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DBS Eligibility Checker for the Self-Employed
What's New in Our DBS Eligibility Checker
We rebuilt the DBS eligibility checker in September 2026 around the way self-employed people actually search. The original tool copied the government's questions for employers. It asked which sector you worked in, then sent you through several screens. That suited employers. It did not suit a tutor, a counsellor, or a taxi driver trying to get a DBS check for myself.
You can now type your job title straight into the tool. It suggests matching roles as you type and takes you to the one or two questions that decide your DBS eligibility. If your role is not listed, the full set of questions is still there.
Search by Job Title
Type "tutor", "counsellor", "PA" or "taxi driver" and pick your role from the list. The search understands abbreviations, other names for the same job, and small spelling mistakes. The most popular roles also sit under the search box as one-click buttons.
Built from Real Applications
The role list comes from the job titles in applications we have processed since the self-employed route opened in January 2026. Tutors, counsellors, therapists, coaches, carers, nannies, healthcare professionals, and drivers all feature. Each role follows the same DBS eligibility rules we apply when we check those applications.
Fewer Questions
Most roles need only one or two answers: who you work with and how often. Some roles, such as childminders and taxi drivers, go straight to a result. You spend less time answering questions that have nothing to do with your work.
Clearer Results
Your result lists your role and each answer you gave, so you can check it before you apply. It also tells you when a school, nursery, care home, or hospital needs to request the check instead of you. Employers get pointed to the right place too.
What DBS Eligibility Means and Why It Matters
DBS eligibility decides whether you qualify for a Basic, Standard, or Enhanced DBS check. Your role, the people you work with, and how often you do the work all determine your DBS eligibility level. Not every role requires the same check, and applying for the wrong one wastes time and money.
Legislation sets the DBS eligibility rules, not employers or check providers. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 covers Standard DBS eligibility. The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) Regulations covers Enhanced DBS eligibility. If your role falls outside these laws, you do not meet DBS eligibility for that check level.
Why DBS Eligibility Matters for Self-Employed Workers
If you are asking "can I get a DBS check for myself," DBS eligibility is where you start. The tool above asks for your job title first, then walks you through the key questions and identifies which check fits your role. The sections below explain every DBS eligibility rule in full. Read them before you apply for a DBS check for myself, so you know exactly where you stand.
Can I Get a DBS Check for Myself
Self-employed workers ask this question more than any other. Until recently, the answer blocked most people. Before January 2026, nobody could get a DBS check for myself at Standard or Enhanced level without an employer submitting the application.
That changed on 21 January 2026. A new legal route now lets self-employed individuals apply for Standard and Enhanced DBS checks for themselves. You must meet the DBS eligibility criteria for the level you need. But the route now exists.
Who Can Now Get a DBS Check for Myself
If you work as a self-employed tutor, carer, nanny, childminder, coach, counsellor, or therapist, you can now get a DBS check for myself through a registered platform. The same applies to any other self-employed role involving children or vulnerable adults. You no longer need an employer to do it on your behalf.
A Basic DBS check has always allowed you to get a DBS check for myself directly through GOV.UK. It shows unspent convictions only and carries no DBS eligibility requirements. Anyone can apply.
Why a Basic Check Is Rarely Enough
A Basic DBS check does not satisfy most roles involving vulnerable groups. If your work requires a Standard or Enhanced check, you can now get a DBS check for myself through self-employed-dbs.co.uk. No client, agency, or organisation needs to submit the application. You handle it yourself.
What Changed in January 2026
Before 21 January 2026, self-employed workers had no route to get a DBS check for myself at Enhanced level. The legislation only let registered organisations submit applications tied to an employment relationship. If you worked for yourself, you could not access Enhanced DBS eligibility no matter how sensitive your role.
The Statutory Instrument that took effect on 21 January 2026 created a new category. Self-employed people and personal employees can now apply through a registered platform. You must meet the DBS eligibility criteria for that check level, and the work must be paid. But the ability to get a DBS check for myself without an employer now exists in law.
Same Rules, New Access
The DBS eligibility criteria themselves did not change. Regulated activity definitions remain the same. Frequency thresholds remain the same. What changed is who can access them. Self-employed workers can now meet the DBS eligibility rules on their own. No employer gatekeeper. If you have been asking "can I get a DBS check for myself as a self-employed worker," the answer since January 2026 is yes. You can get a DBS check for myself through a platform like ours.
DBS Eligibility by Check Level
Three levels of DBS check exist in England and Wales. Each carries different DBS eligibility rules. Before you try to get a DBS check for myself, you need to know which level matches your role.
