Short answer: BBB accreditation is a paid status for businesses that meet the Better Business Bureau’s 8 Standards for Trust. You apply online, BBB vets the application and its board approves or denies it. Accredited businesses pay annual dues, which depend on factors that include the size of the business. Your BBB Business Profile is free, accredited or not.
What BBB accreditation is
The Better Business Bureau, or BBB, works in the United States and Canada, the markets its complaint rules name. Its accreditation standards apply to BBBs in North America.
BBB publishes Business Profiles with a rating, complaints and customer reviews. The profile is free: BBB lets you claim your business’s profile or ask it to add a new one.
Accreditation is a separate step with annual dues. BBB lists an accredited company as a BBB Accredited Business and lets it show the BBB Accreditation Seal.
BBB’s “Get a Quote” program comes with it: people can request a quote from an accredited business straight from its profile page.
BBB also says that many good businesses are accredited and many other good businesses aren’t. You don’t need accreditation to have a profile.
In our view, claim your free profile first, even if you never apply for accreditation.
The Standards for Trust
To be accredited, a business affirms that it meets BBB’s 8 Standards for Trust. They are: build trust, advertise honestly, tell the truth, be transparent, honor promises, be responsive, safeguard privacy and embody integrity.
BBB says the standards cover more than lawful practices: they add its experience with ethical advertising, selling and customer experiences. A business has to keep meeting them, and not all businesses qualify.
Among the details, the standards ask for:
- At least 6 months of selling before you apply, or a similar business you ran before with an eligible track record.
- Every competency and trade license your work requires.
- At least a B rating in all company-owned locations and at the headquarters.
- Clear disclosures: how to contact you, your return or refund policy, any recurring commitment and the total cost before the purchase is complete.
- A professional response to each complaint BBB forwards, and mediation or arbitration when BBB asks for it.
- A note on personal data: what you collect, how you use it, who you share it with and how you secure it.
The BBB trademark and any statement of affiliation with BBB come with rules too: an accredited business uses them under license, as BBB’s usage policies set out.
How to apply for BBB accreditation
BBB’s application form takes about 10 to 20 minutes, its page says. It asks for your contact and business details, then eligibility questions, then a review before you submit.
BBB vets the application against its 8 Standards for Trust. Based on its findings, a recommendation goes to the Board of Directors to approve or deny it, and BBB tells you the decision.
If you’d rather talk first, BBB’s “Get Accredited” page has a short form. Your local BBB uses it to contact you by phone or email, and it asks whether you’ve been in business for more than 6 months.
What BBB accreditation costs
Accredited businesses pay an “annual dues investment,” in BBB’s words. BBB says the dues are based on several factors, including the size of the business.
The local BBB may collect the dues when you submit the application. BBB’s application page gives no amount, and BBB says the fee supports its mission of advancing marketplace trust.
In our view, ask your local BBB for the yearly dues in writing before you send the application.
How your BBB rating works
A BBB rating is BBB’s opinion of how a business is likely to interact with its customers. It runs from A+, the highest, to F, the lowest, and NR means “No Rating,” which BBB says is not a grade and not negative.
BBB builds it from the business’s file: complaint history, type of business, time in business, transparent practices, failure to honor commitments to BBB, licensing and advertising issues.
Each element adds or takes away points on a 100-point scale. A score of 97 or more is an A+, and anything under 60 is an F.
In BBB’s points table, unanswered complaints carry the widest positive range, from 40 points down to 0. Misusing the BBB trademark can cost up to 41 points.
Customer reviews don’t count toward the letter grade. BBB also says a rating is not a guarantee of a business’s reliability or performance.
Complaints and reviews on your profile
BBB forwards a complaint to the business within 2 business days. It asks for a response within 10 to 15 calendar days from the date the complaint was filed, and sends a second request if none arrives.
Complaints are generally closed within about 30 calendar days from the date filed. Each one closes as resolved, answered, unresolved, unanswered or unpursuable, the last when BBB can’t locate the business.
BBB says failing to respond to a complaint may hurt the rating of any business. Complaints appear on the profile for 3 years from the date they were filed.
Accredited businesses commit to responding to complaints. For the rest, cooperation is voluntary, though BBB says most non-accredited businesses do respond.
A review is for sharing an opinion, not for asking BBB to resolve a dispute. People post 1 to 5 star reviews, and BBB verifies that a marketplace interaction took place before it publishes one. As with complaints, the business gets a chance to respond first.
BBB doesn’t accept anonymous reviews, or reviews given in exchange for a discount or a gift. Complaints and reviews are free for consumers and businesses, and BBB can’t guarantee any single review is accurate.
For wording, our guide to responding to Google reviews has reply templates, negative reviews included.
In our view, answer every BBB complaint, accredited or not, and do it in time.
Where BBB fits in local search
BBB calls its business profiles “our directory,” so your profile there is one more listing for your business. Our guide to local citations and NAP explains how to keep your name, address and phone the same everywhere.
If your customers also check Yelp, our guide to Yelp for business shows how to claim that page and handle its reviews.
Google’s help page on local ranking doesn’t name the BBB. It says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity, and that there’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
For that side, our Google Business Profile checklist has the steps for your profile, your reviews and your website.
In our view, accreditation is worth its dues when your customers look a business up on BBB before they hire it. If they search on Google first, start with your Google Business Profile.
Before you apply for BBB accreditation
- You’ve been selling for at least 6 months, or you ran a similar business with an eligible track record.
- Your competency and trade licenses are current.
- Your rating is at least a B in every company-owned location and at the headquarters.
- Customers can clearly see how to contact you, your return or refund policy and the total cost before the purchase is complete.
- You’ve answered every complaint on your BBB profile.
- You have your local BBB’s yearly dues in writing.
RememberBBB accreditation is a paid status for businesses that meet BBB’s 8 Standards for Trust. The BBB Business Profile is free either way, and unanswered complaints can lower any business’s rating.
Our local SEO service answers your Google reviews, publishes your posts and keeps your listings on the same name, address and phone. It works in English and Spanish.
Questions about BBB accreditation
Do I need BBB accreditation to have a BBB Business Profile?
No. BBB lets any business claim its free BBB Business Profile or ask for a new one. Accreditation is a separate step with annual dues, and BBB says many good businesses aren’t accredited.
How much does BBB accreditation cost?
Accredited businesses pay annual dues. BBB says they’re based on several factors, including the size of the business, and that the local BBB may collect them when you submit the application. The application page gives no amount.
Do BBB customer reviews affect my BBB rating?
No. BBB says customer reviews aren’t part of a business’s BBB rating, unlike complaints. Reviews are verified and sent to the business before they’re published, and BBB doesn’t accept anonymous reviews or reviews given for a discount or a gift.
How long does a BBB complaint stay on my profile?
BBB says complaints appear on BBB Business Profiles for 3 years from the date they were filed. Complaints are generally closed within about 30 calendar days of that date, with a status such as resolved, answered or unanswered.
Does BBB accreditation help my Google ranking?
Google’s help page on local ranking doesn’t name the BBB. It says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity, and that there’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.
Sources
Read on November 10, 2026. From BBB.org, on accreditation: BBB Accreditation Standards, BBB Accreditation Application, Get Accredited: Learn more about BBB Accreditation and Submit a business to our directory. On ratings and complaints: Overview of BBB ratings, How BBB Complaints Are Handled and BBB Complaint Acceptance Guidelines. On reviews: Process of complaints and reviews, BBB customer reviews and Frequently asked questions about customer reviews. From Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.