RCVS offers renewal fee concession

Vets are being offered the chance to pay their RCVS membership fees in instalments in light of the widespread economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many vets have been furloughed or are facing unemployment due to the widespread measures introduced to tackle virus spread.

Spread payment

Renewal fees for the college are £364 – and £162 for new graduates – and with money tight, RCVS council has agreed to let members spread their payment.

Members who don’t want, or cannot afford, to pay in one go can instead spread the cost over three instalments – paying 50% of the full cost by 30 April, 25% by 30 September and the remaining 25% by 31 December.

Downturn

RCVS treasurer Kit Sturgess said: “We recognise that most veterinary businesses will be seeing a downtown during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, especially as veterinary practices reduce their workloads to emergency-only procedures or those that can be classed as urgent.

“Furthermore, we understand many individual veterinary surgeons will no longer be working, and that this will cause financial difficulties for many vets and their families.”

Ongoing

While fees for veterinary nurses are not due until the end of the year, the college has promised to keep the impact of the coronavirus pandemic under review on an “ongoing basis”.

This policy only applies for UK-practising members, as this is the group for which the ability to work as a veterinary surgeon in the UK is contingent on being a member of the RCVS.

Deferrred

Any UK-practising member wishing to switch to the payment-by-instalments system should cancel their existing direct debits immediately (the college has already temporarily deferred these direct debits for around 10 to 14 days to allow time for them to be cancelled).

Further details about the scheme are available in a guide available via the RCVS website.