Full details of the fees payable under the Insurance Laws (and other legislation administered by the Commission) appear in the Financial Services Commission (Fees) Regulations, 2022, Protected Cell Companies and Incorporated Cell Companies (Fees for Insurers) Regulations, 2022 and Protected Cell Companies and Incorporated Cell Companies (Fees payable to the Guernsey Financial Services Commission) (Amendment) Regulations, 2022, but for ease of reference a summary is shown in the table below.
Regulatory Fees with effect from 1 January 2023
APPLICATION FEES
| Type | Sub-type | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance Manager1 | £6,180 | |
| Insurers |
Life Insurer / Reinsurer (Category 1 / 2) |
£6,640 |
|
Commercial Insurer / Reinsurer (Category 3 / 4) |
£9,960 |
|
|
Captive Insurer / Reinsurer (Category 5) |
£6,640 |
|
|
Category 6 |
£6,640 |
|
| Protected Cell Company (PCC) Core |
Not writing insurance business |
£6,640 |
|
Life (Category 1 / 2) |
£6,640 |
|
|
Commercial insurance / reinsurance business (Category 3 / 4) |
£9,960 |
|
|
Captive insurance / reinsurance business (Category 5) |
£6,640 |
|
|
Category 6 |
£6,640 |
|
| Incorporated Cell Company (ICC) Core |
Not writing insurance business |
£6,640 |
|
Life (Category 1 / 2) |
£6,640 |
|
|
Commercial insurance / reinsurance business (Category 3 / 4) |
£9,960 |
|
|
Captive insurance / reinsurance business (Category 5) |
£6,640 |
|
|
Category 6 |
£6,640 |
|
| Cell of a PCC |
Life (Category 1 / 2) |
£2,170 |
|
Commercial insurance / reinsurance business (Category 3 / 4) |
£3,255 |
|
|
Captive insurance / reinsurance business (Category 5) |
£2,170 |
|
|
Category 6 - not SPI* |
£2,170 |
|
|
Category 6 - SPI* |
£1,000 |
|
| Cell of an ICC |
Life (Category 1 / 2) |
£2,170 |
|
Commercial insurance / reinsurance business (Category 3 / 4) |
£3,255 |
|
|
Captive insurance / reinsurance business (Category 5) |
£2,170 |
|
|
Category 6 - not SPI* |
£2,170 |
|
|
Category 6 - SPI* |
£1,000 |
|
| Domestic Insurer | £3,740 | |
| Mutual, Friendly, or Provident Society | £3,740 | |
| Intermediary - base fee |
£6,225 |
|
| Additional Category of Intermediary Licence |
General - Personal Lines |
£220 |
|
General - Commercial |
£430 |
|
|
Long Term - Life |
£430 |
|
|
Long Term - Regular Premium |
£660 |
|
|
Long Term - Single Premium (Insurance Element)2 |
£2,135 |
|
*SPI - Special Purpose Insurer as defined under The Insurance Business Rules 2021
ANNUAL FEES
| Type | Sub-type | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance Manager |
Dependent on the nature of the companies under management |
|
|
Pure3 |
£5,865 |
|
|
Commercial |
£9,820 |
|
|
Society of Lloyd's4 |
£3,400 |
|
| Insurers |
Commercial Insurer / Reinsurer (Category 3 / 4) |
£9,960 |
|
Captive Insurer / Reinsurer (Category 5) |
£6,640 |
|
|
Category 6 |
£6,640 |
|
| Protected Cell Company (PCC) Core |
Not writing insurance business |
£6,640 |
|
Life (Category 1 / 2) |
£6,640 |
|
|
Commercial insurance / reinsurance business (Category 3 / 4) |
£9,960 |
|
|
Captive insurance / reinsurance business (Category 5) |
£6,640 |
|
|
Category 6 |
£6,640 |
|
| Incorporated Cell Company (ICC) Core |
Not writing insurance business |
£6,640 |
|
Life (Category 1 / 2) |
