- BBB publishes seven rating elements and a point range for each, but not the exact formula that combines them.
- The widest ranges that can add points are unanswered complaints at 40 and unresolved complaints at 30, so complaint handling is usually where to look first.
- Type of business and time in business are the two you mostly cannot change. Transparency, licensing and advertising are the cheapest to keep clean.
- Customer reviews and accreditation dues are not rating factors, in BBB's own words.
- Older factor lists online mention 13 or 16 factors. Trust BBB's live page, which shows seven elements.
On this page
What Are the BBB Rating Factors?
The seven factors are the elements BBB lists on its Overview of BBB Ratings page, and every one except complaint history is a file-level fact about your business rather than a customer opinion.
The BBB rating factors are the seven elements the Better Business Bureau says it uses to score a business's file, each with a published point range. They are complaint history, type of business, time in business, transparent business practices, failure to honor commitments to BBB, licensing information and advertising issues.
This page takes them one at a time. The overview of how BBB ratings work shows the whole system at once. Here we slow down and ask three questions about every element: what BBB says it measures, what actually trips owners up, and what is in your hands. It sits inside our BBB ratings hub, which collects every guide on the rating system.
More recent complaints relative to business size cost more than old ones.
The single largest published range. Silence is the most expensive thing on a BBB file.
A response without a good faith effort to fix the problem still costs points.
Answering late is better than never, and answering on time is better still.
When BBB flags a pattern, it expects the underlying cause to be fixed.
Newer businesses start with fewer points here. Time fixes it.
Some business models BBB considers high risk carry a deduction.
Missing basics like ownership, address or contact information.
Agreeing to a settlement and not following through is heavily penalized.
A required license that is missing, lapsed or not on file.
Claims BBB finds misleading after review.
Using BBB marks or seals without permission.
Point ranges as published by the BBB in its overview of BBB ratings. Descriptions are our plain-English summary.
Positive numbers add to the score and negative numbers deduct from it. BBB publishes the ranges and the descriptions. It does not publish the exact formula that combines them, and nobody outside BBB can tell you what one specific change is worth in points.
How to Read the Point Ranges
The five ranges that run from a positive maximum down to zero add up to 100 points. Those are complaint volume at 15, unanswered complaints at 40, unresolved complaints at 30, complaint resolution delayed at 5 and time in business at 10. The other rows can only deduct.
That is our reading of BBB's table, and it fits the 100-point scale BBB describes. BBB does not spell out the arithmetic, so treat it as a way to see which rows are big, not as a calculator.
| Group | Rows | Range | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can add points | Complaint volume weighted by age | 15 to 0 | Fewer complaints, and older resolved ones, cost less |
| Can add points | Unanswered complaints | 40 to 0 | The largest single range |
| Can add points | Unresolved complaints | 30 to 0 | The second largest range |
| Can add points | Complaint resolution delayed | 5 to 0 | Speed matters, though far less than answering |
| Can add points | Time in business | 10 to 0 | Rewards a track record |
| Can only deduct | Failure to address a complaint pattern | 0 to -31 | A repeat problem is treated as its own issue |
| Can only deduct | Type of business | 0 to -41 | Rare, tied to marketplace concerns |
| Can only deduct | Transparent business practices | 0 to -5 | Small, but easy to fix |
| Can only deduct | Failure to honor mediation or arbitration | 0 to -41 | Breaking a BBB commitment |
| Can only deduct | Competency licensing | 0 to -41 | Missing a required license |
| Can only deduct | Advertising review, per incident | 0 to -41 | Each incident counts |
| Can only deduct | BBB trademark infringement | 0 to -41 | Misusing BBB marks |
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.
Factor 1: Complaint History
Complaint history is the element BBB scores most heavily, and it covers four published rows plus the pattern row. BBB says it considers closed complaints tied to marketplace activity, and it weighs the number of complaints, the size of the business, appropriate and timely responses, good-faith efforts to resolve them, patterns of unresolved issues and the age of resolved complaints.
