Fee Relief Policy

Introduction

Fellows are asked to pay a one-off joining fee and annual subscription fee. These fees provide an importance source of income for the Society, but we want to ensure they are never a barrier to Fellowship. Both Fellows and Nominees for Fellowship may therefore apply for a fee waiver or reduction.

This policy explains how we will determine whether to offer a waiver or reduction, ensuring a consistent approach to handling such requests.

Types of fee relief

• The Society will waive all fees for Fellows who are over 85.

• The Society will reduce fees by 50% for all Fellows over 70.

• When informed that a Fellow is seriously ill, the Society will normally waive their fees until a full recovery is made.

• In addition, the Society will consider waiving some or all fees for an agreed period for Fellows or nominees who demonstrate a need for relief.

There are no specific parameters under which such an application may be made. Instead, each application by a Fellow or nominee will be considered on its own merits.

Process for assessing applications for relief

1. Any Fellow or Nominee who wishes to apply for a waiver or reduction should write to the Chief Executive to notify them of their financial circumstances and outline why they need relief. Nominees may, alternatively, ask their Proposer to make this application.

2. The Chief Executive will provide the applicant with a copy of this policy and, if necessary, will invite them to provide further information to support the panel to make its decision (see 3).

3. A panel of three will be convened by the President to consider the application for relief. Based on the information provided, the panel will agree if relief should be offered, at what level, and for what period (if relevant). The panel’s decision is final.

4. The Chief Executive will notify the applicant of the panel’s decision.

5. Details of the relief, if granted, will be recorded by the Finance and Administration Officer. The original application for fee relief will be deleted once this has taken place.

6. The panel members and Chief Executive will treat as confidential all details of the application. However, we will keep an anonymised log of decisions to help us make consistent future decisions.

Withdrawal or modification of relief

If the circumstances of a Fellow or Nominee change after fee relief has been granted, such that the relief is no longer required, the Fellow or nominee should inform the Chief Executive at the earliest opportunity.

Additional notes for Nominees

In some cases, Nominees may not wish to proceed with a nomination unless they know that relief will be granted. Such Nominees should apply for relief at least one month before the deadline for Fellowship nominations, to allow time for the panel to make its decision. To ensure they can meet the deadline, we advise Nominees to continue working on the nomination while awaiting a decision.

A decision to grant relief to a Nominee is intended to provide financial reassurance only. This decision is entirely separate from the process of assessing Fellowship nominations. It does not give any indication of the Nominee’s likelihood of election to the Fellowship