Broadband Early Termination Fees UK 2026: Who Charges What

A broadband early termination fee in the UK is the charge your provider adds to your final bill if you leave before your minimum term ends. It is set by each provider’s own method, so the same 12 months left can cost very different amounts. TalkTalk charges a flat £10.20 for each month remaining on most fibre plans, Vodafone charges 80% of your monthly cost for each month left, and BT, EE, Plusnet and Sky subtract the costs they save from what you would still pay (provider pages, checked 23 October 2026). Ofcom says the fee should never be more than the payments left on your contract (Ofcom, updated 26 June 2026). One Touch Switch removes any notice charge after the switchover date, but not the fee itself. A new provider’s switching credit can cover it, usually as bill credit after you have paid (provider pages, checked 23 October 2026).

Last updated: October 2026

Broadband early termination fee UK: the quick answer

Providers use three methods: a flat sum for each month left (TalkTalk), a percentage of your monthly bill (Vodafone, Virgin Media), or remaining payments minus costs saved (BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky).

How broadband early termination fees are worked out

An early termination fee is calculated from the months left on your minimum term, so it shrinks every month you wait. VAT is added on top, and Ofcom says the fee should not exceed the payments left (Ofcom, updated 26 June 2026).

The “costs saved” step is where the maths gets murky. None of BT, EE or Plusnet publishes that figure for current plans, so this article uses their own worked examples rather than guessing a percentage.

Switching does not make the fee disappear. Ofcom says that if you switch before the end of your contract you might need to pay early termination charges, and your new provider must tell you about them before you switch. What One Touch Switch removes is the notice period: the old provider must not charge for notice after the switchover date (Ofcom, page updated 25 August 2026). Our guide on how to switch broadband covers the process.

BT early termination fee: how BT calculates it

BT’s early termination fee is “the remaining amount you would have paid up to the end of your minimum period”, with BT’s saved costs taken off. BT says minimum terms are usually 12, 18 or 24 months and asks for 30 days’ notice. To cancel, ring 0800 783 1401 (BT help page, checked 23 October 2026).

BT’s Consumer Price Guide, effective 25 September 2026, sets out the steps. Take the remaining amount due to the end of the minimum period, after discounts. Remove VAT, subtract the costs BT saves, take off 1% for early receipt, then add VAT back. Part months are pro rata daily.

BT’s own illustrative example uses a £45 package with a £10 discount and four months left. That is £140 remaining, £116.67 before VAT, £56.67 after subtracting saved costs of “for example, £15 per month”, £56.10 after the 1% discount, and £67.32 with VAT. The saved-costs figure in that example is BT’s illustration, not a rate you can rely on.

We can only give a ceiling. BT Full Fibre 300 is ~£30.99/mo (BT, checked 20 October 2026). If BT saved nothing, 12 months left would give about £368. BT’s example shows the deduction is not zero, so treat £368 as the most it could be, not the likely fee, and ask BT for your exact figure.

BT and TalkTalk: same group now

BT Group bought TalkTalk out of administration on 5 October 2026 (TalkTalk and Reuters). BT says existing terms and prices remain the same. Leaving TalkTalk is covered below. Our BT broadband review covers BT’s plans.

EE broadband early termination fee

EE’s broadband early termination fee is “the remaining amount you would have paid up to the end of your minimum period, minus the costs we save, for example, payments to suppliers” (EE help page, checked 23 October 2026).

EE gives two worked examples, both illustrative. A £19 a month plan with 2 months left comes to £11.81, using costs saved of “for example £10.49” a month. A £25 a month plan with 6 months left comes to £54.14, using costs saved of “for example £13”. EE does not publish a costs-saved figure for current plans, so ask EE for your exact number.

Do not mix this up with EE Mobile. The mobile rule is remaining charges, minus VAT, minus 4%, plus VAT, with no costs-saved step. That is the “96%” figure some comparison sites quote when you search for EE’s fee. It is not the broadband method.

Watch for three traps. EE One customers who cancel broadband lose any discounts and data add-ons on their EE Mobile account. Kit must go back within 30 days or it is charged on your final bill. And EE’s page gives notice as both 30 days and 14 days, so assume 30 if you are simply cancelling. If you switch, EE cannot charge notice after the switch date (Ofcom).

See our EE broadband review.

Sky broadband early termination fee

Sky’s broadband early termination fee is a monthly rate from Sky’s published table, multiplied by the months left and rounded up to the nearest 25p. The table is dated 10 July 2026 and covers contracts ended on or after 1 April 2026. It is based on standard prices, and Sky says you will be charged less if you pay an offer price (Sky ETC table, checked 23 October 2026).

