How Much Does BRCGS Certification Cost? What Actually Drives Audit Duration and Fees

By Robert Low, Director, Lead Auditor & BRCGS Approved Trainer

How much does BRCGS certification cost is one of the most searched questions around the scheme, and most answers dodge it. I will not pretend there is a single number, because there genuinely is not, but I can show you exactly how the number is built, which puts you in control of most of it.

The Components

Audit duration is the engine of the cost. Certification bodies charge by the audit day, and the number of days is not negotiable haggling, it comes from the scheme’s audit duration calculation based on your site size, the scope and complexity of your operations, and the product categories involved. Bigger site, more processes, more categories, more days. For Consumer Products Issue 5 the duration calculator is being revised, with a minimum in the region of a day and a half on site, so budget on that basis and confirm when the final protocol publishes in October 2026.

Certification body day rates and expenses. Day rates vary between CBs and regions, and travel and accommodation for the auditor sit on top. This is where quotes genuinely differ, so get several. My guide on choosing a certification body covers how to compare beyond the headline rate.

Scheme and certificate fees. BRCGS charges registration and certificate fees per audit, typically passed through by the CB. Modest against the audit days, but they belong in the budget.

Your internal cost, the one nobody budgets. System development, training, internal audits, management time and corrective actions usually exceed the external fees, especially for a first certification. Skimp here and you pay for it in the most expensive way possible: a failed initial audit and a re-audit.

How to Keep the Cost Proportionate

First, be audit-ready rather than audit-rescued. A site that fails must fund a further audit, so the cheapest certification is the one you pass first time, and my article on preparing for your first Consumer Products audit is the roadmap. Second, keep your scope honest: certificate what you actually need certificated, because scope drives duration. Third, if you run multiple standards, ISO 22716 alongside BRCGS being the classic cosmetics pairing, build one integrated system rather than two, which halves the maintenance cost forever.

Fourth, buy the system smart. Consultancy delivered remotely costs a fraction of days on site, and a structured gap analysis tells you precisely where to spend before you spend it. That is what I do, buttons below, and for cosmetics sites my GMP-MS document packs shortcut the build phase entirely.