FP34C declaration submission deadline extended due to bank holiday

Pharmacy owners will have an extra day to submit the total number of paper and electronic prescription items dispensed in March due to the Good Friday bank holiday.

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) said that because Friday 3 April is a bank holiday, pharmacies will have an extra day to submit their March FP34C declarations.

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But the CPE warned that because the new deadline falls on Easter Monday – which is also a bank holiday – the benefit of this extension ‘may be lost for many pharmacies’ closed over the long weekend.

CPE has provided advance notice of this to ensure that pharmacy owners submit their March FP34C declarations by 6 April to secure advance payment on 10 April.

It said that the key deadlines for declaring and submitting March 2026 activity for payment are:

• 5 April 2026: Submit Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) claims;
• 6 April 2026: Submit FP34C declaration via the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal;
• 6 April 2026: Dispatch FP10 prescription bundles to NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has asked pharmacy teams to submit their FP10 prescription bundles as early as possible but said it would accept FP10 prescription bundles dispatched to the NHSBSA no later than Tuesday 7 April 2026, in recognition of the holiday period.

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But this flexibility does not extend to submission of the FP34C declaration, the DHSC added.

Any pharmacy owners who submit their March FP34C figures late will not receive any early advance payments on 10 April but will receive their advance payments on 1 May in accordance with the normal advance payment timetable, CPE said.

A pharmacy that is closed throughout the Easter weekend from 3-6 April must therefore submit its FP34C declaration and prescription bundle to NHSBSA no later than 2 April, CPE added.

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CPE asked the DHSC and the NHSBSA to allow FP34C submissions to be made by the end of 7 April without impacting the early advance payment date to minimise any cashflow risk for pharmacies.

However, CPE said this change was not possible as the payment dates are stipulated by the banks and any extension to the FP4C submission deadline would have resulted in delayed early advance payments for all pharmacy owners.