Guide
SMSTS course cost: what UK providers publish, 5-day and refresher
Updated
An SMSTS course costs a median of £400 for the full 5-day course across the five UK providers that print that price on their own page, from £380 to £630, read on 28 October 2026. The 2-day refresher costs a median of £287 across six providers.
The published prices
| Course | What the provider publishes | Provider |
|---|---|---|
| 5-day SMSTS, live online | £380 + VAT (£456 with VAT) | Skills Training Group |
| 5-day SMSTS, virtual | £399 | Knight Learning |
| 5-day SMSTS, online | £400 excl. VAT | SMAS Worksafe |
| 5-day SMSTS, online or classroom | £495 + VAT | CST Training |
| 5-day SMSTS, classroom | £630, no VAT charged | CITB National Construction College |
| 2-day refresher, online | £240 excl. VAT | SMAS Worksafe |
| 2-day refresher | £270 + VAT | CST Training |
| 2-day refresher, classroom | £285 | Knight Learning |
| 2-day refresher | £289 | SMC Safety Solutions |
| 2-day refresher | £340 + VAT | Safety Training Solutions |
| 2-day refresher | £365, no VAT charged | CITB National Construction College |
Sources, each the provider's own page: Skills Training Group, Knight Learning, SMAS Worksafe, CST Training, CITB 5-day, SMAS refresher, CST refresher, Knight refresher, SMC Safety Solutions, Safety Training Solutions, CITB refresher. The full table, with every provider that publishes nothing, is on the price index.
What moves the price
- Online or classroom
- Most of the lower prices are for live online courses; CITB's classroom course is £630 and its remote day-release course £509 (CITB course booker).
- VAT
- Most providers quote excluding VAT, so a £400 course costs £480 to a buyer who cannot reclaim it. CITB charges no VAT on its own courses.
- Day release or a block
- The same course can run five days in a row or one day a week, and some providers price the two differently.
- Resits and materials
- SMAS Worksafe includes an exam resit in its price; ask whether a quote does, and whether course books are printed or electronic.
What to ask before you book
- Is the price excluding or including VAT?
- Is it live online or in a classroom, and does your principal contractor accept online?
- Is an exam resit included if needed?
- For a group, can the course run at your own premises?
Published figures are what each provider advertises on its own page, read through our fetch box on the date shown. A 'from' price is the provider's floor, not the price of your booking.