These are the monthly rates for broadband including line rental: Full Fibre 75 £26.79, Full Fibre 100 £21.43, Full Fibre 150 £22.89, Full Fibre 300 £20.21, Full Fibre 500 £22.69, Full Fibre Gigafast £23.12, Superfast 35 £26.89.

Our estimate using Sky’s published method, October 2026: a Full Fibre 150 customer on the standard price with 12 months left pays 12 × £22.89 = £274.68, rounded up to £274.75.

Sky is the provider where bundles bite. Sky TV early termination charges are taken upfront when you cancel TV, while broadband charges go on your next bill. Sky broadband needs 14 days’ notice and Sky TV needs 31 (Sky help pages, checked 23 October 2026). If you switch broadband, Sky says your Broadband and Talk cancel automatically, but Sky TV or Sky Mobile “will stay active” and must be cancelled separately.

On price rises, Sky has historically let broadband customers leave penalty-free within 30 days of its price-rise notice. Check the notice itself, because it sets out your options. See our Sky broadband review.

Vodafone broadband early termination fee

Vodafone’s broadband early termination fee is 80% of the monthly cost of your Home Broadband and Phone plan, minus any discounts, multiplied by the months left when you give notice (Vodafone help page, checked 23 October 2026). To get your exact figure, call 03333 040 191.

Vodafone’s own example is (£30 minus a £5 discount) × 80% × 5 months = £100. Our estimate using Vodafone’s published method, October 2026: Vodafone Broadband is £24/mo (Vodafone, checked 20 October 2026). With 12 months left and no discount, that is £24 × 0.8 × 12 = £230.40.

Vodafone’s site says Home Broadband plans rise by £3.50 each 1 April. A rise written in pounds and pence gives no penalty-free exit. Vodafone is also not a signatory to Ofcom’s speeds code, so that free-exit route does not apply. Its terms ask for 30 days’ notice, but that wording comes from a July 2024 document, so confirm it when you call. See our Vodafone broadband review.

TalkTalk early termination fee (and what BT’s takeover means)

TalkTalk charges a flat early termination fee for each month remaining. Fast Broadband is £10.80 a month. Fibre 35, 65, 150 and 250, the Data Only fibre plans, Faster Fibre and TalkTalk U are £10.20 a month. TalkTalk App customers pay £11.25 a month for the remaining duration (TalkTalk help centre, page modified 22 October 2026, checked 23 October 2026).

Our estimate using TalkTalk’s published method, October 2026: 12 months at £10.20 is 12 × £10.20 = £122.40, or £135.00 at the App rate. Paying out 12 months of a ~£25/mo plan would cost £300 (TalkTalk, checked 20 October 2026). TalkTalk’s current £25 plans are not all named in its table, so confirm your rate. It says it will tell you “how much it will be when you speak to us”.

To cancel you need to speak to TalkTalk: live chat, 0345 172 0088, or post to Soapworks, Colgate Lane, Salford M5 3LZ. Notice is 30 days outside the minimum term, and when you switch the new provider’s notice counts.

The traps are specific. If you switch to Virgin Media or Vodafone on the CityFibre network, you must contact TalkTalk yourself. Cancelling broadband ends TalkTalk TV, and kit must go back within 28 days (42 for App customers) or you face a charge.

BT Group acquired TalkTalk out of administration on 5 October 2026. TalkTalk says customer contracts transferred to TalkTalk Telecommunications Limited that day, that “your existing contract remains unchanged” and that the transfer does not change the terms of your agreement (TalkTalk, checked 23 October 2026). BT says existing terms and prices remain the same. We are not guessing at later changes. See our TalkTalk broadband review.

Plusnet early termination fee

Plusnet works out its early termination fee from your monthly charge including discounts, with VAT removed, costs saved subtracted, 1% off for early payment, then multiplied by the months left and VAT added back. (Plusnet help page, updated 5 September 2025, checked 23 October 2026).

Plusnet’s own example is £23.99 a month with 3 months and 20 days left. That is £19.99 before VAT, £7.99 after “for example £12” of saved costs, £7.91 after the 1% discount, £29.03 across the remaining period, and £34.84 with VAT. The saved-costs figure is Plusnet’s illustration, so ring 0330 1239 123 for your exact amount.

Notice is 14 days for residential customers (Plusnet cancellation policy, updated 11 June 2026). If you switch, Plusnet says you usually do not need to tell it, because your new provider tells Plusnet when to switch off. If you signed up after 1 February 2024 and do not return your router, Plusnet charges £50. See our Plusnet broadband review.

Virgin Media early termination fee: the short version

Cheapest and most expensive way out: which provider costs least to leave?

On the published methods we checked, TalkTalk’s flat £10.20 a month is the cheapest way out. With 12 months left, our estimates are £122.40 for TalkTalk, £230.40 for Vodafone on a £24 plan and £274.75 for Sky Full Fibre 150. They use different plan prices, so they are not strictly like for like.

