One person
All-inclusive, no hidden fees, at any of our offices in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
£495
One figure everywhere. It does not change with distance.
Prices
All-inclusive, and stated before you book.
One figure covers the consultation, the pre-examination assessment, the examination itself and a full written report verified by a second examiner. There is nothing to add afterwards.
£495
one person, all-inclusive, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
£695
for two people examined together
£295
each, for three or more on the same day
£125
booking fee, taken off the total
Two people
A couple, same day
£695
Both examinations, both reports.
Three or more
Same day, same location
£295 each
Per person. For theft, business and legal cases — everyone tested about the same incident, with the same questions put to each person.
£885 in total for the first three people, then £295 for each person after that.
One person
Glasgow or Edinburgh
£695
Our two Scottish offices — examiners travel from England to staff them.
Two people
A couple, same day
£985
Both examinations, both reports.
Three or more
Same day, same location
£495 each
Per person.
Examiners travel from England to staff Glasgow and Edinburgh, which is why the Scottish rate is higher — nothing is added for anywhere else in Scotland beyond those two rooms; the helpline will tell you what is realistic for your dates.
How paying works
A £125 booking fee confirms your appointment. It is deducted from the total, not added to it — so a £495 test leaves £370 to pay (£570 in Scotland). The balance is due no later than 48 hours before the examination.
The booking fee is non-refundable, because assessment work begins as soon as you book — which also means booking waives the 14-day cooling-off period. If you are not sure a test is the right step, call the helpline first. That costs nothing.
Book a test Call free — 0800 861 1058
Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm · Saturday 10am – 6pm, Sunday 10am – 2pm.
Why prices differ
Five things move the price, and only one of them is the examiner.
Search for what a polygraph costs in the UK and you will find a very wide range. This is what actually sits behind it.
How long it takes
A test that allows two hours costs more to deliver than one rushed through in forty minutes — and the pre-examination interview is where the accuracy comes from.
How many questions
Up to 4 specific-issue questions, each repeated through the test. More relevant questions means a longer examination and more analysis.
Who you booked through
Booking direct costs less than going via a private investigator or a solicitor, because there is no margin stacked on top. We only sell direct.
Whether more than one test is needed
Several examinations run consecutively on the same day at the same location cost less per test than the same examinations booked separately — £295 each from three upwards.
Who is holding the instrument
Anyone in the UK may buy a polygraph and charge for its use. Accreditation, a relevant degree and years of practice all cost something to acquire, and they are the difference between a result worth having and a number.
More than one test
Two people, one afternoon, one price.
Wanting more than one examination is common rather than unusual. Both partners accusing each other of infidelity; a theft at work or inside a family with more than one person in the frame. It is the same instrument and the same examiner either way.
- Two people, examined separately, £695. Own questions, own report, one appointment.
- Three or more, £295 each when they are on the same day at the same location. Split across two days or two towns and each becomes a separate booking at the ordinary rate.
- Allow about two hours per person. That is what caps how many can be done in a day, and it is why consecutive tests are the cheaper arrangement rather than a discount we choose to give.
- Ask about anything seasonal. Offers come and go around festive periods; the helpline will tell you what is running rather than the page guessing.
Everyone is examined separately and in private. Booking together changes the price and the diary, never the examination.
What the market charges
£400 to £600 is the usual UK spread.
For a single-issue examination that is roughly where private polygraph testing in this country sits. Where a provider falls inside it depends on where the test happens, who is conducting it, what is being asked and how many questions there are. Our own figures sit at the lower end of it and do not move with distance.
Typical UK range, single issue
£400–£600
Us, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland — near or far
£495
Whatever you are quoted anywhere, the question worth asking is whether it is all-inclusive. Travel, the report and the peer review are in ours; a figure that excludes any of them is not comparable to it.
A Lafayette Ambassador. The instrument has always been the easy part — reading what it records is the qualification.
What you are paying for
The equipment is not the expensive bit.
