Annual Fee

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act directs the Board to assess and collect an annual fee from each registered public accounting firm in amounts that are sufficient to recover the costs of processing and reviewing annual reports. PCAOB Rule 2202 requires the payment of that fee and provides that the Board will, from time to time, announce the amount of the fee. 

The annual fee is due by July 31 of each year and must be paid by each firm that is registered as of March 31 of that year, subject to certain exceptions for firms that file a Form 1-WD requesting leave to withdraw from registration.

Firms that register after March 31 of a particular year do not begin to pay the annual fee until the following year.

The Board intends to transmit invoices for the annual fee by early May of each year, but the fee is due regardless of whether the firm receives the invoice and regardless of whether the firm has filed the required annual report on Form 2.

Current Annual Fee Schedule

Firms with more than 500 issuer audit clients and more than 10,000 personnel  $100,000 
Other firms with more than 200 issuer audit clients and more than 1,000 personnel  $25,000
 All other firms  $500

Pay Annual Fee