Can you get a refund from PPL PRS?

You can't usually get a refund just because you didn't play much music. TheMusicLicence is permission to play music, charged for the licence year, and the published terms don't include a general pro-rata refund. But money can be owed back in specific situations: cancelling a brand-new licence within 14 days, credits for changes and sales, and overcharges where the figures or rates were wrong. Those are worth checking.

1. The 14-day cooling-off refund#

Clause 9.5 of TheMusicLicence terms says that if you haven't played or performed any music under the agreement, you can cancel within 14 days of the agreement date and get back any royalty paid. It's narrow, but it's a full refund if it fits.

2. Credits for changes that lower the fee#

Under clause 5.5, if a change in your use details lowers the royalty, the reduction is credited from the date you notify PPL PRS. If you sell or give up premises, it runs from the date of disposal instead. So if you closed a function room, cut seats or sold a site and told them, check the credit was actually applied. If you haven't told them yet, do it now: every month's delay usually can't be recovered later.

3. Overcharges from wrong figures#

If the licence was calculated on figures that were wrong at the time, a larger floor area, more rooms or seats, the wrong equipment category, events that didn't happen, that's a correction, not a refund request. Ask PPL PRS for the Usage Summary, show what was wrong and ask for the corrected invoice and a credit or repayment of the difference. Our invoice guide and Usage Summary guide explain how.

4. A higher rate that didn't stop#

Where a PRS for Music tariff charges a higher rate (standard plus 50%) for music played before a licence was in place, it applies to the first licence year only. If it's carried on into later years, the extra is worth asking back. The surcharge checker works out the difference and the date it should have stopped.

5. Paying twice#

Duplicate payments, payments on a closed account, or paying both a previous owner's account and your own for the same period are all worth raising with evidence. Ask for the payment to be identified and returned or credited.

How to ask#

Write to PPL PRS through its contact page with your account number, the period, what was wrong and the evidence, and ask for the calculation of what's owed back. Keep it factual. If the answer doesn't resolve it, the complaints procedure is the next step.

Not sure if you're owed anything?#

The free Invoice Check reviews one site's invoice against the published tariff and tells you, in writing, whether anything looks overcharged. If you run four or more sites, the first estate review is free. Or just tell us what happened. MLC is independent and is not affiliated with PPL PRS, PPL or PRS for Music.

• Cancelling or reducing your licence →
• The 50% higher royalty rate →
• Ways businesses overpay →

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and MLC is an independent consultancy, not affiliated with PPL PRS Ltd, PRS for Music or PPL.