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Prescription rights and online medicine savings
The final CMA Order caps written-prescription fees at £21 for the first medicine prescribed in a consultation and £12.50 for each additional medicine in that consultation, inclusive of VAT. This is a prescription-document fee cap, not a cap on the medicine, dispensing fee or consultation, and the cap starts in phases in 2027.
What this means
- Prescription fees should be tracked separately from procedure prices.
- Our prescription-fee comparison links to published practice charges and their source dates.
- Owners should ask their practice about written prescription fees and whether medicine can be purchased elsewhere.
Status at the source check
Order made; current charges are not yet universally subject to the cap because the compliance dates are phased by business size.
Remedy-specific timing
| Milestone | Timing | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Substantive Order | 22 September 2026 | Published |
| Fee cap: larger businesses | March 2027 | Scheduled |
| Fee cap: smaller businesses | September 2027 | Scheduled |
Useful next steps for pet owners
Ask separately for the written-prescription fee, medicine price, dispensing charge and any review consultation charge.
They are not one price and the future cap does not cover all of them.
Ask whether a written prescription can be supplied and what information an external retailer needs.
It supports an informed purchase comparison without assuming availability.
Discuss medicine choice, dosage and treatment changes with the prescribing veterinary professional.
This page does not give medicine-substitution or dosing advice.
Do not substitute, stop or obtain a medicine based on a price comparison alone. Check the applicable business-size deadline before judging compliance.
Timing
The prescription-fee cap starts in March 2027 for larger businesses and September 2027 for smaller businesses. The caps are inclusive of VAT, apply across the UK and will be adjusted annually using CPI.
This page was reviewed on 26 September 2026 by CompareVetPricing editorial team. The Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026 was made on 22 September 2026. It makes the remedies legally binding for the businesses to which they apply, with compliance dates phased by remedy and business size. The separate Funding Order has already been published.