You would not hire a plumber to fix a computer. The same applies here: the difference between a reliable result and a worthless one is the person reading the chart, not the box it came out of.
- An APA-accredited examiner, trained at an accredited academy
- A pre-examination assessment, which is where most of the two hours goes
- A written report, peer reviewed by a second examiner
- Confidentiality that holds — results are released by the person who paid, and by nobody else
The part nobody tells you
Anyone in the UK can buy a polygraph and charge you for it.
There is no licence to obtain and no register to be struck off. That is exactly why accreditation is the thing to check, and why the cheap end of this industry is cheap.
Accreditation is a code, not a badge
An examiner accredited by the APA or the BPS is bound by a published code of ethics and can be removed from it. Somebody who has bought an instrument and a website is bound by nothing, and there is nobody to complain to.
A relevant degree, or the police
A reputable provider will not put somebody in the chair without a degree in psychology, forensic psychology or criminology, or a long career in law enforcement. Investigative interviewing is most of the job.
Training that does not stop
APA accreditation requires continuing education for as long as an examiner practises. It is not a certificate earned once and hung on a wall.
Every report read twice
Charts are peer reviewed by a second qualified examiner before a report leaves us, the way any scientific finding is. Results like these change lives; one person's opinion is not enough to send out.
Ethics
Results that appear in a newspaper were leaked by somebody.
It was not the client. Only the person who arranged and paid for a test can release what it found, and an accredited examiner who does it for them — or for anybody else — is finished.
The report belongs to whoever paid
It goes to them and to nobody else. What they do with it afterwards is their decision; it is never the examiner's, and we would generally advise against publishing it.
An examiner with nothing to gain
No examiner of ours has any interest in what the charts say. Somebody outside a professional body has no such constraint, and a result somebody wants badly enough is a thing that can be bought.
A home test has conditions
We will attend a private address, but only where the conditions that make a reading mean anything are met: no alcohol or drugs beforehand, a quiet room, and no interruptions for the whole appointment. If they cannot be met we will say so rather than take the booking.
Never for entertainment
You will not see us on television. The polygraph is an investigative instrument and using it as a format for an audience is the fastest way to make people believe it is a trick.
Before you book anywhere
Seven questions to ask any provider.
Including us. If a provider cannot answer these plainly, that is the answer.
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Are your examiners APA accredited?
Ours: Yes — all 6, by the APA and the BPS.
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What are their qualifications?
Ours: An APA academy, a degree in forensic psychology, and at least 8 years in private testing.
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Are results peer reviewed?
Ours: Every report is verified by a second examiner before you receive it.
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Do you have specialists for abuse cases?
Ours: Yes. Sexual and domestic abuse cases go to examiners trained specifically for them.
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What is the total cost?
Ours: From £495, all-inclusive. The £125 booking fee comes off it, not on top.
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Are there discounts?
Ours: Couples are £695; three or more on the same day are £295 each.
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Can I pay in stages?
Ours: Yes. £125 secures the appointment and the balance is due 48 hours before the test — so the whole amount is never needed on the day you book.
Booking and paying
When you decide, you can usually act the same day.
Online, at any hour
The booking system takes appointments 24 hours a day. Same-day and next-day slots come up regularly, and nothing is confirmed until an examiner has spoken to you.
Talk to an expert
The free helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm, and Saturday 10am – 6pm, Sunday 10am – 2pm. The consultation costs nothing and there is no obligation to book at the end of it.
Not all of it today
£125 secures the appointment and comes off the total; the balance is due 48 hours before the test. Nobody is asked for the full amount on the day they book.
Every call is confidential
Including the ones that do not become bookings. If a test is the wrong answer to your situation, the helpline will tell you so rather than take the money.
What people book us for
Infidelity · historical and false allegations · sexual allegations · theft and fraud · addiction, drugs and alcohol · workplace and pre-employment screening. If yours is not on that list it does not mean we cannot help — it means the helpline is the right first step.