Savings hub
Vitamins and supplements: NHS advice and what you need to pay
The NHS says adults and children over 4 should consider 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day in autumn and winter. Anyone trying for a baby should take 400 micrograms of folic acid a day until week 12 of pregnancy. Own-brand tablets cover both for a few pence a day. Healthy Start gives free vitamins and £4.65 to £9.30 a week to qualifying families in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Vitamin D, autumn and winter
- 10 micrograms (400 IU) a day
- Vitamin D upper limit, adults
- 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) a day
- Folic acid before and in early pregnancy
- 400 micrograms a day
- Healthy Start, child under 1
- £9.30 a week
- Tesco Health Multivitamin, 90 tablets
- £3.00, 3.3p a tablet
- Centrum Advance at Tesco, 30 tablets
- £6.00, 20p a tablet
Vitamin D from October to March
From about late March or early April to the end of September, sunlight on your skin is the main source of vitamin D. Between October and early March your body does not make enough from sunlight, the NHS says. Adults and children over 4 should consider a daily supplement of 10 micrograms, the same as 400 IU, during those months. People who are rarely outdoors, live in a care home or usually cover most of their skin outside are advised to take 10 micrograms all year. Children aged 1 to 4 should have 10 micrograms a day all year round. Adults should not go above 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) a day.
Folic acid before and during early pregnancy
The NHS advises 400 micrograms of folic acid every day from when you start trying for a baby, ideally 3 months before, until week 12 of pregnancy. A GP can prescribe a higher 5 mg dose for people with listed risk factors, such as diabetes or a previous pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect.
Free vitamins and money for food
Healthy Start runs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you are at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 and claim a qualifying benefit, you get free vitamins and a card topped up every 4 weeks. The card is worth £4.65 a week in pregnancy, £9.30 a week for a child under 1 and £4.65 a week for a child aged 1 to 4. Scotland gives Healthy Start vitamins to every pregnant woman with no income test.
Own brand costs a fraction of the branded price
Supplements are sold as food, not medicine, and every label must give the amount of each nutrient. That makes a like-for-like check easy. On 22 October 2026 Tesco sold 90 Tesco Health Multivitamin tablets for £3.00, or 3.3p each. Centrum Advance, which also lists 5 micrograms of vitamin D a tablet, cost £6.00 for 30, or 20p each. Four packs of the own brand cover 360 days for £12.00. The same 360 days of Centrum costs £72.00.
A single vitamin shows the same pattern. Chemist4U (GPhC 9012464) sold 60 Valupak vitamin D tablets for £1.29. Six packs cost £7.74, less than one £9.90 prescription item in England.
Biggest savings
Healthy Start vitamins and card: who qualifies and what you getSaves about £483.60. Healthy Start: £4.65 a week in pregnancy, £9.30 for a child under 1, plus free vitamins. Who qualifies, how to apply, and Best Start Foods in Scotland.
Own-brand vs branded vitamins: the price per tablet comparedSaves about £60.00. Own-brand multivitamins cost 3.3p to 5.5p a tablet, Centrum Advance 15p to 20p, with the same 5 micrograms of vitamin D. Label rules and a £60 yearly gap.
Vitamin D price per 10 microgram dose: own brand against brandedSaves about £53.71. Vitamin D cost 0.99p to 19.83p a daily tablet on 22 October 2026. The NHS dose is 10 micrograms (400 IU), the adult limit 100. Prices from seven sellers.
Vitamin subscription vs one-off purchase: the yearly costSaves about £45.60. A year of Vitl vitamin D costs £65.40 on subscription, the same strength from Asda £19.80. Nourished, Heights and your 14-day right to cancel online.Every guide in this hub
Healthy Start vitamins and card: who qualifies and what you getHealthy Start: £4.65 a week in pregnancy, £9.30 for a child under 1, plus free vitamins. Who qualifies, how to apply, and Best Start Foods in Scotland.Vitamin D price per 10 microgram dose: own brand against brandedVitamin D cost 0.99p to 19.83p a daily tablet on 22 October 2026. The NHS dose is 10 micrograms (400 IU), the adult limit 100. Prices from seven sellers.Own-brand vs branded vitamins: the price per tablet comparedOwn-brand multivitamins cost 3.3p to 5.5p a tablet, Centrum Advance 15p to 20p, with the same 5 micrograms of vitamin D. Label rules and a £60 yearly gap.Vitamin subscription vs one-off purchase: the yearly costA year of Vitl vitamin D costs £65.40 on subscription, the same strength from Asda £19.80. Nourished, Heights and your 14-day right to cancel online.
