How we rank

Wherever this site shows a list of firms — the Fee Register, a region or firm-type page, or the shortlist on the introductions page — the firms are ordered by three things, in this order, and by nothing else.

1. How complete the firm's fee record is

Each firm has a completeness score from 0 to 100: the share of the standard fee components (initial charge, ongoing charge, hourly rate, fixed fees, minimum fee, minimum investment, platform and fund charges declared as typical, payment method, and the others listed in our published fee taxonomy) for which the firm's record holds a figure with a source. A firm that publishes more of its charging structure, or tells us more of it, scores higher. The score is computed from the record, not judged by anyone.

2. The verification grade

Records come in three grades, which we never mix:

• Declared — either published: captured from the firm's own website or document, with the address and the date we captured it; or submitted: entered by the firm itself through its claimed page, not yet confirmed.
• Verified — a named adviser on the FCA Register has confirmed, within the last 12 months, that the schedule is the one the firm currently discloses to clients, and our automated checks (plausibility; reconciliation with anything the firm has published) have passed or any difference is annotated.
• Transacted — built from clients' own fee statements (from 2027). Transacted figures are published only in aggregate, never for a named firm, until our published thresholds are met.

Verified records rank above Declared records at the same completeness score.

3. Distance

Where you have given a location, firms nearer to it rank above firms further away, using the principal place of business the FCA Register holds for the firm. If you have not given a location, distance is not used.

Ties

Firms that tie on all three are shown in a fixed order by FCA Firm Reference Number, so the order is the same for everyone and cannot be gamed.

What is not a factor — ever

Money. No firm can pay to appear higher, and nothing a firm buys from us (a calculator licence, an advertisement, a sponsorship, a report) changes its position. Whether a firm accepts introductions is not a ranking factor: on the introductions page, firms that accept introductions are selectable and the others are shown with "contact this firm directly", in the same order. Reviews, ratings, size, age, brand, and whether a firm is independent or restricted are not ranking factors either — independence is shown as a fact from the firm's own disclosure, and you can filter on it.

The labels you will see, and how they are earned

• Declared / Verified — the grade of the record, as above.
• Fee Transparent [year] — an annual mark shown only while a firm's Verified schedule meets the published criteria for that year; it lapses if not re-confirmed within 12 months; it cannot be bought; there is no opposite label — a firm that does not hold the mark is simply not marked.
• Independent / Restricted — as the firm itself states in its disclosure, with the source and date.
• Figure under review — someone has disputed the figure and we are checking it.
• Historical entry — the firm no longer appears on the FCA Register.

We do not use superlatives, endorsements or "pick" labels of any kind, and we do not recommend firms.

Which firms appear at all

A firm page exists only where a fee schedule exists — captured from the firm's own published material, submitted by the firm, or verified. Firms on the FCA Register with no published or submitted fee information are not shown as pages; their figures cannot be compared, so listing them would only pad the list. Statistics pages show a figure only where the sample is at least ten firms (or five to nine, clearly labelled as a pooled estimate).

If you think a figure or a position is wrong

Any firm can correct or dispute its own figures without an account or any agreement: the figure is marked "under review" immediately, we acknowledge within 5 working days and resolve within 20. Consumers can report a figure too. Dispute a figure.

About this page: information only, from a publisher that is not authorised or regulated by the FCA, sells no advice and endorses no firm. Nothing here is a personal recommendation. See how we make money, the methodology hub and our source-capture policy.