£6,640 |
|
|
Commercial insurance / reinsurance business (Category 3 / 4) |
£9,960 |
|
|
Captive insurance / reinsurance business (Category 5) |
£6,640 |
|
|
Category 6 |
£6,640 |
|
| Cell of a PCC |
Life (Category 1 / 2) |
£2,170 |
|
Commercial insurance / reinsurance business (Category 3 / 4) |
£3,255 |
|
|
Captive insurance / reinsurance business (Category 5) |
£2,170 |
|
|
Category 6 - not SPI* |
£2,170 |
|
|
Category 6 - SPI* |
£1,000 |
|
| Cell of an ICC |
Life (Category 1 / 2) |
£2,170 |
|
Commercial insurance / reinsurance business (Category 3 / 4) |
£3,255 |
|
|
Captive insurance / reinsurance business (Category 5) |
£2,170 |
|
|
Category 6 - not SPI* |
£2,170 |
|
|
Category 6 - SPI* |
£1,000 |
|
| Transformer Cell | See note5 | £1,000 |
| Dormant Cell | £175 | |
| Life Insurer (PCC and non cellular) (Category 1 / 2) |
Based on net policyholder liabilities6 |
|
|
Less than £1 |
£6,640 |
|
|
£1 - £999,999 |
£8,620 |
|
|
£1m - £9,999,999 |
£10,585 |
|
|
£10m - £99,999,999 |
£16,465 |
|
|
£100m - £499,999,999 |
£26,265 |
|
|
£500m - £1,999,999,999 |
£50,860 |
|
|
£2bn+ |
£99,715 |
|
| Domestic |
Based on gross premium income |
|
|
£0 - £11,999 |
£555 |
|
|
£12,000 - £4,999,999 |
£3,740 |
|
|
£5m+ |
£19,075 |
|
| Mutual, Provident, or Friendly Society |
Non-commercial |
£550 |
|
Commercial |
£3,740 |
|
| Intermediary - base fee |
£3,020 |
|
|
+ Intermediary - category of Intermediary Licence |
General - Personal Lines |
£220 |
|
General - Commercial |
£430 |
|
|
Long Term - Life |
£430 |
|
|
Long Term - Regular Premium |
£660 |
|
|
Long Term - Single Premium (insurance element)2 |
£2,135 |
|
|
Long Term - Single Premium (POI element)7 |
£1,320 |
|
| + Intermediary - turnover from Licensed Bailiwick activity |
£0 - £249,999 |
£2,131 |
|
£250,000 - £499,999 |
£3,230 |
|
|
£500,000 - £749,000 |
£4,270 |
|
|
£750,000 - £999,999 |
£5,350 |
|
|
£1m - £1,999,999 |
£6,420 |
|
|
£2m - £2,999,999 |
£7,500 |
|
|
£3m+ |
£8,565 |
|
OTHER FEES
Conversion:
- Non-cellular company PCC or ICC, or vice versa
- Conversion from PCC to ICC including formation of first cell when business to be written in that cell is business previously written in the captive
- Subsumption of incorporated cells and conversion to non-cellular company
- PCC cell into a non-cellular company
Individual conversion rates as listed above. £1,255
Amalgamation and Migration Out. £2,635
Reactivation of a dormant cell:
| Category | Reactivation cost |
|---|---|
|
Category 1 / 2 |
[£2,170 minus £175] pro-rata'd to the end of the year |
|
Category 3 / 4 |
[£3,255 minus £175] pro-rata'd to the end of the year |
| Category 5 | [£2,170 minus £175] pro-rata'd to the end of the year |
|
Category 6 (not SPI) |
[£2,170 minus £175] pro-rata'd to the end of the year |
Application for consent to a scheme for the transfer of long term business. £6,230
Notification of change of controller. £2,370
Variation of activities in respect of which an insurer is licensed. £1,345
NOTES
All annual fees are due by 31st January each year for licences/ authorisations in effect on 1st January of that year.
Applicants will be invoiced for a pro-rata annual fee on licence issue in respect of the annual fee payable for the year in which the licence is granted.
