The EPC payment scheme participation fee is calculated for each PSP based on the number of EPC payment schemes to which it adheres. The applicable fee amounts may vary from year to year, as they depend on factors such as the number of EPC payment schemes, the number of scheme participants, and the costs incurred by the EPC in relation to the management, operation and evolution of the schemes.
Verification Of Payee (VOP) scheme related fees
In October 2025, the EPC launched the Verification Of Payee (VOP) scheme. The scheme relies on a default directory service, called the EPC Directory Service (EDS), which supports SEPA-wide reachability and interoperability between VOP scheme participants, VOP Routing and/or Verification Mechanisms (RVMs) serving participants, and other relevant entities.
To finance the ongoing operation, maintenance and evolution of the VOP scheme and the EDS, the EPC levies:
• An annual VOP scheme participation fee, covering VOP scheme management activities and the annual EDS operational and maintenance costs; and
• An EDS one-off set-up fee, applicable to new VOP scheme participants to contribute to the EDS establishment and set-up costs.
PSPs joining the VOP scheme during the year are invoiced the full annual VOP scheme participation fee for that year, irrespective of the month of adherence. The EDS set-up fee is a one-off fee that applies only to new VOP scheme participants at the moment they join the VOP scheme and is not charged again in subsequent years. For new participants, the EDS set-up fee and the annual VOP scheme participation fee are payable upfront and must be settled before the PSP concerned is included in the Register of VOP Scheme Participants and connected to the EPC Directory Service (EDS). The applicable amounts are published in the fee tables below.
Routing and/or Verification Mechanisms (RVMs) participating in the VOP scheme are subject to a separate fee framework, reflecting their specific role and activities within the VOP scheme ecosystem. The applicable RVM fees are determined independently from VOP scheme participation fees.
Separate fees for standalone scheme participants and for groups
For both the EPC payment scheme participation fees and the VOP scheme-related fees1, PSPs are invoiced either on an individual basis or at group level when they form part of a declared group of PSPs as defined in Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on over-the-counter derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories2.
When invoicing takes place at group level, the fees are due from the parent undertaking exercising a dominant influence over one or more PSPs, or from the central control body to which the scheme participants are affiliated and by which they are supervised. Groups wishing to be invoiced on a group basis are invited to declare their composition to the EPC by using the standard template and providing a list of all member scheme participants.
Important aspects to be considered
Local Value Added Tax (VAT) may, in some cases, be due on the amounts outlined below. Scheme participants that have not communicated a valid local VAT number that can be verified in the EU VAT Information Exchange System (VIES) to the EPC will be charged the applicable Belgian VAT rate.
EPC payment scheme participants that belong to a declared group may opt for invoicing at group level by submitting a group declaration to the EPC. For the purpose of calculating the EPC payment scheme participation fees at group level, the EPC assumes that all EPC payment schemes are adhered to by the members of the group. As a result, depending on the group’s composition, invoicing at group level may in certain cases result in a higher total fee than invoicing all group members separately. Groups are therefore advised to review the published EPC payment scheme participation fee schedule and determine the most appropriate billing option for their specific situation.
For the VOP scheme participation fee and the EDS one-off set-up fee, the applicable group band is determined solely based on the number of declared VOP scheme participants within the group. As a result, a group may fall into a different band, or no longer qualify as a group, for VOP scheme-related fees than for the EPC payment scheme participation fees, which continue to be calculated under a separate fee framework. This distinction reflects the different regulatory and operational scopes of the EPC payment schemes and the VOP scheme.
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1 Including the EDS set-up fee.
2 For those EPC payment scheme participants located in a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and within the geographical scope of the EPC schemes the definition of “group” will need to fulfil substantially equivalent requirements as those referred to in the EMIR Regulation.
The same flat unit participation fee applies to each of the EPC payment schemes to which a PSP adheres, with the exception of the One-Leg Out Instant Credit Transfer (OCT Inst) scheme, for which no participation fee is applied in 2026.
Individual scheme participant – not part of a declared group:
SCT scheme | SCT Inst scheme | SDD Core scheme | SDD B2B scheme | OCT Inst scheme | All four schemes |
EUR 649 | EUR 649 | EUR 649 | EUR 649 | No fee to be applied | EUR 2.596 |
Declared group:
|
|---|
Individual scheme participant – not part of a declared group:
| One-Off EDS set-up fee (new participants only | VOP participation fee |
| EUR 1.774 | EUR 1.845 |
Declared group:
| One-Off EDS set-up fee (new participants only) | VOP participation fee | |
| 2-5 | EUR 3.549 | EUR 3.690 |
| 6-10 | EUR 8.872 | EUR 9.224 |
| 11-20 | EUR 14.195 | EUR 14.759 |
| 21-50 | EUR 26.616 | EUR 27.672 |
| 51-200 | EUR 35.489 | EUR 36.896 |
| 201-500 | EUR 53.233 | EUR 55.345 |
| 501-1,000 | EUR 70.977 | EUR 73.793 |
| Above 1,000 | EUR 88.722 | EUR 92.241 |
2026 Yearly RVM fee:
| Fee for RVMs | EUR 3.500 |
Each scheme participant (or, in the case of a group of scheme participants, the parent undertaking or central control body) receives its annual fee invoice from the EPC during the first quarter of the year. Invoices must be settled using an electronic SEPA payment instrument.
The use of Direct debit (SDD Core) is strongly recommended, as it automates the payment process and helps avoid the suspension of scheme participants from the EPC Register of Participants in the event that a payment deadline is missed.