Ofcom closes initial online safety fees notification window

Ofcom has closed the notification window for the initial 2026/27 charging year under the UK’s online safety fees regime, marking an important administrative step in implementing the Online Safety Act. Providers expected to submit a Qualifying Worldwide Revenue return for the first charging year, but who have not yet done so have been asked to contact the regulator as soon as possible.

Under the Online Safety Act 2023, Ofcom’s costs of regulating online safety are to be recovered through fees charged to certain providers of regulated services. Those duties apply to providers whose Qualifying Worldwide Revenue for the relevant period meets or exceeds the threshold set by the Secretary of State, unless they qualify for an exemption.

For the initial 2026/27 charging year, the relevant qualifying period is the 2024 calendar year. The proposed Qualifying Worldwide Revenue threshold is £250 million, while providers are exempt from fee-related duties if their UK referable revenue for that period is below £10 million.

Ofcom says the fees regime is designed to recover its online safety regulatory costs, without exceeding them. The regulator will calculate fees using a single percentage approach based on the total amount to be recovered and the combined revenue base of providers that are liable to pay.

For planning purposes, Ofcom has indicated an annual tariff in the region of 0.02% to 0.03%. However, the final tariff for 2026/27 can only be confirmed once submitted revenue notifications have been assessed. Invoices for the first charging year are expected to be issued by September 2026.

The closure of the notification window is not, in itself, a major policy shift. Its significance lies in showing that the UK’s online safety regime is moving further into its operational phase, where compliance no longer concerns only safety duties and codes, but also the financial architecture needed to support long-term enforcement.

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