The Pharmacy Earlier Payment Scheme (PEPS)

Pharmacy Earlier Payment Scheme (PEPS) announcement from DHSC (26 August 2021)

On Wednesday 30 June 2021, the contract for the Pharmacy Earlier Payment Scheme (PEPS) between Taulia Inc and the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) ended. The final PEPS payment was paid to PEPS pharmacy contractors on 1 October 2021.

You can view the announcement from DHSC in our news article published on Thursday 26 August.

From November 2021 (for October 2021 prescriptions), a new payment timetable is available to all pharmacy contractors. This gives contractors access to their payment approximately 20 days earlier in comparison to the former payment timetable at no additional cost to the contractor.

To receive an early payment you must:

submit your FP34C through the Manage Your Service (MYS) platform by the 5th of the following month in which the supply was made
submit your electronic reimbursement endorsement messages by the 5th of the following month in which the supply was made
continue to send your batches to us by the 5th of the following month in which the supply was made

PEPS transition period

Following an announcement from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) the final PEPS payment was paid to scheme members on 1 October 2021.

A 12-month transition arrangement started on 1 November 2021 for PEPS pharmacy contractors. This will bring your payments in line with the new payment timetable for all pharmacy contractors.

Under the transition arrangement PEPS pharmacy contractors received a payment on 1 November 2021, which was set at 92% of the last PEPS payment made in October. The 1 November payment will be recovered over the remaining 11 months of the transition arrangement in 11 equal parts.

You must submit your FP34C through MYS by the 5th of the following month in which the supply was made. Failure to do so will result in a gap of one month between payments.

Opting out of the transition arrangement

PEPS pharmacy contractors had the opportunity to opt out of the transition arrangement. This means you would not receive your monthly payment on 1 November 2021. Instead, you received your next advance payment in December (for November 2021 prescriptions) in line with the pharmacy submission timetable (Excel:17KB) for non-PEPS members.

To opt out of the transition arrangement you needed to notify us by emailing nhsbsa.pepscontractorpayments@nhs.net before 15 October 2021. This date has now passed.

Submit your claim through MYS

Until March 2022 (for February 2022 prescriptions) pharmacy contractors could continue to be paid through the current payment timetable if you:

did not wish to follow the new payment timetable
wished to continue using paper FP34C

From April 2022 (for March 2022 prescriptions) all pharmacy contractors must submit your FP34C through MYS.

Access the MYS portal.

Late submissions

Any claims submitted after the 5th of the following month in which the supply was made will be paid in accordance with the current payment timetable.

See the pharmacy submission timetable (Excel:17KB) for more information about submission and payment dates.

More information

For more information about the final PEPS payment, the transition period and the payment timetable, view the September 2021 Drug Tariff (PDF: 6MB)