- Accreditation is voluntary and separate from the rating, per BBB. Dues do not buy a rating and do not remove a complaint.
- You need at least a B rating at all company-owned locations and headquarters, six months actively selling, and a fee that depends on business size.
- Fee amounts are set by your local BBB. Any numbers you read elsewhere are third-party estimates, so confirm with your local BBB.
- Fix a low rating first. It is both the better use of money and a requirement for qualifying.
- Decide on your own customers: do they check the BBB, and does the cost make sense for your size?
What Accreditation Is, and What It Is Not
Accreditation is a paid, voluntary program with eight published standards, and it is separate from the letter grade.
BBB states that accreditation is voluntary and separate from the rating. The rating is based on the business's complaint history and its interactions with customers, not on whether it pays dues. BBB also states that accreditation dues do not buy a rating and do not remove a complaint.
The program asks you to meet eight standards for trust: build trust, advertise honestly, tell the truth, be transparent, honor promises, be responsive, safeguard privacy and embody integrity.
Accredited and rated are two different things. A business can be accredited with a high grade, not accredited with a high grade, or have a low grade and no accreditation. Read what not accredited means for the buyer's view of that difference.
What You Get and What You Do Not
You get entry into a program with standards and a public association with the BBB, and you do not get a better grade, complaint removal or protection from complaints.
What accreditation involves
- Membership in a voluntary program run by your local BBB
- A commitment to eight published standards for trust
- Ongoing compliance review
- A public status on your BBB profile
- A decision by your local BBB, not an automatic approval
What it does not do
- Raise your letter grade, since dues do not buy a rating
- Remove or hide a complaint
- Replace a good response process
- Guarantee more customers or more leads
- Make BBB a regulator, since it holds no regulatory power
If anyone tells you that joining will fix your rating, that conflicts with what BBB itself publishes. Your grade moves with complaints and how you handle them, not with membership.
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.
The Requirements You Must Meet First
To qualify you need at least a B rating at all company-owned locations and headquarters, at least six months actively selling, an accreditation fee and ongoing compliance.
| Requirement | What BBB publishes |
|---|---|
| Rating | At least a B at all company-owned locations and headquarters |
| Time selling | At least six months actively selling |
| Fee | Depends on factors including business size |
| Standards | Eight standards for trust, with ongoing compliance |
| Decision | Made by your local BBB, which may add local requirements |
The B minimum is the part owners miss. If your grade is below a B, the first job is rating work, not paying for membership. A B starts at 84 on BBB's 100-point scale, and the published bands run from A+ at 97 to 100 down to F below 60.
Multi-location businesses should note that the minimum applies at every company-owned location, so one weak profile can hold up the others.
Find out where you stand with how BBB ratings work, then see what an audit would check.
What Does It Cost?
The fee is set by your local BBB and depends on factors including business size, so the only reliable number comes from your local BBB.
BBB does not publish one national price, and we will not invent one. Third-party blogs quote ranges from roughly $400 to $1,500 per year. Treat those as third-party estimates and confirm with your local BBB. They are not verified by BBB, and your quote could fall outside them.
Ask your local BBB for the fee in writing, and ask what is included, how renewal works and whether the fee changes as you grow. Compare the annual cost to what one new customer is worth to you. That is the arithmetic that matters.
What is the annual fee for a business of my size? Are there location fees? What does renewal look like? What happens if my rating drops below a B after I join?
The Decision Table
Accreditation tends to make sense where buyers check the BBB and your rating already qualifies, and tends not to where your grade is low or your customers do not look.
This table is a thinking aid, not a verdict. We cannot say how it will work for you, because that depends on your market. Score your own situation.
| Your situation | Leans toward | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your rating is below a B | Not yet | A B is the minimum, so fix the rating first |
| Your customers search your name plus bbb before buying | Worth considering | The BBB profile is already part of the sale |
| You sell to commercial buyers, lenders or procurement teams who check the BBB | Worth considering | Seal and standards may matter in screening |
| Your customers come by referral and rarely check | Probably not | Less to gain for the annual cost |
| You hope accreditation will fix a bad rating | No | BBB says dues do not buy a rating |
| You want a complaint gone | No | BBB says dues do not remove a complaint |
| You are under six months of active selling | Not yet | Six months actively selling is required |
| The fee is large compared with your monthly revenue | Probably not | Run the arithmetic against a new customer's worth |
| You want to signal that you follow standards | Worth considering | The program is built around eight standards |
If three or more rows in the middle say worth considering, ask your local BBB for a quote. If any of the first, fifth or sixth rows apply, address that first.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Ask about price, renewal, the rating requirement and what the profile will show, then decide with the numbers in front of you.
- What is my current rating, and does every location meet the B minimum?
- What is the fee in writing, and what does renewal cost?
- How many of my customers actually check the BBB? Ask your sales team.
- What would I do with the same money instead?
- Do I have a process to answer complaints inside the window? Accreditation requires being responsive.
- Is the person calling me from my local BBB? Verify through bbb.org first. See why the BBB might be calling you.
Responsiveness is where accreditation and rating meet. The published scale lists unanswered complaints at 40 to 0 points and unresolved complaints at 30 to 0. Whether or not you join, a reliable response process is worth more than the seal.
Where a Specialist Fits In
A specialist helps you get to a rating that qualifies, and gives an honest view on whether to apply.
We are not paid by the BBB and we do not sell accreditation. Our view is simple: get the rating right, then decide. If your grade is under a B, an audit shows which published elements are costing points. If you are a B or better, we will tell you honestly whether accreditation looks worth it for your business.
Business Rating Fix is an independent service operated by Reputation Resolutions, which is itself BBB Accredited with an A+ rating. We cannot assign a rating, because only the BBB does that. All our work is results-based. Before work starts, we agree in writing on the result, such as moving from a B+ to an A, and you pay when that result is delivered. The audit is free, with no obligation. See rating improvement or start with the free audit.
