Every year in May or June, all member unions are emailed with the calculated membership contribution fee. This includes a breakdown of the calculation and requests that unions let us know if the calculation is incorrect (and to supply relevant evidence). If you have a question about your fees, you can contact us using this form. You can also use this form to tell the memebrship team about hardship or abetment.requests before the 14 July deadline. 

Every year in September we send all member unions the invoice for their membership contribution fee. This is often the point when we receive queries on the calculation.

 

The calculation will be as follows:

 

 

If you choose to affiliate to just NUS Charity, payments are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate. 

 

 
•    Staff where they solely work on student union work regardless of whether they work for the union or parent institution.
 
•    Any elected officers part-time or full time, regardless of whether they work for the union or parent institution.
 
•    Any (block) grant funding from the parent institution.

 
•    Where a member receives funds with the intention of them being remitted back to the institution (for example for payment of rent or utilities) the value of these funds would be removed to calculate the effective block grant.
 
•    If a member receives funds that are specifically for a restricted fund as detailed in accounting SORP, then this figure should be removed to calculate effective block grant.
 
•    If a member receives funds to help bail the member out of a fine or similar, then the figure should be removed to calculate effective block grant.
 
•    If a member received funds to help with a building project, capital expenditure or similar investment, then the figure should be removed to calculate effective block grant.
 

 

We are aware that we may not always use the correct block grant figures due to the methodology that we collect this information and it not being complete. Provided a member can evidence the block grant figure that requires correcting, this will be amended. Evidence can be in the form of:

• Sight of the statutory accounts disclosing the block grant figure, by any of Companies House,
Charity Commission or forwarded accounts

• Copy of a letter from the institution confirming the block grant value and the period for which the
block grant was awarded

• Sight of draft statutory accounts disclosing the block grant figure.

 

Complete this form if you need to make an amendment.

 

For your peace of mind and planning purposes, below are the options available to members who may be in need of financial support in 2023-24

HARDSHIP

Hardship is another existing scheme that seeks to support members who find themselves unable to pay their membership fees. The principle underpinning hardship is that a students' union could not have reasonably planned for the financial hardship. 

 

 

TRANSITION RELIEF 

 

In certain situations, a member may see an increase in membership contribution. This could be for a variety of reasons including (but not limited to) an increase in block grant, new information arising from a review of financial/block grant information, a change in the calculation of membership contribution or an increase in membership contribution agreed by the members of NUS/NUS Charity. 

 

In such circumstances, it is possible to stagger the increase in membership contribution. This is known as transition relief. The aim of transition relief is to stagger a members’ move from the previous level of membership contribution to the new over a period of time.

 

A member may apply for transition relief if;  

 

•    Their membership contribution is 20% or higher than the value of their previous membership contribution. Increases of less than 20% are not eligible for transition relief.  

•    They are an existing member of NUS/NUS Charity. New members are not eligible to apply for transition relief 

•    The member has not previously been in receipt of transition relief in the last two years 

•    The member has been specifically put in a list to not receive transition relief