Folic acid price: 400 microgram tablets compared

What the NHS advises

The NHS pregnancy guidance is 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. Start when you begin trying to get pregnant, ideally 3 months before, or as soon as you find out if the pregnancy was not planned. Carry on until you are 12 weeks pregnant. The NHS says taking it for longer will not harm your baby.

You can buy folic acid from pharmacies, supermarkets and online, according to the NHS. A higher 5 mg dose exists for people with particular risk factors, and a GP prescribes it.

Prices for 400 microgram tablets on 22 October 2026

Each price below comes from the seller's product page on the day. Every product lists 400 micrograms of folic acid a tablet, taken once a day.

Two pregnancy multivitamins add 10 micrograms of vitamin D to the same 400 micrograms of folic acid.

Tesco showed the Seven Seas pack as out of stock.

Ordinary adult multivitamins carry less. Tesco Health Multivitamin, Morrisons A-Z Multi Vitamins and ASDA Wellbeing 1 a day A-Z each list 200 micrograms of folic acid a tablet, half the 400 micrograms in the NHS pregnancy advice. Read the nutrition table before counting a multivitamin as your folic acid.

What a full course costs

Three months before pregnancy plus the first 12 weeks comes to about six months. The table prices 180 days at one tablet a day.

Delivery changes the order. Chemist4U charges £3.95 on orders under £39, so two Valupak packs bought online come to £6.53. If you shop at Asda anyway, two packs of the Asda tablets at £4.00 cost less. Against Solgar at Sainsbury's, the Valupak course saves £11.42 before delivery.

If you want folic acid and vitamin D, two single tablets cost less than one pregnancy multivitamin on these prices. Valupak folic acid at 1.43p and Vitabiotics Ultra Vitamin D 400 IU at 4.17p from Sainsbury's come to 5.60p a day, against 13.17p for Pregnacare During Original. The NHS advises 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day in pregnancy between early October and late March.

Free folic acid

Healthy Start vitamin tablets contain folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin D. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland they are free to families on the scheme, from pregnancy until the baby's first birthday. Pregnancy eligibility starts at 10 weeks, so the scheme does not cover the months before you conceive or the first 10 weeks. Folic acid for those weeks is yours to buy.

In Scotland, NHS inform says Healthy Start vitamins are free to all pregnant women, with no income test. Ask your midwife or health visitor.

The 5 mg dose and what it costs

The NHS lists the groups who need 5 mg rather than 400 micrograms. They are people planning a pregnancy or less than 12 weeks pregnant where:

• you or the baby's father has a neural tube defect, or a relative with one
• a previous pregnancy was affected by a neural tube defect
• you have diabetes
• you have a blood condition such as sickle cell anaemia or thalassaemia
• you take medicine for epilepsy or HIV

A GP prescribes the 5 mg dose. None of the retail pages checked on 22 October 2026 listed a 5 mg folic acid tablet for sale.

In England a prescription item costs £9.90 unless you are exempt. Once a midwife or doctor confirms your pregnancy, they can apply for a maternity exemption certificate for you. The certificate gives free NHS prescriptions and expires 12 months after your due date or your baby's birth. Before pregnancy, a medical exemption certificate covers people with diabetes mellitus, except where it is treated by diet alone. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland charge nothing for a prescription. The free prescriptions guide lists the other exemptions.

Mistakes that cost money

Waiting for a positive test. The NHS advice starts before pregnancy, and Healthy Start eligibility in pregnancy begins at week 10.

Paying for a prescription you could get free. Ask your midwife about a maternity exemption certificate as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed.

Buying a single item online. Chemist4U's £3.95 delivery charge below a £39 order is three times the price of a Valupak pack.

Taking a general multivitamin without reading the label. The NHS says not to take supplements containing vitamin A, sometimes called retinol, in pregnancy, or cod liver oil.

Where the figures come from

The 400 microgram dose, the timing, the 5 mg risk list, the vitamin A warning and the vitamin D advice in pregnancy are from the NHS page on vitamins and supplements in pregnancy. The note on buying and prescriptions is from the NHS folic acid page. Prices, pack sizes, offers and stock are from the Chemist4U, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's product pages listed in the sources, read on 22 October 2026. The £3.95 delivery charge is from Chemist4U. Healthy Start contents and the 10-week rule are from the Healthy Start site. Scottish free vitamins are from NHS inform. The maternity exemption certificate rules are from the NHSBSA. The £9.90 charge is from the NHS prescription charges page and the diabetes exemption from NHSBSA leaflet HC11.