This chapter applies to every person that is in activity group CC1 (Credit-related regulated activities with limited permission) or CC2 (Credit-related regulated activities).
FEES 13 Illegal money lending levy
FEES 13.1 Application and purpose
Application
Purpose
The purpose of this chapter is to set out the requirements on the persons listed in FEES 13.1.1R to pay the annual IML levy to fund the costs of taking action against illegal money lending.
Section 333S of the Act (Financial assistance for action against illegal money lending) provides that the Treasury may make grants or loans, or give other forms of financial assistance, to persons for the purpose of taking action against illegal money lending.
Section 333T of the Act (Funding of action against illegal money lending) requires the Treasury to notify the FCA of the amount of the Treasury’s illegal money lending costs. The FCA must make rules requiring authorised persons, or any specified class of authorised person, to pay to the FCA the specified amounts or amounts calculated in a specified way, with a view to recovering the amounts notified to it by the Treasury.
FEES 13 sets out the rules referred to in FEES 13.1.4G.
This chapter sets out the method by which the IML levy will be calculated. Details of the actual levy payable will vary from year to year, depending on the amount of funding provided by the Treasury for the purpose of combatting illegal money lending. These details are set out in FEES 13 Annex 1R. New details will be prepared and consulted on for each financial year.
Gibraltar-based firms
In accordance with GEN 2.3 (General saving of the Handbook for Gibraltar), rules or guidance in FEES 13 that immediately before IP completion day applied in relation to or in connection with Gibraltar will continue to apply after IP completion day. The exceptions to this provision are the fee rates set out in FEES 13 Annex 1R, which may change each fee year.
FEES 13.2 The IML levy
Obligation to pay the IML levy
Schedule 6A to the Act sets out a procedure to enable the FCA to cancel or vary the Part 4A permission of a person who it appears to the FCA is not carrying on a regulated activity. Paragraph 5 of that schedule sets out a procedure for annulment of cancellation or variation of Part 4A permission in specified circumstances. Where the FCA grants an application for annulment, paragraph 6 of Schedule 6A sets out its effect. In particular, the cancellation or variation of Part 4A permission is treated as if it had never taken place. As a result of the effect of annulment under Schedule 6A, the IML levy in relation to the period during which the person’s Part 4A permission was cancelled or varied applies to the person.
Where the FCA grants a person’s application for annulment of a cancellation or variation of Part 4A permission under Schedule 6A to the Act and the person falls within FEES 13.2.1R and the annulment takes effect after 1 August or after the invoice referred to in FEES 13.2.1R(1) has been issued, then that date for payment does not apply, but the person must pay the IML levy applicable to it in full and without deduction, on the date on which the annulment takes effect.
Calculation of the IML levy
The IML levy is calculated as follows:
- (1)
identify whether activity group CC1 or CC2 applies to the business of the firm for the relevant period (for this purpose, the activity groups are defined in accordance with Part 1 of FEES 4 Annex 1AR);
- (2)
for each of those activity groups, calculate the amount payable in the way set out in FEES 13.2.4R;
- (3)
add the amounts calculated under (2);
- (4)
work out whether a minimum fee is payable under Part 2 of FEES 7 Annex 1R and if so how much;
- (5)
add together the amounts calculated under (3) and (4);
- (6)
modify the result as indicated by the tables in FEES 4.2.7ER (Modifications for persons becoming subject to periodic fees during the course of a fee year), FEES 4.2.7FR (Calculating the fee in the firm’s first year of authorisation), FEES 4.2.7GR (Calculating fees in the second fee-year where the firm received permission between 1 January and 31 March in its first fee-year) and FEES 4.2.7HR to FEES 4.2.7KR (Calculating all other fees in the second and subsequent years of authorisation where a full year of tariff data is not available) (if applicable);
- (7)
apply any applicable payment charge specified in FEES 4.2.4R (Method of payment) to the amount in (6), provided that:
- (8)
make the calculation using information obtained in accordance with FEES 4.4 (Information on which fees are calculated).
The amount payable by a firm with respect to a particular activity group is calculated as follows:
- (1)
for a firm in activity group CC1, a £5 flat rate is the amount payable by the firm with respect to that activity group;
- (2)
for a firm in activity group CC2:
- (a)
up to and including £250,000 consumer credit income: £10 is the amount payable by the firm with respect to that activity group; and
- (b)
over £250,000 consumer credit income: £10 + £0.202 per £ thousand or part £ thousand of consumer credit income; and
- (a)
- (3)
a firm in activity group CC2 must calculate its tariff base using the annual income calculation in Part 3 of FEES 4 Annex1AR and FEES 4 Annex 11BR and the valuation date requirements in Part 5 of FEES 4 Annex 1AR.
For the purposes of FEES 13.2.4R:
- (1)
a firm in activity group CC2 may apply the relevant tariff bases and rates to its non-UK business, as well as to its UK business, if:
- (a)
it has reasonable grounds for believing that the costs of identifying the firm’s UK business separately from its non-UK business in the way described in FEES 4 Annex 11BR are disproportionate to the difference in fees payable; and
- (b)
it notifies the FCA in writing at the same time as it provides the information concerned under FEES 4.4 (Information on which fees are calculated), or if earlier, at the time it pays the fees concerned; and
- (a)
- (2)
for a firm which has not complied with FEES 4.4.2R (Information on which fees are calculated) for this period, the IML levy is calculated using (where relevant) the valuation or valuations of business applicable to the previous period multiplied by the factor of 1.10.
FEES 4 rules incorporated into FEES 13 by cross-reference
The Handbook provisions relating to the IML levy are meant to follow closely the provisions relating to the payment of the periodic fees in FEES 4.3.1R. In the interests of brevity, not all of these provisions are set out again in FEES 13. In some cases, certain FEES 4 rules are applied to the payment of the IML levy by individual rules in FEES 13. The rest are set out in the table in FEES 13.2.9R.
The rules set out in the table in FEES 13.2.9R and any other rules in FEES 4 included in FEES 13 by cross-reference apply to the IML levy in the same way as they apply to periodic fees payable under FEES 4.3.1R.
Table of rules in FEES 4 that also apply to FEES 13 to the extent that in FEES 4 they apply to fees payable to the FCA.
| FEES 4 rules incorporated into FEES 13 | Description |
|---|---|
| FEES 4.2.4R | Method of payment |
| FEES 4.2.10R | Extension of time |
| FEES 4.2.11R (first entry only) | Due date and changes in permission for periodic fees |
| FEES 4.3.7R | Group of firms |
| FEES 4.3.13R | Firms applying to cancel or vary permission before start of period |
| FEES 4.3.17R | Firms acquiring businesses from other firms |
| FEES 4.4.1R to FEES 4.4.6AR | Information on which fees are calculated |
Table of FEES 4 rules that correspond to FEES 13 rules
| FEES 4 rules | Corresponding FEES 7 rules |
|---|---|
| FEES 4.2.1R | FEES 13.2.1R |
| FEES 4.3.1R | FEES 13.2.3R |
| FEES 4.3.3R | FEES 13.2.3R |
| FEES 4.3.3AR | FEES 13.2.3R |
| FEES 4.3.12R | FEES 13.2.6R |
| FEES 4.3.12AR | FEES 13.2.6R |
FEES 13 Annex 1 Illegal money lending (IML) levy for 2025/26
| Limited permission (fee-block CC1): | £5 flat rate | |
| Full authorisation (fee-block CC2): | Up to £250,000 consumer credit income: | £10 |
| Over £250,000 consumer credit income: | £10 + 0.253 per £1,000 | |