-
An application fee of £6,180 will be payable unless the applicant demonstrates to the Commission that he will act only for business underwritten by members of the Society of Lloyd's, then the fee will be £3,400.
- Fee payable in respect of the Insurance Licence.
-
A fee of £9,820 will be due unless the insurance manager demonstrates to the Commission before the fee is due that each insurer for which he acts underwrites only the risks of the insurer's parent, subsidiaries of the insurer's parent, a joint venture where the risks underwritten by the insurer are limited to the equity interest held by the insurer's parent in that company or risks which are fully reinsured by the insured and the insurer's parent, where the parent is an insurance company, then the fee will be £5,865. A fee of £9,820 will be due unless the insurance manager demonstrates to the Commission before the fee is due that each insurer for which he acts is a mutual, provident or friendly society, then the fee will be £5,865
- A fee of £9,820 will be due unless the insurance manager demonstrates to the Commission before the fee is due that he acts only for business underwritten by members of the Society of Lloyd's: then the fee will be £3,400.
-
For the avoidance of doubt, transformer cells are cells within a Protected Cell Company whose primary purpose is to enable transactions between the Capital and Insurance markets by converting contracts written on ISDA documentation into contracts written on traditional insurance documentation or vice versa.
-
For a Life Insurer (PCC and non-cellular) closed to new business, the annual fees are:
Based on net policyholder liabilities
Fee
Less than £1
£6,640
£1 - £9,999,999
£8,610
£10m - £499,999,999
£11,850
£500m+
£16,465
-
Fee payable where licensed under the POI Law for either or both of the restricted activities of promotion and advising, and no other restricted activities in respect of "Category 1: Collective Investment Schemes."
Administrative Financial Penalties
LATE FILING PENALTIES
Where a licensee files a relevant document (such as its annual return and accounts) after its specified deadline date, a late filing penalty may apply. This will be calculated using the table below. Each subsequent month (or part of a month) that the relevant fee has not been paid will result in a further incremental penalty accruing.
| Late Filing Penalty | Penalty Increments |
|---|---|
| First Month | £125 |
| Second Month | £250 |
| Third Month | £375 |
| Each Subsequent Month | £375 |
The Commission may grant deadline extensions under extenuating circumstances. Where the Commission has done this that date will be taken as the revised deadline date for the purposes of calculating any late filing penalty.
LATE PAYMENT PENALTIES
Where a licensee pays its annual fee subsequent to its due date, a penalty may apply. For the annual fee levied each calendar year, the due date is 31 January. For pro-rated annual fees, this would be 30 days after the fee became payable. In both cases, the due date will be included on the invoice.
This will be calculated using the table below. Each subsequent month (or part of a month) that the relevant fee has not been paid will result in a further incremental penalty accruing.
| Late Payment Penalty | Penalty Increments |
|---|---|
| First Month | £125 |
| Second Month | £250 |
| Third Month | £375 |
| Each Subsequent Month | £375 |
INACCURATE FILING PENALTIES
As consulted on in 2022, where a licensee has submitted a relevant document that is materially inaccurate a penalty will be calculated as per the table below.
|
Inaccurate Filing Penalty |
Error Identified by Firm | Error Identified by the Commission |
|---|---|---|
| On identification of the error and return of the submission for correction by the firm | £125 | £500 |
| Each subsequent month taken to correct the error | £125 | £500 |
Inaccurate filing penalties only apply to data within returns considered necessary for the Commission to carry out its statutory functions (such as data around capital or liquidity requirements, or attestation around whether a firm has received an emphasis of matter or qualified audit opinion).
To ensure the regime is proportionate, inaccurate filing penalties only apply where the Commission has determined the error to be material. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis, which looks to ensure such penalties are not issued for small discrepancies, single errors, or where guidance is unclear.
In considering whether an error was materially inaccurate, the Commission will consider:
- the quantum of the error and its implications for the licensee’s compliance with the minimum criteria for licensing,
- the length of time taken to detect the error and correct it on the part of the licensee, and
- the frequency with which a licensee submits incorrect information in returns.