Basic DBS Check
No DBS eligibility requirements apply to a Basic check. Anyone aged 16 or over can apply. A Basic certificate shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions only. It suits roles with no safeguarding responsibilities. We do not process Basic DBS checks on this platform. Apply directly through GOV.UK if you need one.
Standard DBS Check
A Standard DBS check reveals both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and warnings from the Police National Computer. Filtering rules apply. DBS eligibility for a Standard check requires your role to appear in the ROA 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Court officers, SIA licence holders, and certain financial roles typically meet this DBS eligibility threshold. The fee is £20.00.
Enhanced DBS Check
An Enhanced DBS check includes everything on a Standard check plus a search of local police force records. Most self-employed workers in caring, teaching, or coaching roles need this level. DBS eligibility for Enhanced requires the role to appear in both the ROA 1974 (Exceptions) Order and the Police Act 1997 Regulations. The fee is £41.00.
Enhanced DBS with Barred List Check
If your work involves regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults, you may also meet DBS eligibility for a Barred List check. This searches the Children's Barred List, the Adults' Barred List, or both. Barred List DBS eligibility applies only to roles with direct, unsupervised, and frequent contact with vulnerable groups. The fee stays at £41.00.
DBS Eligibility for Self-Employed Workers
Three factors decide your DBS eligibility as a self-employed worker looking to get a DBS check for myself. They are: the activity you carry out, the people it involves, and how often you do it.
Regulated Activity with Children
You carry out regulated activity with children if your work involves unsupervised teaching, training, instructing, caring for, or supervising anyone under 18 on a frequent basis. Frequent means once a week or more, or on more than three days in any 30-day period. It also covers any overnight stay between 2am and 6am. Healthcare and personal care roles count as regulated activity regardless of frequency.
Self-employed tutors, nannies and childminders, teachers giving private lessons, and coaches working with children typically meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check with the Children's Barred List. If you work in any of these roles and need to get a DBS check for myself, this is the level that applies.
Regulated Activity with Adults
Regulated activity with adults covers healthcare, personal care, social work, and certain financial or legal roles. Personal care includes helping with eating, washing, dressing, and toileting. Unlike the children's rules, many of these activities trigger DBS eligibility from a single occurrence.
Self-employed care workers providing personal care under direct payment schemes meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check with the Adults' Barred List. If you provide care to adults and want to get a DBS check for myself, this route applies to you.
Work That Does Not Meet DBS Eligibility for Enhanced Checks
Not all self-employed work qualifies. A self-employed plumber entering client homes does not meet DBS eligibility for anything above Basic because the work does not involve vulnerable groups. The same applies to most tradespeople, freelance designers, and consultants. If a school or care home engages you for trade work on its premises, the school or care home arranges any check it needs.
If the DBS eligibility tool above tells you Enhanced does not apply, that result reflects the legislation. Submitting an application for a check level your role does not qualify for breaches the law.
DBS Eligibility for the Roles We See Most
The roles below come up most often in the applications we process. Each card shows the DBS eligibility level the role usually meets. Your own duties decide the final answer, so type your job title into the tool above to confirm before you get a DBS check for myself.
Tutors
Self-employed tutors usually meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check. If you tutor children once a week or more, the check includes the Children's Barred List. Occasional tutoring still qualifies for Enhanced without the Barred List.
Teachers
Self-employed teachers giving private lessons usually meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check with the Children's Barred List when they teach frequently. If a school, nursery, or college engages you to teach there, the school requests your check.
Counsellors, Psychotherapists and Therapists
Counsellors, psychotherapists, CBT therapists, and complementary therapists usually meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check. The Barred List depends on who you see and how often. Frequent work with adults adds the Adults' Barred List. Frequent work with children adds the Children's Barred List.
Doctors, Nurses and Healthcare Professionals
Doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and other regulated healthcare professionals meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check with the Barred List for the patients they treat. Frequency does not apply. If you treat both children and adults, you need both lists.
Coaches, Instructors and Entertainers
Sports coaches, dance and music teachers, martial arts instructors, club leaders, and children's entertainers usually meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check. Working with children once a week or more adds the Children's Barred List.
Carers and Personal Assistants
Self-employed care workers, live-in carers, and personal assistants providing personal care meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check with the Adults' Barred List. If you care for children too, the check includes the Children's Barred List as well.
Nannies and Childminders
Nannies and childminders usually meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check with the Children's Barred List. Childminders always need it. Occasional babysitting may qualify for Enhanced without the Barred List.