Complaint volume weighted by age, 15 to 0
This row looks at how many complaints you have, with age built in. BBB says older resolved complaints count for less than newer ones. Complaints stay on a profile for three years from filing, so a complaint can stop shaping the grade as it ages even while it is still visible. BBB does not publish how fast that fades.
Business size is part of the picture, and where BBB cannot establish size it treats the business as its smallest size category. That is a quiet trap. If your file lacks size information, a handful of complaints can look larger than they would for a business BBB knows is bigger.
Unanswered complaints, 40 to 0
An Unanswered complaint is one where the business did not respond. This is the largest range in the table. BBB forwards a complaint within two business days, asks for a response within 10 to 15 calendar days of filing, sends a follow-up if nothing arrives, and generally closes the complaint about 30 calendar days after filing. BBB also says that failure to respond may have a negative impact on the rating.
The classic way owners land here is not defiance. It is a notice that went to an old email address or a former employee. In our work since 2013, owners have often discovered complaints they never saw because the BBB emailed an address nobody checks. That is why the contact details on your file are a rating issue, not an admin chore.
Unresolved complaints, 30 to 0
An Unresolved complaint is one where the business responded but did not make a good-faith effort to resolve the dispute, in BBB's words. Answering is not enough. The reply has to address the issue. A response that only says the customer is wrong, or that quotes a contract clause and stops, is the kind of reply that risks this status. The BBB complaint response guide covers what a good-faith reply looks like.
Do not confuse this with Answered, which BBB defines as a complaint where the business addressed the issues but the consumer did not accept the response or did not tell BBB they were satisfied. You can do everything right and still end up Answered. BBB's published ranges list unanswered and unresolved complaints as separate rows, and Answered is not one of them.
Complaint resolution delayed, 5 to 0
This is the smallest complaint row. It reflects delay in resolving a complaint, and at 5 points it is a fraction of the unanswered row. BBB asks you to respond inside 10 to 15 calendar days, and we advise acting inside 10, but a late fix is far better than no fix.
Failure to address a complaint pattern, 0 to -31
BBB can treat a pattern of similar complaints as its own issue. The row deducts from 0 to -31, and profiles can carry an alert describing the pattern. This row is about the cause, not the replies. If ten customers describe the same billing surprise, answering ten letters will not fix the pattern. Fixing the billing language might. BBB does not publish a step-by-step alert lifecycle, so treat remediation as a conversation with your local BBB.
Factor 2: Type of Business
Type of business is an element that lowers a rating when the kind of business raises marketplace concerns, or when BBB believes it operates in violation of the law. The published range is 0 to -41.
For most owners this element does nothing. It is also the one you cannot fix with a better reply or a cleaner profile. If you think your category is being treated as a concern, the practical step is to ask your local BBB, in writing, which element is applying and why. A BBB profile generally describes the most significant factors that raise or lower a rating, so start by reading yours.
Factor 3: Time in Business
Time in business is the only positive element that rewards age, and it ranges from 10 to 0. BBB bases it partly on how long the business has operated. If that start date is not available, BBB uses the date it opened its file for the business.
That second sentence matters. A ten-year-old business whose profile has no start date can be measured from the day BBB opened the file, which may be far more recent. Check that the start date on your profile is accurate and supported by something real, such as your formation or first-sales records. Do not stretch it. Claiming a start date you cannot support would be a transparency problem, and it would be dishonest.
You cannot speed this element up, and nothing you buy changes it. A new business simply starts with fewer points here. That is one reason other elements, which you do control, matter more in the first years.
Factor 4: Transparent Business Practices
Transparent business practices is a small element, 0 to -5, that lowers a rating for incomplete product, service or ownership information, or for a false or undeterminable address. It is the cheapest element to fix.
- Your physical address is real and can be determined
- Your products or services are described accurately
- Ownership and contact details are complete and current
- The phone number and email on your file reach a person who will read a BBB notice
- Your website and your BBB profile agree with each other
A false address is the one to take seriously. A virtual mailbox or a registered-agent address can read as undeterminable. We cannot tell you how BBB judges any particular address, so if yours is unusual, ask your local BBB before it becomes a deduction.
