FIFA Clearing House: what it is, how it works and its impact on training rights
For decades, the clubs that trained players had a problem: although the RETJ recognized their right to chargetraining compensationysolidarity contribution, in practice many never saw that money. The purchasing clubs did not pay, the federations did not supervise, and the training clubs — especially the smaller ones and those from developing countries — did not have the resources or the information to complain.
TheFIFA Clearing Housewas created to solve exactly that problem. Operational since November 2022 and based in Paris (France), it is aindependent financial entitywhich centralizes, calculates and automatically distributes payments for training and solidarity in the world football transfer system.
The numbers speak for themselves: in its first 24 months of operation, the Clearing House allocated more thanUSD 350 milliona more than5,000 training clubsof all categories, in more than 100 associations around the world. USD 156.6 million have already been effectively distributed, and the figure continues to grow with each transfer fee that is paid.
- What is the FIFA Clearing House and why was it created?
- The Electronic Sports Passport (EPP): the key to the system
- The 3 triggers of training compensation
- The step-by-step procedure: from EPP to payment
- Compliance assessment
- Deadlines, sanctions and consequences of non-payment
- Real impact: numbers and beneficiaries
- What your club should do to collect what it owes
What is the FIFA Clearing House
The FIFA Clearing House (FCH) is asimplified joint stock company (SAS)with address in Paris, France, under the company nameFIFA Clearing House SAS. It is regulated by theFrench banking supervisory authority(ACPR) as a payment service provider entity. It is independent of FIFA in its corporate structure, but operates under the FIFA Clearing House Regulations (January 2026 edition).
Its objectives, according to art. 1 of the Regulation:
Process training compensation (art. 20 RETJ) and solidarity contribution (art. 21 RETJ) payments between clubs, eliminating the need for the training club to individually pursue the purchasing club.
Make all financial flows related to transfers visible and traceable, combating fraud and opacity in the system.
Guarantee that clubs that invest in the training of players effectively receive the compensation that corresponds to them, regardless of their size or geographical location.
The Electronic Sports Passport (EPP)
The EPP is the heart of the system. It is aelectronic documentwhich contains the complete registration history of a player throughout his career: the federation, the status (professional or amateur), the type of registration (permanent or loan), and the clubs in which he was registered since thecalendar year of your 12th birthday.
The EPP is automatically generated in theTMSwhen a “trigger” for training compensation is identified. It is the basis on which FIFA calculates who should be paid, how much, and for what periods.
PPE review process
- TheProvisional PPEin TMS
- All federations and clubs have10 daysto review the interim PPE and, if appropriate, request corrections or inclusion
- The FIFA General Secretariat evaluates the EPP and may discard it if there is no indication of registration in another federation
- If there are disputes about EPP data, they can be resolved between the parties or, in complex cases, referred to theDispute Resolution Chamber
- Once all the issues have been resolved, theFinal EPPand theassignment order
The 3 triggering factors
The Clearing House is activated when one of these three events occurs:
| Factor | When is it activated | What payment does it generate? |
|---|---|---|
| First registration as a professional(art. 5) | A player registers for the first time as a professional (or an amateur transfers internationally) | Training compensation (art. 20 RETJ) |
| International transfer(art. 6) | A professional player up to 23 years old is transferred internationally | Training compensation (if applicable) + solidarity contribution (5% of transfer compensation) |
| National transfer with compensation(art. 7) | A player is transferred within the same association and a transfer compensation is paid | Solidarity contribution (5% if the association adopted the contribution for national transfers) |
The payment procedure: from the EPP to the bank account
- Identified triggering factor→ TMS detects transfer or enrollment
- Provisional EPP generated→ 10 days of inspection for clubs and federations
- Dispute Review and Resolution→ If there are discrepancies, they are resolved bilaterally or before the CRD
- Definitive EPP + allocation order→ FIFA calculates the amounts and notifies all parties
- Proof of payment(only for solidarity) → The purchasing club uploads proof of payment of the transfer compensation to TMS within 30 days
- Compliance assessment→ The FCH verifies that the paying club and the receiving clubs comply with regulatory requirements (anti-laundering, sanctions, etc.)
