From January 2026 self-employed individuals and personal employees can now apply for an Enhanced or an Enhanced with Barred Lists check by themselves. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n The government defines a self-employed person as an individual who works for themselves rather than being employed by an organisation. An example of a self-employed person would be a private tutor who teaches students directly from their home. A personal employee is someone who has been employed directly by a private individual to deliver services to them or to a member of their family. For example, someone with a Personal Health Budget may employ an individual as a carer making that person a personal employee.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Self-employed individuals and personal employees can apply for their own checks via a DBS Umbrella Body<\/a>. However, if an organisation is contracting a self-employed person to carry out work which would be eligible for a higher level DBS check, said organisation can still apply for this check on the individual\u2019s behalf.\u00a0 How to apply for an Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred Lists DBS check will be explored later in the article.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any individual can apply for a Basic DBS check as there are no legislative or eligibility requirements in order to have one. Though Basic checks are the lowest level of check, they still provide important information into someone\u2019s criminal history as they show any conditional cautions and unspent convictions that an individual may have. For self-employed individuals and personal employees this can offer peace of mind for anyone thinking of recruiting them. <\/p>\n\n\n Applicants for a Basic check must be over the age of 16 and live and work, or intend to, in England or Wales. You can request a Basic check via the government website<\/a>. At the time of writing a Basic check costs \u00a321.50. To complete the check you will need to provide addresses for the last 5 years, a passport, driving licence and National Insurance number. Applications typically take up to 3 days to process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Standard DBS check shows any spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that an individual may have. If a Standard check is required this would typically need to be done on a self-employed or personal employee’s behalf by an eligible organisation. However, if the intended role involves direct contact with vulnerable groups, such as children or the elderly, an Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred Lists check is usually required.<\/strong> If this is the case then this can be applied for directly by the self-employed individual or personal employee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If a Standard check is sufficient, you can obtain one via the steps listed below or through a recruitment consultancy firm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To apply for an Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred Lists DBS check, self-employed individuals and personal employees should follow the steps below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Establish whether your role is eligible for an Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred Lists DBS check. As mentioned, getting a DBS check can offer prospective employers peace of mind however in most cases a Basic check will suffice. The government\u2019s <\/span>eligibility guidance<\/span><\/a> will help you identify whether you require a higher level DBS check.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n If an Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred Lists DBS check is required you will need to use a DBS Umbrella Body to process the check on your behalf. You can find a list of Umbrella Bodies on the government\u2019s <\/span>Umbrella Body page<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s important to note that an Umbrella Body may change additional fees on top of the cost of a DBS check.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n Your chosen Umbrella Body will guide you through the application process inline with DBS requirements. It can be advisable at this time to consider joining the <\/span>DBS Update Service<\/span><\/a> which enables applicants to keep their DBS certificate up-to-date. Once your application has been submitted and processed by the DBS a certificate will be sent in the post. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n Once you have received your certificate you can show this to individuals employing your services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Examples of roles that may require an Enhanced or Enhanced with Lists DBS check include:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n DBS checks do not have an official expiry date. <\/strong>This is because they check the information on file at that specific time. It can be common to hear that DBS checks expire after three years however there is no fixed renewal period<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As such, the government advises that individuals sign up to their DBS Update Service<\/a>. This service enables self-employed individuals and personal employees to keep their checks up-to-date. At the time of writing, the update service costs \u00a316 per year and lasts for one year. The update service also enables prospective employers to view this information when requested so that individuals who may occasionally work for organisations can easily share it when needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n DBS checks offer peace of mind to prospective clients and highlight an individual’s dedication to safeguarding. The new regulations have made it easier for self-employed individuals and personal employees to access higher level checks, thereby helping organisations and individuals feel more confident with their recruiting choices and enabling self-employed individuals to work in positions of trust. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you are self-employed and come into contact with children and vulnerable adults at work, you may require a DBS check. Find out how to apply here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":82665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[76,75],"class_list":["post-40486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safeguarding","tag-safeguarding-adults","tag-safeguarding-children"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n![\"Carer](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/dbs-self.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHow to Apply for a Basic DBS Check<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Someone](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/self-fbs.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHow to Apply for a Standard DBS Check<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHow to Get an Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred Lists DBS Check When Self-Employed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n Step 1
![\"drop](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/down53.png\")
\n <\/h3>\n \n Step 2
\n <\/h3>\n \n Step 3
\n <\/h3>\n \n Step 4
\n <\/h3>\n \n
![\"Tutor](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/dbs-self2.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHow Often Do I Need to Renew my DBS Check?\u00a0<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFurther Resources:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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