- The rating is a free-standing grade. Accreditation is a paid program with its own standards. BBB says one is not the other.
- BBB states accreditation dues do not buy a rating and do not remove a complaint. None of the seven published rating elements is a payment.
- A business can be accredited with a lower grade, or hold an A+ and not be accredited.
- The two meet at the B minimum and at topics like responsiveness, licensing, advertising and honoring dispute outcomes.
- When you read a profile, read the status and the grade as two separate facts.
On this page
The Difference in One Table
A rating measures what a business has done, and accreditation records what a business has committed to and pays to maintain.
| Question | BBB rating | BBB accreditation |
|---|---|---|
| What is it | A letter grade from A+ to F | A voluntary program with eight standards for trust |
| Does it cost money | BBB publishes ratings for businesses that never pay dues | Yes, dues fund BBB's work |
| What is it based on | Information in the business's BBB file, including complaint history | Meeting and keeping the eight standards, plus eligibility and dues |
| How is it shown | A grade on the profile | Accreditation status on the profile, and the seal |
| Customer reviews | Not used in the grade | Accredited businesses are expected to monitor and respond to reviews |
| Can it change | Yes, as the file changes | Yes, BBB can revoke it when a business stops meeting standards |
| Who decides | BBB, using its published methodology | Your local BBB |
That is the short version. The rest of this guide shows where each line comes from, so you can check it against BBB's own pages and not take our word. It belongs with the other pages in the BBB accreditation hub.
Do You Have to Pay for a Good BBB Rating?
No. BBB states that accreditation dues do not buy a rating, and that the rating rests on the business's complaint history and its interactions with customers.
This is the question skeptics ask most, and BBB answers it directly in its FAQ. 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. Accreditation dues do not buy a rating, and they do not remove a complaint. A business can hold an A+ without being accredited.
You do not have to take BBB's word, because the method is published. The next table lists the seven rating elements BBB names. Look for a line that says paid dues or membership. There is none.
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 Seven Rating Elements, With No Payment Line
BBB's published rating elements describe complaints, business type, time in business, transparency, commitments to BBB, licensing and advertising.
| Rating element | What BBB measures |
|---|---|
| Complaint history | Volume, size of business, timely responses, good-faith resolution, patterns and age |
| Type of business | The kind of business and its risk profile |
| Time in business | How long the business has operated |
| Transparent business practices | Whether the business is open about itself |
| Failure to honor commitments to BBB | Not honoring a mediation settlement or arbitration award |
| Licensing information | Competency licensing the business needs |
| Advertising issues | Advertising review findings |
The published ranges show where the points sit. Unanswered complaints run 40 to 0, unresolved complaints 30 to 0 and complaint volume weighted by age 15 to 0. Our full breakdown is in how BBB ratings work. We state the ranges as BBB's published scale and do not claim any action earns a set number of points back.
BBB also says accreditation is not one of the seven elements in its rating methodology. For the buyer's side of this, see what not accredited means.
Four Combinations You Will See on Real Profiles
Because rating and accreditation are separate, a profile can show any pairing, and each pairing means something different.
| Profile shows | What it tells you | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| Accredited, A+ | The business holds the status and the top grade | Whether the complaint history backs it up |
| Not accredited, A+ | A top grade with no accreditation. BBB says this is possible and not a mark against the business | Complaint statuses and recent reviews |
| Accredited, lower grade than A+ | BBB says this combination exists. The grade is still at least a B | Why the grade is lower, as the complaint list shows |
| Not accredited, low grade | No accreditation and weak grade | Complaints and any alert on the profile |
The point is to read the two fields separately. Our buyer's 60-second check walks through that routine. And if the seal is shown somewhere other than BBB, remember that BBB says it may be out of date or used without permission.
