BEE star label fees in 2026: registration, model fees, security deposit and per-unit label fees

BEE charges three upfront amounts and one running fee. A company that makes, sells or imports a mandatory appliance registers once for Rs 5,000^[1]. Each appliance category needs a separate registration with a Rs 3 lakh interest-free label security deposit, or Rs 50,000 for small-scale industry^[1]. Each model then costs Rs 5,000 to register^[1].

The running cost is the label fee, charged on every labelled unit you sell. It ranges from Rs 1 for a domestic LPG stove to Rs 95 for a light commercial AC^[2], and you pay it quarterly^[1].

All of this comes from the BEE (Appliance Labeling and Compliance) Regulations, 2026, in force since 1 January 2026, which replaced the separate appliance-by-appliance regulations^[1]. Which of these costs you notice depends on the product. For big-ticket appliances such as ACs and refrigerators, the per-unit label fee and the deposit dominate; for cheap, high-volume items such as LED lamps, the fixed registration and model fees matter more, as the worked examples below show. BEE also sits on the same checklist as BIS, EPR and LMPC, so budget them together. For what the label is and who needs it, see BEE star label; for which appliances are covered, see BEE products.

These are every fee and deposit in the 2026 regulations that an importer or manufacturer meets, with when each is paid.

Yes. BEE's portal SOP treats each brand as an individual company for registration^[3], and each brand must be registered separately even when several belong to one manufacturer^[4].

That multiplies the deposit too. A group selling ACs under two brands registers two companies (Rs 10,000) and, because each registered company registers each appliance separately with its own deposit^[1], puts down Rs 6 lakh in deposits rather than Rs 3 lakh. Small-scale units pay Rs 50,000 per appliance instead^[1].

If you are a private-label importer, decide early whether the brand registration sits with you or with the factory. BEE's FAQ says permittees, manufacturers, importers, OEMs and brand owners can all register^[5]. The holder pays the fees and is the one BEE pursues for defaults.

Schedule A of the 2026 regulations sets the label fee for each mandatory appliance^[2]. These are per unit you sell with a label, so they scale with volume.

Voluntary appliances pay nothing unless you choose to label them. BEE's FAQ says registration of voluntary appliances is not mandatory^[5]. If you do label, Schedule B sets the fees^[2], and the company and model fees apply the same way.

Two changes are already scheduled. First, induction hobs become mandatory: BEE's portal lists induction hob among the 18 mandatory categories with effect from 1 January 2027, while it stays on the voluntary list until then^[6]. From that date sellers of induction cooktops must register, pay the deposit and the Rs 5 per piece label fee^[2].

Second, the way label fees are paid changes. Prepaid label fees at the time of QR code requisition apply from 1 April 2027; if BEE's portal has no prepaid mechanism in place by then, quarterly payment continues^[1]. Prepayment means the label fee becomes a cost at the point you request QR codes, not after sale.

Star tables also move. BEE has upgraded the LED lamp star table from 1 January 2027^[7] and announced an upgrade for distribution transformers from the same date^[8]. A table upgrade is not a fee, but re-labelling models costs time. Track these on the compliance calendar and new rules 2026.

Take a non-SSI importer launching four split AC models under one brand and selling 20,000 units in the year.

• Company registration: Rs 5,000^[1]
• Security deposit for room ACs: Rs 3,00,000, refundable^[1]
• Four model registrations: 4 x Rs 5,000 = Rs 20,000^[1]
• Label fees: 20,000 x Rs 30 = Rs 6,00,000^[2]

Fees that are spent: Rs 6,25,000. Cash tied up in the deposit: Rs 3,00,000. Testing at a BEE-recognised lab is on top^[4]. The unit count is illustrative; the rates are from the regulations.

The label fee dominates, and it scales with sales. On a Rs 30,000 AC, Rs 30 is 0.1% of the price. On a Rs 300 LED lamp, the label fee is Rs 10 per 100 lamps^[1], a tenth of a rupee each. Because the label fee is paid on units sold, it also belongs in your landed-cost sheet per unit, next to duty and freight, rather than in overheads. Use the compliance cost estimator to model your own volumes, and compare with BIS ISI costs for the same appliance.

Low-price, high-volume products show how the per-unit fee works the other way round.

TV importer, two UHD models, 10,000 units a year. Company registration Rs 5,000^[1]; deposit Rs 3,00,000^[1]; models 2 x Rs 5,000 = Rs 10,000^[1]; label fees 10,000 x Rs 30 = Rs 3,00,000^[1]. If the same TVs were full-HD colour TVs, the label fee would be Rs 10 each, so Rs 1,00,000. The UHD and colour TV star tables both run to 31 December 2027^[9][10].

LED lamp importer, five models, 5 lakh lamps a year. Registration Rs 5,000; deposit Rs 3,00,000; models Rs 25,000; label fees at Rs 10 per 100 lamps = Rs 50,000^[1]. Here the deposit and model fees outweigh the label fees, and from 1 January 2027 the upgraded LED star table applies^[7], so check your models still qualify before paying for new ones. Volumes are illustrative; the rates are BEE's.