Factor 5: Failure to Honor Commitments to BBB
This element lowers a rating when a business fails to honor commitments it made to BBB, including a mediation settlement or an arbitration award. The published range is 0 to -41.
It only comes into play if you agreed to something. BBB's dispute options run from conciliation and mediation to informal dispute resolution and arbitration, and which ones are available depends on your local BBB. In mediation, BBB says the mediator does not decide who is right or wrong, so a settlement is something both sides chose. If you sign one, treat it like a contract, put the due dates in your calendar and confirm in writing when you have delivered.
Agreeing to a settlement to close a complaint quickly, then forgetting the deliverable. The complaint may close, but a broken commitment is its own published element with the widest deduction range in the table.
Factor 6: Licensing Information
Licensing is a deduction of 0 to -41 that applies when BBB knows a business lacks required competency licensing, where that licensing involves an assessment or can be revoked for misconduct. It is narrower than it sounds. It is not triggered by any missing registration.
If your trade requires a license, such as a contractor license in many places, keep it current and make sure the number and status on your profile are right. If your work is not licensed, there is nothing to deduct. BBB's wording ties the deduction to what BBB knows, so an accurate profile protects you in both directions.
Factor 7: Advertising Issues
Advertising issues lower a rating when a business does not appropriately respond to a BBB advertising challenge, such as questionable claims or misuse of BBB marks. BBB rates issues as major, moderate or minor, and the published range is 0 to -41 per incident.
The wording is about how you respond, not only what you said. If BBB challenges a claim, answer it, support it or change it. BBB's trademark page says its marks, including its name and logos, may only be used with written permission. A separate published row, BBB trademark infringement at 0 to -41, covers misuse of those marks.
Do not show a BBB seal, torch or Accredited Business mark unless you are entitled to use it. If you are not accredited, say so plainly rather than implying it. The not-accredited guide explains how to describe your status accurately.
What Is Not a Rating Factor
Several things owners assume matter do not appear in BBB's published table. BBB says customer reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation, and that accreditation dues do not buy a rating or remove a complaint.
| Often assumed | What BBB publishes |
|---|---|
| Star reviews move the grade | Customer reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation |
| Paying dues buys an A+ | Dues do not buy a rating, and the rating is based on complaint history and customer interactions |
| Accredited means A+ | Accreditation is separate and voluntary, and a business can hold an A+ without it |
| Your price or product quality is scored | Not a listed element. Complaints about price alone are among those BBB does not handle |
| A good product offsets a complaint | Not a listed offset. The complaint rows score complaints themselves |
If a review is the thing hurting you, see the guide on whether a BBB review can be removed. It will not change the grade either way, but buyers do read it.
Older Factor Lists You May See Online
Many articles describe 13 or 16 factors, or list a government action element. BBB's current overview shows seven elements and twelve scored rows, with no government action row. Older BBB documents remain in circulation, and some articles repeat them.
A Ten-Minute Factor Check
A factor check means reading your own file against each element in order, so you know where points could be leaking. It takes ten minutes and costs nothing.
Open your BBB profile
Read the rating reasons and every complaint, including the closed ones.
Check complaint statuses
Note any Unanswered or Unresolved status. Those are the two widest ranges.
Check your contact details
Confirm the email, phone and mailing address on file reach a person today.
Check the business facts
Start date, address, ownership, licensing and product descriptions should match reality.
Check your marks and claims
Make sure no BBB logo is displayed without permission and no claim is unsupported.
Look for patterns
Group complaints by cause. Repeats point to the pattern row.
If you find something you cannot explain, our free BBB audit has a specialist read your file against every published element. For ratings that need active work, the rating improvement service is results-based. We agree the result in writing first, such as moving from a B+ to an A, and you pay when that result is delivered.
Business Rating Fix, the BBB rating division of Reputation Resolutions, is not affiliated with the BBB. We cannot change a rating ourselves, we cannot read BBB's internal formula, and nobody can promise you a grade. We can read your file against what BBB publishes and work the elements that can honestly move.
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
