- BBB publishes no national fee. Its standards page says fees are based on several factors, including the size of the business.
- Three local BBBs publish schedules that differ in billing, bands and extras, so one blog figure cannot tell you your price.
- Headcount thresholds move you into a higher band. Check where your employee count falls before you request a quote.
- The fee is not the only cost. Ask about extra locations, payment plans, plan tiers and what happens to the seal if you leave.
- Get your quote in writing from your local BBB. Third-party estimates are a starting point only.
On this page
The Short Answer on BBB Accreditation Cost
There is no national price, because each local BBB sets its own fee schedule and BBB says the fee depends on factors including the size of the business.
BBB's own accreditation standards page says it plainly: fees are based on several factors, including the size of the business. It gives no dollar amount. BBB's how to get accredited page says your local BBB can answer questions about payment, and again names no fee.
That is why searching for one number leaves you with a dozen blog answers that disagree. Local BBBs are independently incorporated, so they publish their own schedules. This guide shows you what three of them actually post, explains why the numbers differ, and lists the costs that sit outside the fee. For the wider decision, start at the BBB accreditation hub and read whether accreditation is worth it.
We do not sell accreditation and we do not set your fee. Your local BBB does both. Our job here is to help you ask the right questions before you sign.
What BBB Itself Says About Fees
BBB states four things about money that apply everywhere, and each one is useful when you read a quote.
- Fees depend on size. The standards page says fees are based on several factors, including the size of the business.
- Dues fund BBB. BBB's FAQ says dues paid by Accredited Businesses fund its work. BBB is paid by the businesses it accredits.
- Dues do not buy a grade. The same FAQ says accreditation dues do not buy a rating, and they do not remove a complaint.
- Status depends on dues and standards. BBB says your status stays active as long as you keep current with your dues and uphold the Standards for Trust.
The second and third points sit side by side for a reason. BBB is open that businesses pay for accreditation, and equally open that the payment is separate from the rating. Our guide to BBB rating versus accreditation shows how to check that separation yourself.
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Three Local Fee Schedules, Side by Side
Three local BBBs publish fee schedules online, and they use different billing periods, different employee bands and different extras.
These figures come from the schedules each local BBB posted on bbb.org when we read them in November 2026. They are examples from three offices, not a national average. Rates change, so treat them as a snapshot and confirm with your local BBB.
| Local BBB | How it bills | Smallest band | A middle band | Larger bands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBB Midwest Plains, covering Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota | Per month | $55 a month for 1 to 3 employees | $58 a month for 10 to 14 employees | 15 or more employees: call for rates |
| BBB Wisconsin | One annual payment, with monthly options | $545 a year for 1 to 9 employees | $655 for 10 to 20 employees | $965 for 51 to 100, $1,515 for 301 to 500, contact BBB above 500 |
| BBB of Greater Maryland, 2025 schedule | Annual fee | $557 a year for 1 to 6 full-time equivalent staff | $1,019 for 11 to 20 | $1,957 for 41 to 100, $4,078 for 201 to 1,000, $14,476 for 2,001 and up |
Two things stand out. First, billing is not uniform. BBB Midwest Plains lists a monthly figure, while Wisconsin and Maryland list annual ones. Multiply the Midwest Plains figures by twelve and the 1 to 3 employee band comes to $660 a year and the 10 to 14 band to $696. That is our arithmetic, not a BBB annual price, and the page shows no effective date.
Second, for the smallest bands these three schedules land in a similar area, roughly $545 to $700 a year before extras. That is a pattern across three offices only. It does not tell you what a fourth office charges, and it says nothing about a business with 40 staff.
BBB Eastern New England takes a different approach again. Its published FAQ says member dues are based on the number of full-time employees and points businesses to a dues calculator to estimate a monthly fee, with no dollar amounts on the page.
Why the Numbers Differ So Much
Fees differ because of business size, which local BBB you deal with, how you pay and which plan or extras you choose.
| Factor | What it does to your quote | Example from a published schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Business size | Larger headcount means a higher band | Maryland moves from $557 at 1 to 6 staff to $755 at 7 to 10 |
| Local BBB | Each sets its own schedule and bands | Wisconsin uses 1 to 9 as its first band, Midwest Plains uses 1 to 3 |
| Billing period | Monthly and annual quotes are hard to compare | Midwest Plains lists per month, Wisconsin lists an annual payment |
| Payment plan | Paying monthly can add a fee | Wisconsin lists an extra $5 a month for a monthly payment plan |
| Extra locations | Each additional location can add a charge | Wisconsin lists $60 and Maryland lists $100 for locations outside its service area |
| Plan level | Some local BBBs sell tiers with extra services | Eastern New England says website and logo services come only with its BBB+ and BBB Max plans |
This is also why a single figure in a blog post can mislead you. One widely linked guide quotes about $965 a year for businesses with more than 10 employees. BBB Wisconsin lists $655 for 10 to 20 employees and $965 for 51 to 100. The same number, a very different headcount. Always ask which band applies to you.