For most appliances BEE is one of three or four approvals, and it is rarely the most expensive upfront. The comparison below uses an AC or refrigerator importer as the example. BIS fees for appliances are under Scheme-I, with an annual licence fee of Rs 1,000 plus a minimum marking fee set per standard^[11]. E-waste EPR registration fees depend on your recycling target, starting at Rs 2,500 for targets under 50 MT^[12], and LMPC registration is Rs 500^[13].

You pay label fees every quarter, within thirty days of the quarter's end, with a production statement; then once a year a CA-certified reconciliation, within two months of the financial year end^[1].

On the portal you open 'Upload Quarterly Production Data', select the financial year, enter production, and the portal calculates the fee from Schedules A and B; you upload a CA-certified production report and pay online^[3]. Registration fees and deposits are paid from 'Pay Registration Fee' using the Reference ID, through Billdesk, Razorpay or direct transfer^[3].

Fees fall at four points in the process, all on the BEE Star Label portal. BEE's SOP for the portal is version 2.0 of 4 February 2026^[3].

Usually not. Label permission for a model is granted for three years; you apply for renewal before expiry, BEE processes it within thirty days, and there is no fee when the star-rating plan is revised or continued^[1]. For a label change after a table upgrade (the 'degradation' route, e.g. 3 star to 2 star), BEE's SOP says no renewal fee applies^[3].

That is new. BEE's 2025 advisories for refrigerators, ceiling fans and room ACs charged Rs 1,000 per model to continue an existing model under the revised table and Rs 2,000 for a new model registration^[15]. Those were transition charges under the old regulations; the 2026 regulations set Rs 5,000 per new model^[1] and no fee for continuation.

Table validity drives when you renew. The current refrigerator and ceiling fan tables run 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028^[16]; split ACs to 31 December 2027^[17].

BEE refunds the interest-free deposit within thirty days of your written intimation that you have permanently ceased manufacturing the appliance^[2]. It is held for as long as you sell the appliance, so treat it as long-term working capital.

BEE can also use it. Unpaid label fees are recovered from the deposit with 10% annual interest, and if not recovered within a year of the due date BEE may cancel all labels and publish your name as a defaulter^[2]. If a label non-compliance, such as a missing or counterfeit label, is not explained within thirty days of a show-cause notice, BEE forfeits the deposit and suspends the model registration for a year^[1]. After a failed check test, BEE recovers the cost of publicising the failure up to the amount of the deposit^[2].

You do, if a sample fails. BEE may buy samples from factories, shops or online platforms for check testing^[2], and its surveillance covers e-commerce platforms^[1]. If the first check test fails, BEE runs a second test on twice the quantity in two labs at the permittee's cost^[1].

On a final failure BEE publishes the details, orders stock withdrawal and label correction, and withdraws permission for at least three months if directions are not followed^[1]. The advertisement cost is recovered up to the security deposit, and an action-taken report is due within ten days after the two-month publication period^[2].

Budget for this the way CRS licensees budget for surveillance: a failed check test can cost more than a year of label fees on a small model.

Beyond deposit forfeiture, the Energy Conservation Act carries money penalties. Section 26, as substituted in 2022, provides up to Rs 10 lakh for listed failures, plus up to Rs 10,000 a day for continuing failures; for breaching clauses (c) and (d) of section 14, there is an additional Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per appliance^[18]. Penalty action follows under the Energy Conservation (Compliance Enforcement) Rules, 2025^[1].

Permission can also be revoked, after a hearing, for failing to pay label fees, display labels, meet standards or give BEE the list of authorised sellers^[2]. That seller list is due by 30 April each year^[1].

For an importer selling 1,000 unlabelled ACs, the per-appliance penalty alone could reach Rs 50 lakh at Rs 5,000 each, on top of the Rs 10 lakh. The per-unit label fee of Rs 30^[2] is a far cheaper path.

The fees above are BEE's. Around them sit testing and paperwork. Appliances must be tested in BEE-recognised labs^[4]. BEE's older instructions asked for a trade mark certificate in the label user's name, ISO 9001 certificates for each factory, and a BIS licence where applicable, and accepted in-house reports only from NABL-accredited labs^[19]. First-time voluntary participants signed an agreement on Rs 100 non-judicial stamp paper^[19].

Most BEE appliances also need BIS certification for safety. ACs, refrigerators and washing machines fall under the electrical appliances QCO, and LED lamps under CRS. The sample label you upload must be a JPG, JPEG or PNG of 100-300 KB^[3], so budget design time too. Our BEE portal guide covers the uploads.

Yes, but access is restricted. The BEE Star Label portal is open from Indian IP addresses, and users abroad must formally ask BEE to whitelist their IPs^[4]. Most foreign brands register through an Indian importer or subsidiary for that reason.

Whoever registers holds the deposit and owes the quarterly fees. If an Indian distributor registers your brand, agree in writing who pays the quarterly label fees and who gets the deposit refund if the arrangement ends^[2]. Our foreign manufacturers guide and distributors guide discuss the split, and D2C brands covers the case where the brand owner is Indian and the factory is abroad.

The BEE Star Label portal lists helpdesk 011-26766700 and [email protected], and is down for maintenance every Tuesday and Thursday from 16:00 to 19:00^[20]. Avoid filing quarterly fees in those windows near a deadline.

For which appliances are mandatory today, see BEE products and the approval checker. For the full set of fees across BIS, BEE, WPC and EPR, see the India compliance fees data page, or ask us through the free compliance check.