Taxi and Private Hire Drivers
Taxi and private hire drivers meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check with both the Children's and Adults' Barred Lists. Government standards for taxi and private hire licensing call for this level. Check your council's licensing requirements before you apply.
Self-Employed but Working in a School, Care Home or Hospital
Being self-employed does not always mean you apply for your own check. If a school, nursery, care home, or hospital engages you to work on its premises, that organisation needs to request your DBS check. This applies even when you invoice them as a self-employed contractor.
These settings carry a legal safeguarding duty for everyone working on site. That covers cleaners, caterers, maintenance and grounds contractors, and teachers or teaching assistants the school engages directly. It also covers tutors and coaches a school brings in to run sessions. The organisation checks the people it engages, so it decides the check level and submits the application.
How the Tool Handles This
If you pick a contractor role, or tell the tool you teach in a school or nursery, your result explains that the organisation needs to request the check. Tutors, coaches, and therapists often work independently, so their results show a reminder instead. If you work privately, directly with families, or run your own classes, you can still get a DBS check for myself in the usual way.
Ask your contact at the school, nursery, care home, or hospital to arrange your check. They can request it through our sister site, easydbs.co.uk.
How to Check Your DBS Eligibility
The DBS eligibility check tool at the top of this page gives you the fastest answer. Start by typing your job title into the search box, or tap one of the popular roles below it. Pick the closest match from the suggestions. The tool then asks only the questions that change your result, usually who you work with and how often. It confirms whether you meet DBS eligibility for Basic, Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List. Use it before you try to get a DBS check for myself.
Cannot Find Your Role
Choose "Can't find the role? Answer a few questions instead" under the search box. This opens the full set of questions based on the GOV.UK eligibility guidance. We have expanded them with options for tutoring, coaching, counselling, therapy, and taxi driving. You reach the same result either way.
Ready to Apply
If you already know your DBS eligibility level and want to get a DBS check for myself now, start your application here. No payment goes through until your application is ready to submit.
Still unsure about your DBS eligibility after using the tool? Our support team can help. The frequently asked questions page also covers common DBS eligibility scenarios in detail.
Checking a Role for an Employee or Volunteer
This platform is for self-employed workers applying for a DBS check for myself. If you employ staff or manage volunteers, you can still use the tool to find the right check level. Then request the check through our sister site, easydbs.co.uk, which handles applications for employers and organisations.
What Determines DBS Eligibility
Your job title is a useful starting point, which is why the tool above starts there. But DBS eligibility does not depend on the title itself. It depends on the specific activities you carry out, the people those activities involve, and the legal framework covering those activities. Two people with the same title can hold different DBS eligibility based on what their role actually involves. That is why the tool still asks one or two questions after you pick your role.
Activity
The activity you perform is the starting point for DBS eligibility. Teaching, training, instructing, caring for, and supervising can all trigger it. So can providing healthcare, delivering personal care, and social work. General domestic tasks, admin work, and non-contact roles typically do not meet DBS eligibility.
Workforce
DBS eligibility depends on whether your work involves children (anyone under 18), adults receiving health or social care, or both. The workforce on your DBS check must match the group you actually work with. Carers working with elderly clients need the adult workforce. Tutors working with children need the child workforce.
Frequency
For most activities involving children, DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check with Barred List access requires work once a week or more, or on more than three days in any 30-day period. It also applies if the work includes an overnight stay. For healthcare and personal care with adults, a single occurrence can meet the DBS eligibility threshold.
Supervision
Paid workers in regulated activity stay in regulated activity whether supervised or not. This matters. Supervision can affect DBS eligibility for volunteers, but for paid self-employed workers it makes no difference. If the activity qualifies as regulated and you receive payment, you meet DBS eligibility.
Common Reasons People Search "DBS Check for Myself"
People search for a DBS check for myself for different reasons. Some need one because a client asked for it. Others want to get ahead of the requirement before they start taking bookings. A few need to renew a lapsed check from a previous employer.
A Client or Parent Asked for Proof
This is the most common trigger. Parents ask their child's tutor for a DBS certificate. Families hiring a private carer want proof of screening. In both cases, the self-employed worker needs to get a DBS check for myself because no employer exists to arrange it. Since January 2026, you can apply directly.
Starting Self-Employed Work for the First Time
If you previously worked through an agency or employer, they handled your DBS check. Now that you work for yourself, you need to get a DBS check for myself independently. Your old certificate may still be valid, but clients will want one linked to your current working status. The DBS Update Service can help bridge this gap if you registered when the DBS issued your last certificate.