- Payment request to the new club→ The FCH asks the purchasing club to pay the total amount in30 days
- Distribution to training clubs→ The FCH generates the distribution order and transfers to each training club what it corresponds to
The "95 + 5" system
For the solidarity contribution, the system works like this: when the purchasing club pays the transfer compensation to the selling club, it mustretain 5%of the total amount. That 5% is paid through the Clearing House, which distributes it among the training clubs according to the EPP. The selling club receives the remaining 95% directly. Hence the informal name "95 + 5".
Compliance assessment
Before processing any payment, the FCH performs acompliance assessment(compliance assessment) of all parties involved. This includes anti-money laundering checks, international sanctions compliance, and other financial regulatory requirements.
If a club or federationdoes not approvethe compliance evaluation, becomes a "non-compliant party". If you make a second failure, you face disciplinary sanctions. FCH decisions on compliance assessments arefinal and non-appealable(art. 15, section 7).
Once the evaluation is approved, the club receives aaccreditationwhich allows you to operate with the FCH. Until March 2025, more than1,665 clubsfrom more than 100 associations had been accredited.
Penalties for non-payment
If the new club does not pay within 30 days:
- You are charged a2.5% administrative feeof the amount requested (payable to training clubs instead of late payment interest)
- You are granted7 additional daysto pay the total plus the fee
- If you still do not pay, adisciplinary procedurebefore the FIFA Disciplinary Committee
Sanctions may includeprohibition on registering new players—the same consequence that applies for non-payment of decisions of theFIFA Football Tribunal(art. 24 of the RETJ).
Real impact: the numbers
| Indicator | Data (first 24 months) |
|---|---|
| Total assigned to training clubs | USD 350+ million |
| Total actually distributed | USD 156.6 million |
| Benefited clubs | 5.000+of all categories |
| Accredited clubs | 1.665from 100+ associations |
| Top payers (net) | England, Saudi Arabia, Germany |
| Top receivers (net) | Netherlands, France, Argentina |
| Women's football | 168 assignment orders, USD 271,500 in solidarity |
What your club must do to collect
- Register as a TMS user.If your club does not have access to TMS, contact your federation to enable it. Without access to TMS, you cannot participate in the EPP process.
- Keep registration information updated.That your players are correctly registered in the federation system, with precise registration dates from the age of 12.
- Check temporary PPE when it appears.You have 10 days to verify that your club is listed correctly. If you are not listed and you should be, ask your federation to include you.
- Always respond to communications from FIFA and FCH.Do not ignore emails or notifications from the customer portal. Deadlines are ticking and silence has consequences.
- Complete the compliance assessment.When the FCH contacts you, respond with the requested documentation within the deadlines. If you don't approve, you can't get paid.
- Have a bank account in the name of the club.The FCH only pays to accounts in the name of the club. Not to accounts of natural persons, leaders or third parties.
- Do not give up your rights without advice.Some purchasing clubs ask for "waivers" of training rights. You are not required to sign any waiver.
The future of the Clearing House
FIFA has ambitious plans for the Clearing House: to eventually processalltransfer system payments — not only training and solidarity, but also transfer compensation, agent commissions and other financial flows. This would make football's transfer system one of the most transparent and traceable of any global industry.
For now, the FCH is focused on perfecting the processing of training and solidarity compensation, improving the user experience for clubs of all sizes, and expanding coverage to more associations and more national transfers.
Related articles
- FIFA training rights: what they are, how they are calculated and how to claim them
- FIFA solidarity mechanism: complete guide with examples
- How the international transfer system works
- RETJ explained article by article
- FIFA Football Tribunal: what it is, how it works and how to litigate
- Transfer windows: global calendar, rules and exceptions
This guide is based on the FIFA Clearing House Regulations (January 2026 edition), the RETJ July 2025 edition (arts. 20, 21, Annexes 4-5), the Guide on the International Transfer of Players (July 2024), the FIFA Clearing House operations report, and information from inside.fifa.com/transfer-system/clearing-house. This guidance is informative and does not replace the advice of a specialized attorney.
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