Reconciling payments
Published on: 11th March 2021 | Updated on: 8th October 2025
Community Pharmacy England encourages all pharmacy owners to regularly check their NHS payment details. Comparing what you’ve claimed with what’s been reimbursed by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) can help you spot any errors early and take action if needed.
To make this easier, we’ve pulled together a range of resources to support you with payment monitoring—available on our dedicated webpage.
Prescription Item Report and the ISP
Pharmacy owners can download a Prescription Item Report (PIR) each month via the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) Information Services Portal (ISP). These reports can help you to:
- reconcile your payments;
- spot any discrepancies; and
- request any prescription rechecks, if required.
The Prescription Item Report for your records each month.
Some specialist IT suppliers use these Prescription Item Report spreadsheet files to assist you with more advanced reconciliation.
Read more:
- See our page on: The PIR and the Information Services Portal (ISP)
- Step-by-step guide to getting Prescription Item Reports.
Electronic Schedule of Payment
Each month, you can download your Schedule of Payments to get a clear summary of what the NHS has reimbursed for the medicines and appliances you’ve dispensed, plus any fees paid for additional NHS services.
Having this report makes it much easier to reconcile your payments, spot any issues, and analyse your dispensing data.
Find out how to download your electronic Schedules of Payment each month.
Reconciling EPS totals
Check that the monthly total figures you submit, match up with what the NHSBSA receive and price. Visit cpe.org.uk/epstotals for a step-by-step process of how to do this for EPS.
Related top tips:
- The Manage Your Service (MYS) portal has features that can assist your submission such as automated checking that the inputted number of EPS forms is smaller than the inputted number of EPS items.
- Save your submission confirmation email received from MYS for your records and for use when reconciling payments.
- Check that Serious Shortage Protocol (SSP) total item numbers claimed aligns with what you were subsequently reimbursed for.
Reconciling services
Top tips to reconcile your service provision with reimbursement:
- Check that service delivery performed is being fully communicated to the NHSBSA, including where your CPCF IT services system supplier automatically transmits data using MYS APIs. If there are issues with the CPCF IT services totals not matching what appears in MYS, then in the first instance raise a query your system supplier to ask them to investigate the discrepancy in the totals. Our IT escalation route guidance explains how to escalate issues if the issue is not resolved by your system supplier.
- Save your submission confirmation email received from MYS for your records and for use when reconciling payments.
- Check that the monthly total figures you submit, match up with what the NHSBSA receive and price. Read our Reconciling service submission totals factsheet which applies to Advanced services, such as Pharmacy First.
Claim acknowledgements
IT system suppliers can choose to develop claim acknowledgement features for EPS and CPCF IT services. These features confirm within your IT system those claims which were submitted and received by the NHS. Ask your system supplier whether this functionality is available.
Other reconciling resources
Refer to these dispensing factsheets for assistance with reconciling related elements:
For more information on this topic please email it@cpe.org.uk
