Fee Schedule

Gold Standard for the Global Goals Fee Schedule

The following Fee Schedule went into effect on 14 August 2017 for all Gold Standard for the Global Goals Projects, and was updated with clarifications on 07 July 2023.  Below please find a summary of the Fee Schedule and its rationale.

Scope of fees This fee schedule refers only to those fees charged by Gold Standard. Additional fees may apply from certification providers and/or third-party validation and verification bodies.

Fee deductions. A portion of fees paid for Preliminary Review to a certification provider are deducted from the Project Design Review Fee by Gold Standard; likewise, a portion of Performance Review Fees are deducted from Gold Standard Issuance Fees.

Please contact help@goldstandard.org if you have a question about the fee schedule.

Additional Notes

  • All fees quoted are in US dollars (USD).
  • Gold Standard reserves the right to suspend any Registry account due to non-payment of fees for more than 60 days. All suspended Registry accounts must pay the Registry reactivation fee to terminate a suspension.

Fee Schedule

Fee Schedule FAQs

Registry Fees

  1. What is an Annual Registry Account Fee?

This is the annual fee paid to Gold Standard for the maintenance and improvement of the Gold Standard Registry. It is paid by every account holder except account holders whose sole relationship to Gold Standard is as a NGO Supporter. (NGO Supporters who are also project developers must pay this fee.)

  1. What is an Account Reactivation Fee?

The Account Reactivation Fee must be paid to lift an account out of suspension. An account may be suspended for reasons including, but not limited to, non-payment of fees.

Certification Review Fees

  1. What is a Preliminary Review? Project Design Review? Performance Review?

For new project developers, please see the Gold Standard for Global Goals Requirements, which explain these steps in the certification process.

For our existing project developers, the Preliminary Review is taking the place of the Local Stakeholder Consultation Review; the Project Design Review is the former Registration Review; and the Performance Review is the former Issuance Review.

  1. Why are Preliminary Review Fees credited against Project Design Review Fees?

We have changed the timing of our fees in order to accommodate a new certification review structure, which largely relies on independent external reviewers. To avoid a fee increase as a result of this change, we will credit Preliminary Review fees against the Project Design Review Fees.

  1. Why are Performance Review Fees credited against Issuance Fees?

We have changed the timing of our fees in order to accommodate a new certification review structure, which largely relies on independent external reviewers. To avoid a fee increase as a results of this change, we will credit Performance Review Fees against the Issuance Fees.

  1. Which Project Design Review Fee do I pay if I am developing a Gold Standard VER & ADALY project?

You would pay the Project Design Fee for Gold Standard VERs and the Project Design Fee for ADALYs.

Issuance Fees

  1. What is the difference between a cash fee project and Share of Proceeds (SOP) project?

In its second year, a carbon project can choose the Cash-Per-Credit Fee Structure or the Share of Proceeds Fee Structure. In the former, the project pays all of its fees in cash. In the latter, a project can pay a portion of its fees in carbon credits (VERs or CERs): 2% of the total issuance for VER projects and 1.5% of the total issuance for CER projects. This option is only available for carbon projects in the Energy & Waste sectors.

Other Services

  1. When will I be charged for an additional round of review?
    • Generally, every project is accorded the following review rounds:
Type of project reviewRound 1Round 2Round 3
Preliminary ReviewXX 
Project Design ReviewXXX
Performance ReviewXXX
Design ChangeXX 
Crediting Period RenewalXXX
POA DCR ReviewXX 
Inclusion ReviewXX 

If your project, for whatever reason, requires review rounds that exceed this allocation, you will be charged $50 per hour for the additional review time. Gold Standard will provide you with a quote for the additional time required before it is incurred. Quotes are non-binding and non-negotiable.

  1. Why is the Crediting Period Renewal Fee a per-credit fee?
    • We conduct the equivalent of a Project Design Review (formerly the Registration Review) for crediting renewal periods. Therefore, the fee is the same as the Project Design Review.
  1. When can I request an Expedited Review and how fast will it be done?
    • You can request an Expedited Review at any time and Gold Standard will work with you to meet your deadlines.
  2. What happens to the fee in the case that a Deviation Reconsideration Request is overturned?
    • In case the deviation decision is overturned, the fee will be credited back to the project developer.