- Most applications are won or lost before you apply. Check your B rating, open complaints, licenses and website first.
- BBB lists seven eligibility items and six documents to prepare. The six-month track record is a hard floor.
- Your website must disclose things like refund terms, total cost and a privacy policy. Standards 3, 4 and 7 spell them out.
- You have 24 days to edit and submit once you start, and review takes a few days to a few weeks. Outcomes are approved, on hold or denied.
- Do not display the seal until you are approved. Use is licensed, and BBB says status is never predetermined.
On this page
The Route to Accreditation in One Paragraph
You apply through BBB, your local BBB reviews the file, and the work that decides the outcome happens before you apply.
BBB's how to get accredited page gives the route: complete the interest form or the application, contact your local BBB, and review the eight Standards for Trust, which every Accredited Business certifies it meets. That is the mechanical part, and our decision guide already walks through it. This page covers the preparation that the mechanics leave out. For the wider picture, see the BBB accreditation hub.
Think of it as three phases: check, prepare, apply. Skipping the first two is how owners end up with an application on hold.
Phase One: Check the Eligibility List
BBB lists a six month minimum and seven eligibility items, and you can test each one yourself before applying.
| BBB eligibility item | How to check it yourself | If the answer is no |
|---|---|---|
| Operating at least six months | Count from your first real sale, not incorporation | Wait, or show a comparable track record from a similar business |
| Resolved any BBB customer complaints | Open your BBB profile and read the complaint list and statuses | Work the open ones to a close, starting with how to respond |
| Follows advertising laws and BBB best practices | Review claims on your site, ads and sales scripts | Fix or substantiate each claim before applying |
| Privacy policy and secure website | Look for a posted policy and an https site | Publish a policy and secure the site |
| Required licensing and bonding | Match your licenses to your trade and state | Renew or obtain what is missing |
| No governmental ethical violations | Check for open government actions against the business or its principals | Resolve the matter first and be ready to explain it |
| Follows through on contracts and promises | Review recent jobs for unfulfilled commitments | Close out the open items |
The seventh item on BBB's list is a rating of B or better. Standard 1 requires it at company-owned locations and headquarters. If your grade is below a B, rating work comes before an application. Start with how BBB ratings work, then see what an audit checks.
BBB lists having resolved any BBB customer complaints as an eligibility item. A profile with open, unanswered complaints is the first thing a reviewer sees, and the published rating scale also lists unanswered complaints at 40 to 0 points.
Want a Specialist to Look at Your BBB Profile?
We will check every published rating element on your file and tell you exactly what is costing you points. Free, and honest about what can and cannot change.
Phase Two: Prepare Six Documents
BBB tells you to gather six documents before you start, and having them ready protects your 24 day window.
| Document BBB lists | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Business license for every state you operate in | That you are legally permitted to trade |
| Financials covering at least six months of operation | That the track record is real |
| Your business plan as it stands today | What the business does and how it operates |
| Professional licenses required for your industry | Competency licensing, which is also a published rating element |
| Tax identification numbers for your service area | That the entity is registered where it sells |
| Proof that your business is listed on BBB.org | That BBB has a profile to attach the application to |
BBB also says you will enter annual revenue and operational figures such as employee count, and that a BBB team member can complete the application for you if you lack online access. Have those numbers ready, because you have 24 days to edit and submit once you start.
Phase Two Continued: Fix Your Website Against the Standards
Standards 3, 4 and 7 name specific things your site and checkout must show, and a reviewer can check them in minutes.
This is the step most guides skip. BBB's standards page lists concrete disclosures. Run your site against them before you apply.
- Direct ways for customers to contact you, clearly shown
- Your return and refund policy, clear and prominent
- Any recurring commitments, including automatic renewals
- The total cost, including tax and fees, before the customer completes the purchase
- Known delays or stock shortages
- A receipt after purchase
- A privacy notice covering what you collect, how you use it, who you share it with, how customers can correct it and how it is secured
- A way to honor customer preferences on phone and email contact
- Clear disclosure of the business's nature, location and ownership
These are the published expectations under Be Transparent, Tell the Truth and Safeguard Privacy. They apply whether or not you join. If your site fails several of them, fixing them is a better first investment than the fee.
