If you haven’t heard of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), then perhaps now is the time to become familiar with it. As GDPR is now in force, it seems to have taken away the focus from the data protection fee and the need to register with the ICO.

While this is not a totally new concept, it does work in a different way to the Data Protection Act 1998 and the requirements that came with. If you were a business that processed data then it was important that you registered but it has since come to light that not every organisation has registered, despite the need to.

Quick question

• Do you store client / customer data?
• Do you use a CRM?
• Do you run an ecommerce store?
• Do you use invoice / account software?

If you answer YES to any of the above, its probably best you check

What is the Data Protection Fee?

This is the fee that businesses have to pay now that GDPR is in place. The fee that you pay helps to cover the cost of the data protection work that the ICO carries out. As a result, there are three tiers of fees to pay which means that data controllers will have to pay between £40 and £2,900 each year.

How much will my business need to pay?

Tier 1: This is aimed at Micro Organisations that have a turnover of up to £632,000 and less than ten members of staff. The fee is £40

Tier 2: This is for small and medium-sized businesses that have a maximum turnover of £36m and under 250 employees. The fee is £60.

Tier 3: Aimed at large businesses with a turnover of more £36m. The fee is £2,900.

Have You Registered?

GDPR is serious business and it is extremely important that your business also registers with the ICO, especially with the deadline fast approaching on the 27th March.

The rules specify that every business that handles personal information has to pay the data protection fee. While the fee came in at the same time as GDPR, many businesses have not registered but the deadline now brings the issue into the limelight.  As a result, if your business has not registered, then now is the time to do so.

Take a look through the questionnaire from the ICO and in around two minutes, you will be able to determine whether you are required to register. We urge you to register because it is a legal requirement to do so. Therefore, take the quick online survey and find out if you are applicable and to determine the fee that you will pay.

The deadline is in place for a reason and that makes it even more important to register if you are required to do so. If you do fail to register and miss the deadline then you could find yourself hit with a fine of £4,350.