DBF Fees Returns and Payments
Parishes paying by BACS and cheque should remit their monthly forms by email to fees@chester.anglican.org before making payment to the DBF.
Parishes who pay by DD should remit their monthly forms by email to fees@chester.anglican.org by the 10th of the following month for which the form is being remitted (e.g the December form should be with us by 10 January, etc.) at the very latest for collection that month. Forms received after this time will automatically be rolled forward for collection the following month.
Following the change brought in affecting the statutory fee for such services in 2020, please note that the DBF has currently and voluntarily awarded parishes a grant of £30 per crematorium only funeral service from the DBF's full statutory fee, for services held after 1 April 2020. Fees forms since 2021 automatically reduce the total statutory fees due to the DBF, by the amount of any voluntary grants to PCC's in resepct of administering crematorium only funeral service fees, giving an actual-net amount due to the DBF for payment). This grant amount is subject to change and the DBF reserves the right to withdraw this grant in the future.
The 2023 and 2024 fees remittance forms are available in the Forms section of the website (link towards the bottom of this page). This is for PCC use and incorporates both licenced serving clergy and lay reader fees, and retired clergy/clergy holding PTO fees when these are administered through a parish and details the full statutory DBF fees due, less any voluntary DBF grants to PCC's in respect of Crematorium only funeral services, giving a total net/actual amount due to the DBF. Please use the relevant forms for the period in which the services were held, as these are the statutory fees payable at that time.
Retired clergy who take services where there has been no parish involvement, should remit the appropriate fee/s (amounts as detailed on pages 3-6 of the current fees form) directly to the DBF with a note indicating what the payment was for - they do not need to complete and submit a fees form.
If you have any queries regarding fees, please contact Maxine Southwick (by email at maxine.southwick@chester.anglican.org or by telephone on 01928 643440)
DBF Fees Direct Debit Payments
Please email your monthly fees returns forms to fees@chester.anglican.org rather than to the inbox of an individual team member.
We have a monthly Direct Debit (DD) run for collecting fees, separate to that in place for collecting the parish share. Allowing us to collect fees by DD is quick, easy and should save those in charge of church finances time, as we are able to adjust the amounts here on receipt of the monthly fees returns form.
Should you wish to have fees collected this way, we ask that you remit the monthly form no later than the 10th of the following month for which you are completing your form, so January’s form should be with us by 10th February, and so on. Funds will be collected from PCC accounts around the end of the month. Fees forms recieved after the deadline of the 10th of the month will be carried forward for collection the following month.
If the PCC don’t presently pay anything to Chester DBF by DD, or if the fees are to be collected from a different bank account to the parish share, you will need to complete a new bank mandate authorising and allowing us to collect your fees. Please let us know if you need a mandate and we can email one to you for completion.
If you have any questions regarding this or would like to be added to the DD scheme, please contact the finance team either email or by telephone.
Further information relating to the collection of Parochial and Diocesan Fees (fees payable for Weddings and Funerals), as well as infomation relating to the payment of fees to retired/PTO Clergy taking a Sunday Service or Session of Visiting can be found using the links below.