Phase Three: Apply and Work With Your Local BBB
The application itself is short, and the clock, the contact and the review window are what you need to plan around.
| Stage | What BBB publishes | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Complete the interest form or the application. You do not need both | Have documents, revenue and headcount ready |
| 24 day window | You have 24 days to edit and submit once you start | Finish in one sitting if you can |
| Contact | Use Contact Your Local BBB or My BBB to confirm receipt and ask about verification, timing or payment | Ask for the fee in writing, see what accreditation costs |
| Certify | Every Accredited Business certifies it meets the eight standards and commits to maintain them | Read each standard before you agree |
| Review | A few days to a few weeks, depending on region | Answer requests promptly |
| Decision | Status is never predetermined | Prepare for approved, on hold or denied |
Because your local BBB makes the decision and may add local requirements, call before you start. Ask what it adds to the national list and how it counts employees. BBB says its team can help if you have questions about verification, timing or payment.
The Three Outcomes and What to Do With Each
BBB publishes three outcomes, and each one has a different next step.
| Outcome | What BBB says | Your next step |
|---|---|---|
| Approved | You are invited to join the community of Accredited Businesses | Pay dues, learn the seal license terms and put the response process in place |
| On hold | BBB needs more information | Send exactly what is requested and the review continues |
| Denied | You receive details on what fell short, and often you can address it | Fix the named gap, then ask your local BBB about next steps |
On hold is not a rejection. It usually means a file is missing something. Denial comes with an explanation, and BBB says in many cases you can address it before a final decision. Treat that explanation as your to-do list.
If You Are Not at a B Yet, or Are Under Six Months
A below-B rating or a short track record means preparation, not application, and the sequence matters.
- Look up your profile and read the grade, the complaints and any alert.
- Answer every open complaint with a professional, documented response, since Be Responsive asks for supporting evidence.
- Fix the licensing, advertising or transparency gaps that cost points.
- Wait for the six months of active selling, or ask your local BBB whether a similar prior business counts, since the standards allow a comparable track record.
- Re-check your grade, then apply.
Rating work is where we spend our time. Our BBB rating improvement page explains how we work, results-based, with the result agreed in writing before work starts and payment when it is delivered. We cannot grant accreditation, and we do not promise any grade, because only the BBB assigns one.
After Approval: What You Have Signed Up For
Accreditation is an ongoing obligation, and BBB says your status stays active only while you pay dues and uphold the standards.
- Follow the BBB Code of Advertising and back up marketing claims.
- Respond to customer questions, requests and complaints quickly.
- Monitor and respond to reviews.
- Honor every contract.
- Use BBB's trademarks only under license and as outlined in the usage policies then in effect.
Falling short has a consequence. BBB says it monitors Accredited Businesses and can revoke accreditation, which our guide on why accreditation is revoked explains. Once you understand what the accredited label means, you can describe it to customers accurately.
Common Mistakes and a Worked Example
Most failed applications trace back to a preparation gap that was visible in advance.
| Mistake | Why it hurts |
|---|---|
| Applying with an open complaint | Resolving complaints is an eligibility item |
| Counting incorporation date as time selling | BBB asks for six months actively selling |
| Checking only headquarters | The B minimum applies at every company-owned location |
| Showing the seal before approval | Trademark use is licensed, and status is never predetermined |
| Paying someone who promises approval | BBB says accreditation status is never predetermined |
| Missing the 24 day window | The application must be edited and submitted within it |
A made-up example
For example, imagine a roofing company with 14 months of sales, two locations and a B at headquarters but a C plus at the second site. It has one open complaint. A reviewer would see two problems at once, a location below the B minimum and an unresolved complaint. The owner's best move is to close the complaint, address what is costing points at the second location, and apply only when both profiles show a B or better. This is an illustration, not a real case.
We cannot guarantee approval, shorten BBB's review or choose your fee. Reputation Resolutions, our parent company, is BBB Accredited with an A+ rating, and even so the decision rested with BBB. We are not affiliated with the BBB. A free BBB audit shows what your profile looks like to a reviewer.
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
