Get a prescription prepayment certificate

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1. Get a prescription prepayment certificate

You can buy prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) from the NHS which may make your prescriptions cheaper.

You can only get a PPC if you live in England.

There’s a different way to get a PPC if you’ve been prescribed hormone replacement therapy.

What you’ll get

A 3 or 12 month PPC covers all your prescriptions for that period, no matter how many you need.

A prescription costs £9.90 per item, but a PPC costs:

  • £32.05 for 3 months
  • £114.50 for 12 months

This means if you’re going to buy 4 or more prescriptions in 3 months, or 12 or more prescriptions in 12 months, it may be cheaper to buy a PPC.

You can pay in 10 monthly instalments if you buy a 12 month PPC.

How to buy

You can buy PPCs online or call the order line and pay by debit or credit card.

PPC order line - 3 or 12 months
Telephone: 0300 330 1341
Find out about call charges

2. If you’ve been prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

You can get an HRT prescription prepayment certificate (HRT PPC) from the NHS if you’ve been prescribed an eligible hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medicine.

What you’ll get

The HRT PPC costs £19.80 for 12 months.

It will cover all your eligible HRT prescriptions for that period, no matter how many different medicines you need. There’s no limit on the number of HRT prescription items you can get with it while it’s valid.

You’ll save money if you’re going to buy more than 2 prescription items in 12 months.

If you have prescriptions for medicines that are not eligible

If you have other prescriptions that are not for eligible HRT medicines, you may save more with a 3 or 12 month standard PPC.

A standard PPC will save you more than an HRT PPC if you get:

  • 4 or more items in a 3 month period and at least 2 are not for eligible HRT medication
  • 12 or more items in 12 month period and at least 10 are not for eligible HRT medication

How to buy

You can buy HRT PPCs online.

If you need help

NHS Business Services Authority can help you with your HRT PPC application.

HRT PPC help and support
Telephone: 0300 330 2089
Find out about call charges