if booked before October |
| January 2027 SQE2 | Likely October–November 2026 | Probably £3,086 (new) |
| April 2027 SQE2 | Likely January–February 2027 | £3,086 (new) |
If you have just passed SQE1 and are planning SQE2, booking the October 2026 sitting before the cut-off saves £112. The 8-week bridge plan in our linked guide is built around exactly this kind of timeline.
What to do today
- Identify the next sitting that fits your preparation timeline.
- Check the booking-window dates on the SRA assessment dates page.
- If a booking window opens before October 2026, plan to book in the first half of that window — popular test centres fill quickly.
- Pay within the 48-hour window the SRA gives you after sending the payment email; missing this voids your seat.
What the Total Cost of Qualifying Now Looks Like
A combined first-attempt SQE journey at the new fees breaks down as follows.
| Cost | Range |
|---|---|
| SQE1 (full sitting) | £2,006 |
| SQE2 | £3,086 |
| Optional prep course (provider) | £2,000–£12,000 |
| Self-study materials and question banks | £150–£600 |
| Living costs during full-time prep | varies widely |
| Travel and accommodation for assessments | £100–£500 |
| Realistic total (self-study) | £5,400–£6,200 |
| Realistic total (with mid-tier provider course) | £8,000–£11,000 |
| Realistic total (with premium provider course) | £15,000–£18,000 |
The full breakdown — including how to qualify on a budget without a provider course — is in our SQE cost breakdown 2026. The takeaway worth flagging here: the assessment fees themselves (£5,092 from September) are now a meaningful but not dominant portion of the total cost. The largest variable is whether you take a provider course.
How the SQE Compares to the Old LPC Route
For context, a candidate qualifying via the historic LPC route paid roughly £14,000–£17,000 for the LPC alone, plus a 2-year training contract. The SQE was introduced in 2021 in part to reduce barriers to entry, and the assessment fees themselves remain materially below the LPC course fees.
The cost story is, however, more nuanced than the headline. Candidates who pay for a comprehensive SQE1 prep course and a comprehensive SQE2 prep course can easily exceed the cost of an LPC. Candidates who self-study with a structured platform like ours pay far less — but need the discipline to make self-study work.
We compare the routes head-to-head in SQE1 vs LPC route comparison 2026.
Knock-On Effects to Watch
The September 2026 rise has a few second-order implications worth flagging.
Provider courses may raise their prices in lockstep. Historical data suggests prep providers tend to nudge their own course fees in line with SRA fee rises, citing the same inflationary pressures. If you are weighing a provider course, locking in the current price before September is sensible.
Resits become a sharper financial penalty. A failed FLK paper now costs £1,003 to resit, up from £967. For candidates sitting close to the pass mark, the cost of an extra attempt has grown — which raises the value of getting more practice in before booking. Our 4-week last-minute revision plan and 6-month study plan both work toward exactly this — fewer expensive resits.
Funding needs scaling. Candidates funded by a sponsoring firm should confirm with their employer that the firm's allocated budget covers the new rates. A six-month-old budget approval may have been benchmarked to the old fees.
International candidates pay the same fee. The SQE is administered globally through Pearson VUE, but the fee structure is uniform. Candidates sitting in international test centres do not pay an additional surcharge for the assessment itself.
What the Increase Does Not Change
A few things worth saying to manage expectations.
The exam content is the same. No new subjects, no removed subjects, no shift in question style. The September 2026 fee rise is purely financial.
The pass mark is the same. A scaled score of 300 out of 500, derived using the same Angoff-style methodology. Our SQE1 scaled score and quintile guide explains how this works in detail.
The format is the same. 180 single-best-answer questions per FLK paper, two papers for SQE1, oral and written tasks for SQE2.
The candidate support remains the same. Reasonable adjustments, candidate booking support, and assessment delivery channels do not change as a result of the fee uplift.
What to Tell Your Sponsoring Firm or Funding Source
If your firm is paying for the SQE on your behalf — whether that is a training contract sponsor, a graduate-employer programme, or an apprenticeship arrangement — three things are worth communicating proactively.
The new combined cost is £5,092 from September 2026. Budgets agreed before this announcement may need adjusting upward by £184 per candidate.
Resits cost more too. If your firm covers resit fees as well, the budget increment is larger — typically £36 per FLK resit and £112 per SQE2 resit.
Booking before October 2026 saves money. If your firm has flexibility on when to book, an early booking before the cut-off pays the current rate even for sittings that take place after September.
For solicitor apprentices, the SQE fees are typically funded through the apprenticeship levy and employer contributions; the rise should not affect apprentices directly but does affect the employer-side budget.
Where to Go From Here
The 2026 fee increase is small in absolute terms but cumulative over time. For most candidates, the practical step is the same: plan your sitting, book before the cut-off if possible, and use disciplined preparation to avoid resits.
- Confirm the latest fees: SRA SQE costs page
- Take a free baseline mock: SQE1 quick quiz
- Subscription plans for full prep: pricing
- Full cost picture: SQE cost breakdown 2026
- Booking calendar: SQE1 exam dates and deadlines
- The 6-month plan that minimises resit risk: 6-month SQE1 study plan
- Comparing your options: SQE1 vs LPC route comparison
- For just-passed SQE1 candidates: Passed SQE1, now what?
The fee rise is fixed. The decision in front of you is whether you book inside or outside the current pricing window. Plan accordingly.