Plain English. No jargon. The answer first.
Football's spending rules, explained
Premier League: every club's SCR position
The Premier League's version has no owner top-up. Instead every club starts with a 30% allowance above the 85% Green Threshold — a 115% Red Threshold — that shrinks after a breach. On our estimates 4 of 20 clubs sit above 85% (Fulham, Bournemouth, Coventry, Hull City), and 6 of the 9 clubs in Europe are above UEFA's stricter 70% line.
- Arsenal 57.5%: under 85%
- Tottenham 59.3%: under 85%
- Liverpool 61.4%: under 85%
- Leeds 65%: under 85%
- Man Utd 67.4%: under 85%
- Everton 69%: under 85%
- Chelsea 70%: under 85%
- Newcastle 70.2%: under 85%
- Ipswich 72.5%: under 85%
- Sunderland 73%: under 85%
- Brighton 73.7%: under 85%
- Crystal Palace 75.2%: under 85%
- Brentford 76%: under 85%
- Nottm Forest 76.9%: under 85%
- Man City 77.4%: under 85%
- Aston Villa 82.4%: under 85%
- Coventry 86.6%: between 85% and the Red Threshold
- Bournemouth 88%: between 85% and the Red Threshold
- Fulham 89.3%: between 85% and the Red Threshold
- Hull City 91.5%: between 85% and the Red Threshold
- 16 under 85%
- 4 between 85% and the Red Threshold
Championship: every club's SCR position
The same 85% line, with no allowance above it. Instead an owner can add an equity top-up: up to £16m a season, and £34.3m over three years. On our estimates 18 of 24 clubs sit above 85%.
- Sheffield Utd 57.6%: under 85%
- Wrexham 59.9%: under 85%
- Portsmouth 70.9%: under 85%
- Southampton 73.1%: under 85%
- West Ham 77.2%: under 85%
- Bolton 83.5%: under 85%
- Lincoln 88.8%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Bristol City 89.1%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Stoke 93.8%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Wolves 94.2%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- QPR 98.2%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Derby 98.7%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Charlton 108%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Watford 108.1%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Birmingham 109.3%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Middlesbrough 112%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Burnley 114.8%: over 85%, beyond what a top-up covers
- Blackburn 119%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- West Brom 122%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Norwich 122.4%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Preston 128.8%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Swansea 130.4%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Millwall 143.1%: over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- Cardiff 151.2%: over 85%, beyond what a top-up covers
- 6 under 85%
- 16 over 85%, but an owner top-up could cover it
- 2 over 85%, beyond what a top-up covers
League One: every club's SCMP position
League One clubs follow the Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) rather than SCR: player wages are capped at 50% of turnover, or 65% in a club's first season after relegation from the Championship. Ratios are wages against turnover.
- Leicester 20%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- AFC Wimbledon 31%: within the wage limit
- Sheff Wed 32%: within the wage limit
- Cambridge 33%: within the wage limit
- Peterborough 37%: within the wage limit
- Barnsley 39%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Oxford 47%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Luton 48%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Doncaster 53%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Bradford 54%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Bromley 55%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Leyton Orient 58%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Stockport 61%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Huddersfield 73%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Reading 77%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Wigan 83%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Burton 87%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Blackpool 92%: at risk of a breach
- Wycombe 112%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- MK Dons 141%: close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- Mansfield No data: no published turnover
- Notts County No data: no published turnover
- Plymouth No data: no published turnover
- Stevenage No data: no published turnover
- 4 within the wage limit
- 15 close to or over it, or covered by owner equity
- 1 at risk of a breach
- 4 no published turnover
What changed: PSR vs SCR
The SCR compliance calendar shows when each season's checks fall. Which Championship clubs come out ahead from the switch, and which lose ground? PSR vs SCR, club by club →
Compare two clubs
Head-to-head spending power. In the Championship the parachute-payment gap is where it gets interesting; in the Premier League it's player-sale profit.
Premier League
- Arsenal vs Chelsea London's two biggest wage bills under SCR
- Man City vs Liverpool title rivals, very different SCR headroom
- Aston Villa vs Newcastle the two clubs UEFA's rule bites hardest
Show 7 more Premier League comparisons Show fewer
- Bournemouth vs Brighton why player sales decide the ratio
- Fulham vs Brentford the west London SCR derby
- Leeds vs Sunderland two promoted clubs on projected PL revenue
- Ipswich vs Hull yo-yo club vs first-timer
- Man Utd vs Spurs two big wage bills, only one with a European place
- Forest vs Everton the two clubs PSR points deductions hit hardest
- Villa vs Chelsea the two clubs fined by UEFA in 2026
Championship
- Wolves vs Norwich Premier League money vs Championship regular
- Burnley vs Sheffield United parachute club vs survivor
- West Brom vs Birmingham the West Midlands SCR derby
Show 4 more Championship comparisons Show fewer
League One
- Leicester vs Sheffield Wednesday two fallen giants in League One
- Sheffield Wednesday vs Oxford two relegated clubs on the 65% first-season threshold
- MK Dons vs AFC Wimbledon the rivalry, on SCMP wage bills
Show 4 more League One comparisons Show fewer
Frequently asked questions
How does Premier League SCR differ from the Championship's?
Both cap squad cost at 85% of adjusted revenue. The Championship adds an owner equity top-up (£16m/season, £34.3m over three years). The Premier League has none — every club instead starts with a 30% allowance above 85%, a 115% Red Threshold, which is cut by the size of any breach and rebuilds at 10 points a season. Clubs in Europe are also bound by UEFA's separate 70% rule. Premier League SCR in full →
What counts as squad cost under SCR?
Player wages, transfer fee amortisation (the annual cost of a fee spread over the contract length), and agent fees. Running costs like stadium upkeep or academy spending do not count toward the SCR limit. Squad cost in the glossary →
What is the owner equity top-up?
Championship clubs can invest owner equity on top of the 85% limit — up to £16m in a single season and no more than £34.3m across any rolling three-year window. This lets clubs spend slightly ahead of revenue if owners inject fresh capital, but it's a finite buffer.
What happens if a club breaches the SCR limit?
Clubs that breach face EFL sanctions, which can include transfer embargoes, fines, or points deductions. The penalty is determined by an independent panel based on the scale and persistence of the breach.
Do parachute payments help clubs under SCR?
Yes — significantly. Parachute payments count as football revenue, giving recently relegated clubs a much larger 85% allowance than their Championship peers. A parachuted club might have a limit of £90m+ versus £30–40m for a typical side. But the advantage evaporates once payments end, usually after two or three seasons.