Building Trust Before You Need It
Some self-employed workers apply for a DBS check for myself proactively. Having a valid certificate ready to show gives clients confidence immediately. It removes a barrier that could slow down new bookings. If you meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check, applying early makes sense.
Applying for a DBS Check for Myself as a Self-Employed Worker
Once you confirm your DBS eligibility, applying for a DBS check for myself through self-employed-dbs.co.uk takes five steps. Register an account. Complete the form. Verify your identity through digital ID. We submit your application electronically. Your DBS certificate arrives by post directly to you.
Costs
The full cost breakdown sits on our pricing page. The statutory DBS fee for an Enhanced check is £41.00. No payment goes through until your application is ready to submit. The DBS fee is VAT-exempt.
DBS Update Service
The DBS Update Service costs £15 per year. It lets future clients check your certificate status without seeing the original each time. This suits self-employed workers who take on multiple clients and need to prove their DBS eligibility quickly.
DBS Eligibility Check Frequently Asked Questions
Am I eligible for a DBS check if I am self-employed?
Yes. Since 21 January 2026, self-employed workers can get a DBS check for myself at Standard and Enhanced level through a registered platform. Your work must meet the DBS eligibility requirements for that check level. If it involves children or vulnerable adults in a regulated capacity, you are likely eligible.
Can I get a DBS check for myself without an employer?
Yes. You no longer need an employer to get a DBS check for myself at Standard or Enhanced level. Self-employed workers and personal employees apply directly through self-employed-dbs.co.uk. For a Basic DBS check, apply through GOV.UK.
How do I know which DBS check I am eligible for?
Use the DBS eligibility check tool at the top of this page. Type your job title, pick your role, and answer the short questions that follow. The tool confirms which level applies. Once you know your DBS eligibility level, you can get a DBS check for myself straight away. The self-employed DBS checks page also gives a full overview.
What if my job title is not in the DBS eligibility checker?
Choose "Can't find the role? Answer a few questions instead" under the search box. The tool then walks you through the full set of questions about your work. Your job title does not decide your DBS eligibility on its own, so the questions give you the same answer. If you are still unsure, contact our support team.
A school has engaged me as a self-employed contractor. Who requests my DBS check?
The school does. If a school, nursery, care home, or hospital engages you to work on its premises, it needs to request your DBS check, even though you are self-employed. It carries the safeguarding duty for everyone working on site. The school can request the check through our sister site, easydbs.co.uk.
Can employers use this DBS eligibility check tool?
Yes, to find the right check level for a role. This platform only processes applications from self-employed workers and personal employees. Employers and organisations should request checks through our sister site, easydbs.co.uk.
What if I do not meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check?
You may still meet DBS eligibility for a Standard or Basic check. Not qualifying for Enhanced DBS eligibility does not mean you cannot get a DBS check for myself at all. It means your work does not require the highest screening level.
Does DBS eligibility depend on how often I work?
For many activities involving children, yes. The frequency condition (once a week or more, or on more than three days in any 30-day period) affects DBS eligibility for Enhanced checks with Barred List access. For healthcare and personal care with adults, frequency matters less because a single occurrence can trigger DBS eligibility.
Do taxi and private hire drivers need a Barred List check?
Yes. Taxi and private hire drivers meet DBS eligibility for an Enhanced check with both the Children's and Adults' Barred Lists. Government standards for taxi and private hire licensing call for this level. Your council sets its own licensing process, so check its requirements before you get a DBS check for myself.
Can I get a DBS check for myself if I work in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
This platform covers England and Wales only. Workers in Scotland should apply through Disclosure Scotland. Workers in Northern Ireland should apply through AccessNI. You cannot use this service to get a DBS check for myself if your work takes place in those regions.
Is a Basic DBS check enough for my role?
A Basic DBS check shows unspent convictions only. If your work involves children or vulnerable adults, a Basic check will rarely satisfy clients or meet legal requirements. Most people who need to get a DBS check for myself in caring or teaching roles need Enhanced level. Run the DBS eligibility check tool above to confirm.
What happens if I apply for the wrong check level?
Submitting an application for a check your role does not qualify for creates a legal issue. The registered body processing the application carries responsibility for confirming DBS eligibility. The tool on this page helps you avoid this by confirming your correct level before you apply.
This guide applies to self-employed workers in England and Wales only. Self-employed workers in Scotland should apply through Disclosure Scotland. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent service is AccessNI. This page is for guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have questions about your specific circumstances, contact our support team or consult a qualified legal adviser.