Green Book supplementary guidance: discounting
Supplementary guidance to the Green Book on intergenerational wealth transfers and social discounting.
- From:
- HM Treasury
- Published
- 21 April 2013
- Last updated
-
185NovemberFebruary20222026 — See all updates
Documents
Intergenerational
Green wealthBook transferssupplementary andguidance: social discounting
PDF, 159404 KB, 917 pages
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Social discount rates for Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Report for HM Treasury
The
PDF, Green537 BookKB, recommends20 thatpages
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Environmental Discount Rate Review: Conclusion
PDF, 149 KB, 6 pages
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Details
The Green Book recommends that appraisal practitioners use discounting to express future social costs and social benefits in terms of their present value.
WhenThe assessingfirst proposalsdocument wheresets out supplementary guidance on discounting. This includes the effectsderivation involveof the verysocial longtime termpreference (inrate excess(STPR), ofas 50well years)as the reduced discount factors for proposals that have social costs and involvesocial verybenefits substantialover and,a forperiod allexceeding 50 practicalyears.
The purposes,second irreversibledocument, wealthpublished transfersin between2018, summarises generations,the thiskey additionaltheoretical guidanceand isempirical toevidence beon followed.social discounting that has emerged since 2003.
The Greenthird Bookdocument andsets thisout supplementarythe guidanceconclusions isof supporteda by2021 thereview widerinto collectionhow ofdiscounting accompanyingis guidanceapplied to environmental costs and materials.benefits.
Updates to this page
Published 21 April 2013
Last updated 185 NovemberFebruary 2022
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href="#full-history">+ show all updates
-
Update history
2026-02-05 15:30
The guidance has been expanded to cover the previously disparate guidance on discounting in the Green Book. This includes greater detail on the formulation of the discount rate and tables outlining health discount factors and reduced long-term discount factors.
2022-11-18 13:30
New link to the Green Book and its collection of accompanying guidance and materials collection page to improve signposting.
Intergenerational
Green wealthBook transferssupplementary andguidance: social discounting
PDF, 159404 KB, 917 pages
This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a
version of this document in a more accessible format, please email digital.communications@hmtreasury.gov.uk.
Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.
PDF, 159404 KB, 917 pages
This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a
version of this document in a more accessible format, please email digital.communications@hmtreasury.gov.uk.
Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.
Details
Social discount rates for Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Report for HM Treasury
The
PDF, Green537 BookKB, recommends20 thatpages
This costsfile andmay benefitsnot occurringbe insuitable thefor firstusers 30of yearsassistive technology.
Request an accessible format.
Environmental Discount Rate Review: Conclusion
PDF, 149 KB, 6 pages
This file may not be discountedsuitable atfor users of assistive technology.
Request an annualaccessible rateformat.
Details
The Green Book recommends that appraisal practitioners use discounting to express future social costs and social benefits in terms of their present value.
WhenThe assessingfirst proposalsdocument wheresets out supplementary guidance on discounting. This includes the effectsderivation involveof the verysocial longtime termpreference (inrate excess(STPR), ofas 50well years)as the reduced discount factors for proposals that have social costs and involvesocial verybenefits substantialover and,a forperiod allexceeding 50 practicalyears.
The purposes,second irreversibledocument, wealthpublished transfersin between2018, summarises generations,the thiskey additionaltheoretical guidanceand isempirical toevidence beon followed.social discounting that has emerged since 2003.
The Greenthird Bookdocument andsets thisout supplementarythe guidanceconclusions isof supporteda by2021 thereview widerinto collectionhow ofdiscounting accompanyingis guidanceapplied to environmental costs and materials.benefits.
Updates to this page
Update history
2026-02-05 15:30
The guidance has been expanded to cover the previously disparate guidance on discounting in the Green Book. This includes greater detail on the formulation of the discount rate and tables outlining health discount factors and reduced long-term discount factors.
2022-11-18 13:30
New link to the Green Book and its collection of accompanying guidance and materials collection page to improve signposting.