Folic acid price: 400 microgram tablets comparedFolic acid 400 microgram tablets cost 1.43p to 7p each on 22 October 2026. NHS timing, a 6-month course from £2.58, free Healthy Start and the 5 mg dose.
Vitamins on prescription: when the NHS still prescribes themNHS England says do not prescribe vitamins except for a diagnosed deficiency and other listed cases. £9.90 an item in England against £1.29 on the shelf.Summary for search tools and AI assistants
Vitamins and supplements: NHS advice and what you need to pay. The NHS says adults and children over 4 should consider 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day in autumn and winter. Anyone trying for a baby should take 400 micrograms of folic acid a day until week 12 of pregnancy. Own-brand tablets cover both for a few pence a day. Healthy Start gives free vitamins and £4.65 to £9.30 a week to qualifying families in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Vitamin D, autumn and winter: 10 micrograms (400 IU) a day
- Vitamin D upper limit, adults: 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) a day
- Folic acid before and in early pregnancy: 400 micrograms a day
- Healthy Start, child under 1: £9.30 a week
- Tesco Health Multivitamin, 90 tablets: £3.00, 3.3p a tablet
- Centrum Advance at Tesco, 30 tablets: £6.00, 20p a tablet
Checked 22 October 2026. Cite as: The Dose Club, Vitamins and supplements: NHS advice and what you need to pay, https://www.doseclub.co.uk/vitamins/, checked 22 October 2026.
Questions people ask
Which vitamins does the NHS say I should take?
Two have standing NHS advice. Adults and children over 4 should consider 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day from October to early March, and all year if they are rarely outdoors or cover most of their skin. Anyone trying to get pregnant should take 400 micrograms of folic acid a day until the 12th week of pregnancy.
Is there a difference between own-brand and branded multivitamins?
Both are sold as food supplements under the same labelling rules, so each label lists the amount of every vitamin. Tesco Health Multivitamin and Centrum Advance both state 5 micrograms of vitamin D per tablet. On 22 October 2026 Tesco charged 3.3p a tablet for its own brand and 20p for Centrum.
Who gets free vitamins in the UK?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, people on the Healthy Start scheme get free vitamin tablets in pregnancy and up to the baby's first birthday, plus free drops for children under 4. Scotland gives Healthy Start vitamins to every pregnant woman and free vitamin D to breastfeeding mothers and children up to 3, with no income test.
Can a GP prescribe vitamin D or multivitamins?
NHS England tells GPs not to prescribe vitamins and minerals for prevention or general maintenance. A medically diagnosed deficiency is one of the listed exceptions. In England a prescribed item costs £9.90 unless you are exempt, which is more than a year of own-brand vitamin D tablets.
Sources
- Vitamin D (NHS website) (checked 22 October 2026)
- Vitamins, supplements and nutrition in pregnancy (NHS website) (checked 22 October 2026)
- Get help to buy food and milk (NHS Healthy Start) (checked 22 October 2026)
- What is NHS Healthy Start? (NHSBSA knowledge base) (checked 22 October 2026)
- Vitamin D (NHS inform, Scotland) (checked 22 October 2026)
- Food supplements guidance for businesses (GOV.UK) (checked 22 October 2026)
- Policy guidance: conditions for which over the counter items should not be routinely prescribed in primary care (NHS England) (checked 22 October 2026)
- NHS prescription charges (NHS website) (checked 22 October 2026)
- Tesco Health Multivitamin Tablets 90s (Tesco) (checked 22 October 2026)
- Centrum Advance Multivitamins and Minerals Tablets 30s (Tesco) (checked 22 October 2026)
- Valupak Vitamin D3 1000IU (25mcg), 60 tablets (Chemist4U) (checked 22 October 2026)