Third-Party Estimates and Why We Hold Them at Arm's Length
Blogs commonly quote roughly $400 to $1,500 a year for small businesses, but those are third-party estimates that BBB has not verified.
You will see ranges such as $400 to $1,500 a year, plus one-time application fees quoted anywhere from about $30 to $75. Those figures are third-party estimates. They are often drawn from one city or from an older schedule, and BBB does not publish them. The three schedules above show why a single range cannot be right everywhere: the top of a published schedule can sit far above $1,500.
Use estimates to sanity-check a quote, not to replace one. If your local BBB's number is far outside a blog range, trust your local BBB and ask it to explain the band.
Fee amounts change and differ by office. Before you budget, ask your local BBB for its current schedule in writing, including the band your headcount falls into.
Costs Beyond the Fee
The fee is the visible cost, but there are four other costs to price before you apply.
| Cost | Where it comes from | What to ask your local BBB |
|---|---|---|
| Extra locations | Per-location charges on some schedules | Does each location pay, and does every location need a B? |
| Payment method | Monthly plans or processing charges | Is there a surcharge for paying monthly? |
| Plan upgrades | Optional tiers with website or logo services | Which services come with the base fee, and which cost more? |
| Staff time | Responding to complaints and reviews | Who on my team will answer within BBB's window? |
| Exit cost | Seal and branding come down if you leave | What must I remove, and how quickly? |
Staff time is the cost owners forget. BBB's how to get accredited page lists responding to customer questions, requests and complaints quickly, and monitoring and responding to reviews, as ongoing expectations. If nobody owns that job today, the real cost of accreditation includes a person or a process. Our complaint response guide shows what a good process looks like.
The exit cost is real too. BBB Eastern New England says that when a business ends membership, any BBB-created website goes offline and use of the Accredited Business Seal ends. If the seal is on your trucks, signs or printed material, price the removal before you commit.
Are BBB Dues Tax Deductible?
BBB says dues are generally deductible as an ordinary business expense, but not as a charitable contribution.
BBB's FAQ says that dues paid by Accredited Businesses are generally deductible as a business expense and are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal tax purposes. BBB advises talking to a tax adviser, and so do we. We are not tax professionals.
How to Get Your Real Quote
The only reliable number is the one your local BBB gives you, so request it in writing and compare it with a clear head.
Find your local BBB
Use bbb.org to find the office that covers your business address. It will make the accreditation decision and set the fee.
Confirm you qualify first
You need at least a B at company-owned locations and headquarters, and at least six months actively selling. If you do not qualify yet, a quote is premature.
Know your headcount band
Count full-time staff the way that office counts them. Ask whether part-timers or owners are included.
Ask for the full schedule
Request the band, billing period, extra location charges, plan tiers and renewal terms in writing.
Do the arithmetic
Divide the annual cost by what one new customer is worth to you. Our decision table shows how.
A Worked Example With Made-Up Numbers
Headcount thresholds can change a quote by more than a hiring decision seems to justify, so look at the edges of the bands.
For example, take a made-up landscaping firm with nine employees that is quoted from a schedule shaped like BBB Wisconsin's. It sits in the 1 to 9 band at $545. Hire one more person and it moves into the 10 to 20 band at $655, an increase of $110 a year for one hire. On a schedule shaped like Maryland's, going from six to seven staff moves a business from $557 to $755. This is an illustration, not a quote, and your local BBB's bands will differ.
The practical lesson is to ask where the next threshold sits. If you plan to grow, the first year's fee is not the number to budget against.
What We Cannot Tell You
We cannot quote your fee, confirm your local BBB's current schedule or promise that accreditation will pay for itself.
Fees are set locally and change over time. The schedules in this guide are snapshots from three offices. We cannot say what accreditation is worth to your customers, and we do not recommend it or advise against it for every business. If you want to know whether your rating even qualifies, our free BBB audit checks your profile, and BBB rating improvement covers the work of reaching a B or better. Reputation Resolutions, our parent company, is BBB Accredited with an A+ rating, and we still tell owners that the fee is a business decision, not a rating fix. We are not affiliated with the BBB.
Anthony Will
Founder and CEO, Reputation Resolutions
Anthony Will founded Reputation Resolutions and has worked in online reputation management since 2013. Reputation Resolutions is BBB Accredited with an A+ rating and is a Google Partner. Business Rating Fix is its Better Business Bureau rating division.
- In online reputation management since 2013
- Reputation Resolutions: BBB Accredited, A+ rated
- Google Partner
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Fact-checked against bbb.org · Updated November 2026