For Virgin Media, our Virgin guide estimates about £281–£289 on a £29.99 plan with 10 months left.

Ofcom rules for leaving broadband early without paying

You can leave broadband without an early termination fee when your minimum term has ended, during the cooling-off period, after an unfixed speed fault with a code signatory, after a price rise beyond what you agreed, or after bereavement. Moving home depends on your provider.

• Out of contract. Providers must send an end-of-contract notice 10 to 40 days before the end (Ofcom, updated 17 July 2026).
• Cooling-off. You normally have 14 days after agreeing a contract. Sky gives an enhanced 31 days in the UK (Sky, checked 23 October 2026).
• Price rises. If a provider raises the price beyond what you agreed at sign-up, it must give at least one month’s notice and a penalty-free exit. Rises set out in pounds and pence at the point of sale give no exit right. (Ofcom, updated 26 June 2026).
• Speed faults. If your speed falls below the minimum guaranteed level because of a network problem not fixed within 30 days, signatories must let you leave without an exit fee. Signatories are BT, EE, NOW Broadband, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk, Utility Warehouse, Virgin Media and Zen. Vodafone is not on the list (Ofcom, published 21 November 2022, checked 23 October 2026).
• Bereavement. Ofcom says you shouldn’t have to pay a penalty fee, although business accounts may be treated differently (Ofcom, updated 8 April 2026).
• Moving home. We found no Ofcom-level right to leave free. Ask your provider before you move, because policies differ.

Get any free exit confirmed in writing.

Will your new provider pay your exit fee? Switching credits compared

Some new providers will credit you towards an exit fee, but it is a bill or account credit paid after you have paid the old provider, with a cap and a deadline. Which? listed lower Sky and Vodafone figures in August 2026, but the providers’ own pages now say the following (checked 23 October 2026).

• Sky. Broadband up to £200, TV up to £100, TV and broadband up to £300, capped at the monthly payments charged after you leave. Email your final bill and proof of payment within 90 days of activation.
• Vodafone. Up to £300 account credit “when you pay an early termination fee”, on 24-month Full Fibre 150 and faster plans bought direct. You complete a form within 90 days of activation.
• BT. Up to £200 broadband only and up to £300 with TV, as bill credit capped at the fee paid. It is invitation only, and you email your paid final bill within 4 months of activation. Exits from BT, EE and Plusnet are not eligible, nor are cancellations within 14 days.
• EE. The same amounts, caps and 4-month window as BT, invitation only, and TV-only switches are excluded. Exits from BT, EE and Plusnet are not eligible.

The BT and EE exclusion lists name BT, EE and Plusnet but not TalkTalk. We cannot tell you either would credit a TalkTalk exit fee, so check eligibility with them before you switch.

Pay the fee, wait it out, or switch with a credit?

Wait if you are early in your term and have no free-exit right, switch if a credit covers the fee, and use any free-exit right before paying anything. The test: monthly saving × months left, plus any credit, against the fee.

You are out of contract or in your last month

You pay no fee, so switch or haggle. Our guide on how to haggle for a better broadband deal has the scripts, and the cheapest broadband deals list gives you a benchmark.

You have a free-exit right

An unfixed speed fault with a code signatory, a rise beyond your contract or bereavement all remove the fee. Use that route first and get it in writing.

A credit is at least as big as your fee

Switching can then cost close to nothing net. The credit arrives after you pay, is capped at the fee, and may need an invitation or a deadline claim.

Your fee is bigger than any credit

Work out the monthly saving × months left, add the credit, and compare it with the fee. TalkTalk’s flat £10.20 often makes leaving early cheap, while Virgin’s 93–96% rarely does. If the sums are close, wait.

You have a bundle

TV and mobile may not end when broadband does. Sky TV and Sky Mobile stay active, EE One mobile discounts go, and TalkTalk TV ends with your broadband. Check each part before you book the switch.

What to do next

Get your exact fee from your provider, then compare it with a new deal before you commit.

1. Find your minimum term end date and months left in your account.
2. Ask your provider for the exact early termination fee, in writing, using the number in its section above.
3. Compare deals at your address, and ask the new provider about its switching credit and its exclusions.
4. Switch using the process in our how to switch broadband guide, and ask your new provider to confirm any charges before the switchover date.

For a wider view, see our comparison of UK broadband providers.

Broadband early termination fee FAQs

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Written by Vaibhav Kulkarni

Vaibhav is the founder and technical editor of TheTechVector, with 15 years’ experience in quality engineering and software testing. He applies that background to auditing spec sheets, comparing price-to-performance, and checking hardware compatibility across our UK broadband, laptop, VPN, and smart home guides. All prices are checked before publication — if something’s out of date, let us know.