Where Rating and Accreditation Touch
The two systems overlap on topics, not on money, and mapping the overlap shows why a business that runs clean on one usually runs clean on the other.
| Topic | In the rating | In the accreditation standards |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints | Complaint history, unanswered and unresolved complaints | Be Responsive: answer each complaint professionally with evidence |
| Complaint patterns | Failure to address a complaint pattern, 0 to minus 31 | Cooperate with BBB to eliminate causes of patterns it identifies |
| Dispute outcomes | Failure to honor mediation or arbitration, 0 to minus 41 | Honor settlements, agreements and decisions |
| Licensing | Competency licensing, 0 to minus 41 | Build Trust: meet all licensing requirements |
| Advertising | Advertising review per incident, 0 to minus 41 | Advertise Honestly: modify, substantiate or discontinue practices BBB recommends |
| Minimum grade | The rating itself | Build Trust: keep at least a B |
This is the single place where the two connect by rule: accreditation requires a rating of at least a B. Everything else is a shared subject. Handle complaints well and both sides benefit. That is a reason to build a reliable response process whether or not you join, and our guide to how to respond to a BBB complaint shows how.
The Skeptic's Case, Stated Fairly
BBB is funded by the businesses it accredits, so the skeptical question is reasonable, and the honest answer is to show what can be verified.
BBB says dues paid by Accredited Businesses fund its work. That is a structural fact worth knowing. BBB also says dues do not buy a rating, and the published elements support that, because none is a payment. What you cannot verify from outside is how any one rating was scored internally, because BBB does not publish its weighting formulas beyond the point ranges. We do not claim otherwise.
You do not have to like the BBB to use what it publishes. You can read the elements, read the complaint statuses and judge a profile on its contents. For the owner's side, our decision guide and cost guide take the money question head on.
What to Do Based on Where You Stand
Your next step depends on your grade and your goal, and rating work comes first when you are under a B.
| Your situation | Do this first |
|---|---|
| Grade below a B | Work on the rating. Accreditation requires at least a B |
| B or better, buyers look for the seal | Ask your local BBB for a quote and read how to get accredited |
| B or better, buyers do not check | Decide on the numbers, not on the seal |
| Accredited and the grade is slipping | Fix complaint handling before the B minimum is at risk. See why accreditation is revoked |
| Hoping dues will fix a bad grade | They will not. BBB says dues do not buy a rating |
If you are not sure where your grade stands, a free BBB audit reads your profile against the published elements. If the grade needs work, see BBB rating improvement. Our work is results-based: we agree the result in writing before work starts, and you pay when it is delivered.
Two Made-Up Profiles Compared
Reading two hypothetical profiles side by side shows why status and grade must be read as separate fields.
For example, imagine Business One, a made-up accredited firm with a B plus. Its complaint list shows two complaints, both closed as Answered. Imagine Business Two, a made-up firm that never applied for accreditation but holds an A. Its list shows one complaint, closed as Resolved. Neither profile is real.
| Field | Business One | Business Two |
|---|---|---|
| Accreditation status | Accredited | Not accredited |
| Letter grade | B plus | A |
| Complaint closing statuses | Two Answered | One Resolved |
| What the status tells you | It committed to the standards and is monitored | Nothing negative, since BBB says many businesses never applied |
| What the grade tells you | A B plus on BBB's published scale | A higher grade on the same scale |
Business Two has the higher grade without paying dues, which is exactly what BBB says is possible. Business One has made a standards commitment. Neither is automatically the better choice. The decision comes from reading the complaint statuses and the business's conduct, which is why we tell owners to treat both fields as inputs and neither as a verdict.
Common Mix-Ups and How to Describe Both Truthfully
Most confusion comes from treating the seal as a grade or the fee as a way to fix one.
- The seal is not a grade. It signifies accreditation only.
- Paying does not remove a complaint. BBB says so in its FAQ.
- Accreditation is not a recommendation. BBB does not endorse businesses.
- A missing seal is not a finding. Some businesses never applied.
- A grade and a seal can disagree. Read each on the profile.
When you describe your own business, state the two facts separately. For example, Reputation Resolutions, our parent company, is BBB Accredited with an A+ rating, which is one claim about status and one about the grade. We are not affiliated with the BBB, and we cannot assign a rating or grant accreditation. Only BBB does those things.
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
Full profile Meet the team Our editorial standards
Fact-checked against bbb.org · Updated November 2026
