Information about the fees and regulations relating to Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals, Monuments and Register Searches can be found on the fees page of the Church of England’s website.
The table of statutory fees is revised each year and a copy should be displayed in the church. (The tables are no longer sent to clergy by the Church Commissioners. If you cannot print a copy please contact your Area Finance Adviser).
There are usually two parts to a fee; one for the PCC and one for the Diocese. The PCC treasurer should collect the whole fee and then make a return each quarter to the Diocese for any fees due.
A quarterly return form is available to download from the bottom of this page, in both Word and Excel formats.
The Church of England website includes a booklet of Frequently Asked Questions (pdf).
If you have other queries, e.g. which clergy in the London Diocese may receive fees, please contact your Area Finance Adviser.
Funeral fees for services held in crematoria
At the Diocesan Synod meeting in December 2020, it was agreed that PCCs could retain a portion of the fee due in respect of a service at a crematorium or a service at a cemetery when there is no accompanying service in church.
The current fee for these services is £228 and this is shown in the Church of England fee table as being payable entirely to the Diocesan Board of Finance. The decision of the Diocesan Synod means that a PCC within the Diocese of London can now retain £36 of this fee as a PCC fee with the remaining £192 being remitted to the London Diocesan Fund on a quarterly basis as usual.
When one of these services is taken by a retired cleric, they are entitled to 2/3 of the Diocesan fee element. This will be based on the fee of £192 – i.e. the cleric should be paid £128 of the fee with the remaining £64 being remitted to the LDF.