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Blog: planning

How much do CIL forms cost in London?

By Property Architecture drawing team, chartered architectural technologists (MCIAT). Published . 3 minute read.

Community Infrastructure Levy forms for a London project cost £49 from us, with no VAT to add, and nothing extra inside our planning packages. Any levy that is due is paid to the council. The forms matter because the exemption that saves most householders the levy is a claim you have to make: the applicant must submit a claim to the collecting authority before development commencesGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Community Infrastructure Levy.

From £49 total

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  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

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    Key takeaways

    What the forms cost, and what the levy costs

    Our fee is £49, and the forms cost nothing extra when they sit inside one of our planning packages. We prepare the forms your project needs and file them in the right order. See our CIL forms page for the list.

    The levy itself is a separate matter. It is paid to the council, not to us, and the rate depends on the borough. The government describes it as a charge which can be levied by local authorities on new development in their areaGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Community Infrastructure Levy. A project in a borough with no charging schedule owes nothing.

    What the fee includesA check of whether your project is liable; The right exemption or relief chosen; Forms prepared and filed in order; A timetable of the notices before work starts; Free inside every one of our planning packagesWhat the fee includesA check of whether your project isliableThe right exemption or relief chosenForms prepared and filed in orderA timetable of the notices before workstartsFree inside every one of our planningpackagesFixed fee from £49, no VAT to add
    What our CIL forms service includes.

    Who owes the levy

    The responsibility goes to the owner of the land: landowners are ultimately liable, but anyone involved in a development may take on the liabilityGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Community Infrastructure Levy. That is why the forms matter to you and not just the builder, and why a form signed by the wrong person can leave you carrying the liability.

    On a householder job, the liability usually disappears if the right exemption is claimed. The risk is not the levy but the paperwork that stops it.

    Red-brick house with a slate roof and roof windows, a low glazed extension on its garden side and a striped lawn in front
    A householder extension to your own home is the standard case for an exemption. Photo: Scott Hayward, Pexels License

    Which projects owe nothing

    Two exemptions cover most householder work. The first is size: buildings under 100 square metres are exempt, but no liability where new build is under 100 square metres, unless the development comprises one or more dwellingsCommunity Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010, regulation 42. The second is for extensions: an owner who occupies the main dwelling as a sole or main residence is exempt on a residential extensionCommunity Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010, regulation 42A. A new dwelling is liable however small, so a flat conversion that adds floor space or a new house does not use either.

    Which one applies, and which form, depends on the project. A garden room or loft adds little floor space but is still assessed under the same rules, so we check each.

    The step that catches people out

    The exemption is not automatic. The guidance is direct: the applicant must submit a claim to the collecting authority before development commencesGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Community Infrastructure Levy. The claim uses the residential extension form, and it has to be in before the work starts, which includes digging foundations and other early steps.

    A related notice is the commencement notice. If one is not served, a penalty applies: a surcharge penalty applies, rather than the loss of the exemption, for liability notices issued from 1 September 2019GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Community Infrastructure Levy. We list the notices and their order in the project timeline, so nothing is left to the day the builder arrives.

    How the job runs, step by stepSend us the decision notice and the project details Then: We work out whether the levy applies Then: Right exemption or relief chosen Then: Forms prepared and filed in the right order Then: Commencement notice timed before work starts Then: Confirmation kept for the project fileSend us the decision notice and theproject detailsWe work out whether the levy appliesRight exemption or relief chosenForms prepared and filed in the rightorderCommencement notice timed before workstartsConfirmation kept for the project file
    From planning permission to a filed exemption.

    Tied to the rest of the project

    The forms follow planning permission: see the cost post for planning drawings, and the main page for planning drawings. Our next-steps pack at the end of the job lists the commencement notice, party wall timing and the levy forms together.

    If you are not sure whether a project is liable, send us the decision notice and we will say.

    The figures, with sources

    What the levy is
    a charge which can be levied by local authorities on new development in their areaGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Community Infrastructure LevyChecked 25 October 2026
    Who is liable
    landowners are ultimately liable, but anyone involved in a development may take on the liabilityGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Community Infrastructure LevyChecked 25 October 2026
    Claiming the residential extension exemption
    the applicant must submit a claim to the collecting authority before development commencesGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Community Infrastructure LevyChecked 25 October 2026
    Minor development exemption
    no liability where new build is under 100 square metres, unless the development comprises one or more dwellingsCommunity Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010, regulation 42Checked 25 October 2026
    Exemption for residential extensions
    an owner who occupies the main dwelling as a sole or main residence is exempt on a residential extensionCommunity Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010, regulation 42AChecked 25 October 2026
    Failing to serve a commencement notice
    a surcharge penalty applies, rather than the loss of the exemption, for liability notices issued from 1 September 2019GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Community Infrastructure LevyChecked 25 October 2026

    Questions

    Do I owe the levy on a house extension?

    Often not, if you live in the house and claim the residential extension exemption before work starts. The borough sets the rate for anything that is liable.

    Does the council charge for the forms?

    Our fee covers preparing and filing the forms. Any levy that is due is paid to the council, and the borough sets its rate.

    What if I have already started work?

    Tell us straight away. The rules differ depending on what has happened, and the guidance describes a surcharge in some cases. We tell you where you stand.

    Does a flat conversion owe the levy?

    The small-building exemption does not apply where the development comprises a dwelling, so we assess each conversion and tell you the outcome.

    Header photo: The back of a semi-detached house with a single-storey rear extension being built in grey blockwork, scaffolding and bricks on the lawn by Brett Jordan, Pexels License.

    The fixed fee for community infrastructure levy forms

    Fixed fee
    from £49
    Total you pay
    from £49
    Council fee
    paid to the council separately

    No VAT to add. The fee is fixed in writing after a free constraints check of your address.

    What you get

    • A check of whether your project is liable
    • The right exemption or relief chosen
    • Forms prepared and filed in order
    • A timetable of the notices before work starts
    • Free inside every one of our planning packages
    • More about our community infrastructure levy forms
    Request your fixed quoteCall 020 7131 9703
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    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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