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By the Mantlin team · Last reviewed 11 August 2026 · Sources GOV.UK and the official Home Office handbook
Draft, pending final review.
In short
The Life in the UK Test costs £50, and you pay this fee each time you sit the test. If you do not pass and want to try again, you pay the £50 again for the next attempt. The fee covers the test itself. It does not cover the official handbook or any study materials, which you buy separately if you want them.
You can get the fee back only if you cancel or move your test at least 3 days before it. Within 3 days, or if you do not turn up, there is no refund. Because of this, it is worth being confident in your practice scores before you book, so you pay the fee once.
Check this on GOV.UK
The fee to book the test is £50. You pay it when you book on GOV.UK, and you pay it again for each attempt. There is no separate charge for passing or for getting your result. See how to book the test for the steps.
The fee is set by the Home Office and it has gone up before, so treat the figure above as the price today rather than a fixed one. Always check the current fee on GOV.UK before you book.
The £50 pays for sitting the test one time. It does not pay for the official handbook, Life in the United Kingdom, A Guide for New Residents, which is sold separately, and it does not pay for any practice apps or courses. You can prepare using free practice and the handbook, so the £50 can be your only cost if you pass first time.
You can get the £50 back only if you cancel or move your test at least 3 days before it. If you cancel within 3 days, arrive late, bring the wrong identification, or do not turn up, you do not get a refund. So book a date you are sure about, and make any change early.
If you do not pass, you can book again, and each attempt costs the £50 fee again. Not passing first time is common, so this is not unusual, but it does mean steady practice before you book is the cheapest way to pass. A good sign you are ready is scoring above 18 out of 24 in practice most times. Read more in what happens if you fail.
The test fee is only a small part of the total cost of settlement or citizenship. The larger costs are the application fees, the separate B1 English test, and the immigration health surcharge where it applies. Those amounts depend on your route, so check the current fees for your own application on GOV.UK. For how the test fits with the English requirement, see whether you also need the B1 English test.
Ready to try it? Practise real style questions free, with no account needed to start.
Not affiliated with the Home Office or UK Government. This is an independent study tool and does not provide the official Life in the UK Test. The official test can only be booked and taken through GOV.UK.