Food and drink certification fees

Our certification fees cover the cost of assessing your business against Soil Association standards and supporting you to maintain certification year on year.

Fees vary depending on the type of certification you need, the size and complexity of your operation, and the level of assessment required. This can include application and annual licence fees, inspection costs, and any additional checks needed for your business.

We publish clear fee information for each certification service, so you know what to expect and can plan ahead.

We review our fees annually and publish new fees ahead of the new financial year.

Processor licence invoice cycle

The following steps explain how a certified organic business can renew its licence by submitting a completed Certified Sales Declaration form.

1. two months before your certificate expiry date, you'll receive a Certified Sales Declaration (CSD) form

2. complete and return your CSD by the date stated on the form

3. annual invoice is raised based on your CSD and is sent to you with full details on how you can pay

4. you make the payment within 30 days of the date of the invoice

5. once your annual invoice has been paid, a new certificate will be issued and will be valid for one year from the previous certificate expiry date

Please note, if CSD has not been returned and payment has not been made within the required timescales, your licence will be suspended.

How to complete the Certified Sales Declaration form

What is a certified sales declaration (CSD) form?

The CSD form is a document that we require you to complete each year. You are required to declare the certified sales made over the last 12 months. This is then used to calculate your annual certification fee. We require the CSD form to be completed and submitted via the portal and your annual fee invoice paid in full, in order to renew your licence at expiry.

Receiving the CSD form

If you need to complete a CSD form, a link to complete it via the client portal will be emailed to the licence holder around two months before your annual expiry date. You will need to submit the form by the 20th of the month before expiry, so you can be invoiced a month before expiry.

Completing the CSD form

As a part of your certification, you are required to keep records of the sales of items listed on your trading schedule. You will need to complete the CSD form with this amount in line with the specific licence type notes for your guidance. Please tick all boxes that apply to the business.

How we calculate your annual fee invoice

We calculate your annual fee based on the figures you declare on your CSD form. Details of our current fee structure and how annual fees are calculated can be found on our fee sheets. We will send you an annual fee invoice that clearly states your certification fees and the bank details for payment.

Guidance for on farm licences

On farm licences will use a Word document to fill in their CSD forms instead of the portal.

We only require produce to be declared if you have processed it (added value) or brought produce in to be sold on. For example, you would need to declare it if:

• you purchased additional carrots and packed them in order to add into your box scheme, or

• you packed your own produce for retail sale to a shop or another client (retail pack)

If you are relabelling a product, the sale must be declared. If you are packing or processing your own products, such as jam, meat or juices, the sale must be declared. If you are repacking bought-in processed products such as dried goods, muesli or oats, you must include the sale.

Storage and wholesale licence

Storage and wholesale licence sales do not need to be declared. Please review your storage and wholesale licence trading schedule to see the products that you have listed on your licence. Please refer to our fee sheet to see the fixed fee for storage and wholesale licences.