Reminder: Submit your FP34C declaration and prescription bundles on time
Community Pharmacy England would like to remind pharmacy owners of the requirement to submit their FP34C declaration using the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal and to dispatch any prescription bundles to the relevant pricing division at the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) no later than the 5th day of the month following that in which supply was made (or by the 6th if a bank holiday occurs during the first five days of the month).
Those who submit their FP34C declaration late will NOT receive their advance payments early but will instead receive their payments in accordance with the normal advance payment timetable i.e. on or around the 1st of the month following submission. The NHSBSA may also apply an administrative charge deduction of £25 to pharmacies that submit their prescription bundles late. Data shared by the NHSBSA with Community Pharmacy England shows that in the last six months (November 2024 to April 2025), an average of 50 pharmacies submitted their end-of-month bundles late each month.
Before any late bundle charges are applied, the NHSBSA will contact the pharmacy owner requesting evidence that both the FP34C claim form submitted and the prescription bundle were dispatched by the 5th of the month. Proof of postage by the 5th (or 6th for bank holidays) of the following month using a secure track and trace method and/or delivery confirmation can be used as evidence alongside proof of any FP34C submissions made through MYS, which is usually sent by email. Where evidence is submitted and approved, no administrative deduction will be made. If no evidence is provided within the required time, then NHSBSA will deduct the £25 administrative fee from the next Schedule of Payments.
Pharmacy owners who receive the administrative deduction are able to appeal NHSBSA’s decision to deduct the administrative charge by submitting evidence alongside an appropriate claim form available on NHSBSA’s website. The pharmacy owner will need to submit the evidence and the form no later than one month after the month in which the administrative deduction was made. The claim form, along with required evidence, must be submitted via email to prescriptionappeal@nhsbsa.nhs.uk or alternatively the form can be posted to the NHS Business Services Authority, Bridge House, 152 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 6SN. If the challenge is successful, the NHSBSA will apply a full refund to the next payment.
Community Pharmacy England’s briefing titled ‘Administrative charges for late submission of prescription forms‘ provides guidance for pharmacy teams on correct end of month submission processes and information regarding how this £25 deduction for late submissions is administered by the NHSBSA. We’ve recently updated our webpages on Sorting prescriptions and FP34C submission process if you require further information on these topics.
