Please only use the DBF's official returns forms for remitting fees. Statutory fees rates usually change on an annual basis and forms should only be used to remit the fees for the occasional services held in the year detailed on the form. Please do not use old forms. Please also read the information, and see the video, further down the page regarding how to use the forms.
2025 Diocesan Fees Form - This form should be used for remitting fees for occasional services held on or after 1 January 2025. These detail the fees legally due to the DBF and as such, please do not use old versions of the forms for remitting fees for service held from this date onwards as the statutory fees rates will be incorrect.
Please note: From 1 January 2025 there will no longer be a grant deduction to PCCs in respect of crematorium only service fees. The grant was brought in by the DBF in 2020, following a change made by the Archbishops Council to the structure of Crematorium only service fees. Prior to 2020 part of the total statutory fee had belonged to the parish, but following the structural change, the whole statutory fee then belonged to the DBF. At the time, the DBF therefore decided to award part of this fee back to parishes by way of a voluntary grant for dealing with the administration of the fees for such services. In 2024, the Archbishops Council decided to change the fee structure back, similar to that in 2019. From 1 January 2025, the PCC will receive a part of the statutory fee (£35) which reduces the statutory amount the DBF will receive going forward (£199 in 2025, down from £228 in 2024). Additionally, this change means that Clergy holding the Bishops PTO will now receive the same percentage of the fee for Crematorium only funeral services as they do for other occasional services they take. Please see the 2025 Fees Forms and the 2025 Table of Parochial Fees for the actual amounts.
2024 Diocesan Fees Form - The 2024 Diocesan Fees Form is for use when remitting fees for occasional services held on or after 1 January 2024 and up until and including 31 December 2024.
To use any of the forms (above or below), please initially save them to you computer (right click and click 'Save link as..."). Please then close the form and reopen it from the location you saved it to on your computer using "open with" (right-hand mouse button). Then open the file using Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free to download. Do not open the form and try to complete it using your internet browser as it will not work properly. Please also refer to the video and further details at the bottom of this page.
Fees payments and forms should be remitted to the DBF on a monthly basis by the PCC. 'Nil' returns forms should be submitted when there are no fees received during the month and again should be sent in by email.
To help us, we would be grateful if you could please name the completed forms with the parish number, parish name, month and year numbers, e.g. 1234 Test Parish 0125, before forwarding to us. Please then email the completed full form in PDF format to fees@chester.anglican.org
The forms should be completed electronically and upon detailing the number of services, the forms will automatically complete the amounts due in respect of both serving and retired clergy fees onto the front summary sheets, giving the actual amounts payable to the DBF.
If you have any queries regarding fees matters or need guidance on how to use the forms, please contact Maxine Southwick directly on 01928 643440 or by email at maxine.southwick@chester.anglican.org
The 2023 monthly Fees forms are still available to download below. Please ensure you use the correct form, based on the period the services were held, for which you are remitting the DBF's statutory fees due. This is because the statutory fees due to the DBF changed during the year and the fees legally due are those that were in place at the time the occasional service was held.
2023 Fees Form (Services from 1 March 2023 to 31 December 2023)
2023 Fees form (Services from 1 January 2023 to 28 February 2023)
For any parishes who discover they have any outstanding fees that have been missed and are owing for previous years, please contact Maxine Southwick for copies of the relevant forms.
Fees can be collected by monthly direct debit (forms must be remitted by the 10th of the following month for which you are completing your form at the latest, and will be collected on or around the 20th of the month), sent by electronic bank transfer or paid by cheque.
Using the new Fees Form
Fees in respect of occasional services undertaken by serving licenced Clergy & Readers (form 1) and Retired/Clergy holding the Bishop's PTO (forms 2a to 2d) are contained within one usable pdf document. The document can be downloaded using the links above. When inserting the number of services held onto the relevant fees forms, the pages automatically complete the amounts due in respect of these. The totals from each page then transfer onto the front summary sheet, showing the actual amount payable to the DBF for the month.
The statuory fees due to the DBF are those applicable during the period when service is held. Please ensure you use the correct form - do not use old versions of the forms as the statutory fees rates will be incorrect. For audit purposes the DBF need one copy of the fees returns document completing every month. ‘Nil’ returns should be sent if there are no fees received during the month. Completed forms should be emailed to fees@chester.anglican.org
If you have any questions regarding fees or the fees forms? Please contact Maxine Southwick directly by email at maxine.southwick@chester.anglican.org or by telephone on 01928 643440