The new vet price rules: what changes and when
By Richard Barker, editor. Last checked 16 October 2026.
In March 2026 the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) finished its investigation into vet services for pets. On 22 September 2026 it made a legal order that every vet business in the UK must follow. Most of the changes start between December 2026 and September 2027.
The dates depend on the size of the business. Large businesses have 15 or more first-opinion practices or out-of-hours centres, which covers the big groups. Everyone else counts as a small business.
When each change starts
Standard price lists
Each practice publishes prices for up to 36 standard items, using the CMA's names, for cats and five sizes of dog. The list must be one click from the practice's home page.
- Large businesses
- 23 December 2026
- Small businesses
- 23 March 2027
Cremation options set out equally
Communal and individual cremation, a separate crematorium and home burial must be shown with equal prominence, with prices in writing.
- Large businesses
- 23 December 2026
- Small businesses
- 23 March 2027
Who owns the practice
Practices in a group must show the group's name at least as prominently as their own, on their website, signs and search listings.
- Large businesses
- 23 March 2027
- Small businesses
- 23 March 2027
Prescription fees capped
A written prescription costs no more than £21.40 for the first medicine and £12.70 for each extra medicine at the same time, including VAT.
- Large businesses
- 23 March 2027
- Small businesses
- 23 September 2027
Written estimates and itemised bills
Written estimates for treatment likely to cost £500 or more, and bills that list each item.
- Large businesses
- 23 June 2027
- Small businesses
- 23 September 2027
Prices on the RCVS Find a Vet website
Practices send their information to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to publish. This starts three months after the RCVS is ready, and not before 22 September 2027.
- Large businesses
- Late 2027 at the earliest
- Small businesses
- Late 2027 at the earliest
The order says each requirement applies from the next working day after the date it gives, so a rule dated 22 December 2026 applies from 23 December 2026.
What the standard price list means for you
Every practice must publish prices for the items it offers from a fixed list of 36, using the same names:
- consultations, nurse appointments and vaccinations;
- prescription, dispensing and injection fees;
- neutering, a routine dental and therapy sessions;
- X-rays, scans and common tests;
- euthanasia and cremation.
Prices must include VAT and be shown separately for cats and for five sizes of dog. For operations, the practice must tick what the price includes, such as the anaesthetic and pain relief afterwards. The list must be no more than one click from the practice's home page, and it must be updated before a new price is charged.
This is what makes a fair comparison possible for the first time, and it is what this site is built on. How we collect and check prices.
Your rights on prescriptions
You can already ask your vet for a written prescription and buy the medicine elsewhere. Once the cap applies, that prescription costs no more than £21.40 for the first medicine and £12.70 for each extra one prescribed at the same time. Prescription fees and buying medicines online.
What happens if a practice doesn't comply
The CMA enforces the order, and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has agreed to help monitor it. We will note on each practice page whether its price list follows the rules we can check, such as using the standard names, and say plainly what we could not check.
Sources
- Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026, Competition and Markets Authority, 22 September 2026.
- Schedule 1: Price list schedule, Competition and Markets Authority, 22 September 2026.
- Small veterinary businesses: complying with the CMA's order, Competition and Markets Authority, September 2026.
- Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Undertakings 2026, Competition and Markets Authority, 22 September 2026.
- Veterinary services for household pets: summary of final report, Competition and Markets Authority, 24 March 2026.
CMA documents are Crown copyright and used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.