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Have your say about AICIS fees and charges 2026–27
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What's this about?
We’re seeking feedback on proposed AICIS fees and charges for the 2026–27 registration year – 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027 – including potential impacts to industrial chemical introducers (importers and manufacturers).
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Summary of proposed changes
For fees and charges in the 2026–27 registration year, we propose:
- A one-off 90% discount in the 2026–27 registration levy charge to reduce surplus AICIS funds and return the scheme’s cash balance to target levels. Reinstate the pre-2026–27 levy charge in 2027–28 with 2 years of indexation applied to support the financial sustainability of the scheme.
- Reduce the total number of certificate application types from 5 to 3 to increase efficiency, support full cost recovery and make it easier for applicants to choose the correct application type
- Increase certificate application fees to recover from the applicant the full cost of processing and assessing these applications.
- Apply indexation only to other fees for services with no change to their structure.
We propose a 90% discount on the registration levy only for the 2026–27 year using the existing 8‑level registration levy structure (see Table 1 for the proposed levy charges). This proposal is designed to reduce AICIS’s cash balance to its target reserve level. It does not mean an ongoing decrease in levy charges.
From 2027–28, we would reinstate 2025–26 levy charges plus 2 years of indexation, subject to government approval. This means that in 2027–28, levy charges would return to the 2025–26 levy amount plus annual indexation for the prior 2 years that AICIS did not index the levy.
Maintaining indexation is important to ensure the levy matches increases in our cost base, including employee and supplier costs. This complies with the Australian Government’s cost recovery policy to balance expenses and revenue, which can be implemented across several years by annual levy adjustments and indexation.
This proposal would achieve our target cash balance in reserve, while keeping future levy changes stable and predictable. Table 1 provides the proposed registration charges by registration level.
Table 1 – AICIS registration levy (Proposal 1)
| Registration level (prior year introduction value) | Current charge per registration ($) 2025–26 | Proposed charge per registration ($) 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 ($0 – $49,999) | NIL | NIL |
| Level 2 ($50,000 – $99,999) | 65 | 10 |
| Level 3 ($100,000 – $249,999) | 180 | 20 |
| Level 4 ($250,000 – $499,999) | 350 | 35 |
| Level 5 ($500,000 – $2,999,999) | 2,100 | 210 |
| Level 6 ($3,000,000 – $4,999,999) | 3,750 | 375 |
| Level 7 ($5,000,000 – $14,999,999) | 24,500 | 2,450 |
| Level 8 ($15,000,000+) | 35,000 | 3,500 |
The 2026–27 registration fee would be indexed against the 2025–26 fee (see Table 2).
Table 2 – AICIS registration fee (Proposal 1)
| Fee for service | Current fee ($) 2025–26 | Proposed fee ($) 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Application for registration | 80 | 85 |
Proposal 2: Simplified structure for assessment certificate applications
Summary of the proposal
We propose simplifying the structure of certificate applications to reflect experience and better align fees with the resources that we need to assess them.
- Simplify and reduce the total number of certificate application types from 5 to 3 with a separate fee for each type.
- The fee for each application type would be set based on data showing the overall assessment effort historically required, to end the subsidisation of the cost of these assessments by the registration levy.
This proposal would only apply to applicants for certificates, not all registrants. Only a small proportion of registrants submit certificate applications. Our data showed that less than 1% of businesses registered with AICIS have applied for a certificate.
Applicants can only apply for chemicals that are not on the Inventory. Applications are mandatory for introductions in the assessed (medium to high risk) category. Importers and manufacturers with exempted (very low risk) and reported (low risk) introductions are not required to apply for an assessment certificate.
Zero fee options will continue to be available for very low risk and low risk introductions.
Current certificate application types
There are currently 5 types of applications for assessment certificates needed for introductions of industrial chemicals that are not listed on the Inventory.
For medium to high-risk introductions, applicants must apply for and receive an AICIS assessment certificate before they can introduce the industrial chemical into Australia. If an assessment certificate is issued, the assessed industrial chemical will generally be added to the Inventory.
All applicants must use the highest fee application type – health and environment focus – unless they work out their introduction category using our guide to categorising your chemical importation and manufacture.
- Health & Environment focus – This is the default application type for all introductions in the assessed (medium to high risk) category.
- Health focus – This is for introductions in the assessed category where the applicant can give us information that shows the chemical introduction meets the criteria for very low or low risk to the environment but not human health.
- Environment focus – This is for introductions in the assessed category where the applicant can give us information that shows the chemical introduction meets the criteria for very low or low risk to human health but not the environment.
- Very low to low risk – This optional application type is only available to applicants that can give us information that shows the chemical introduction meets the criteria for categorisation as very low or low risk for both human health and the environment. It is used by businesses that choose to pay for an AICIS assessment for the purpose of getting a chemical added to the Inventory, instead of using the no-fee reported or exempted introduction categories.
- Comparable hazard assessment – This is only available to applicants that have a hazard assessment from a recognised international or Australian assessment body (as defined by the Industrial Chemicals (Fees and Charges) Rules 2020) and have permission to use it.
Proposed new certificate application types
We plan to simplify and reduce the number of certificate application types from the existing 5 to these 3 types:
- Type 1 – the default type that will apply for all higher exposure introductions and all medium to high-risk introductions.
- Type 2 – used when applicants have worked out that their introduction can be categorised as very low to low risk, except when it is a higher exposure introduction.
- Type 3 – used when the applicant has access to an appropriate comparable hazard assessment.
Type 1: Medium to high risk, or very low to low-risk introductions in human health and/or environment exposure band 4
This would be the default type, replacing all 3 existing focus (human health, environment and human health and environment) application types. It would apply unless applicants work out their introduction meets the requirements associated with Type 2 – the lower fee application type.
An applicant must select this type if their introduction is in the ‘assessed’ category (medium to high risk). If the requirements of the ‘exempted’ or ‘reported’ categories cannot be met for an introduction, it will generally be an assessed introduction.
This type would also apply when a business chooses not to use the fee-free reported introduction category and instead wants AICIS to assess an application for an assessment certificate, in circumstances when the introduction falls in exposure band 4 for human health and/or the environment.
Type 2: Very low or low risk to human health and environment (excluding introductions in human health and/or environment exposure band 4)
This would be a lower-cost assessment certificate option for businesses wanting to get a chemical added to the Inventory even though they have used our guide to categorise their chemical introduction as exempted or reported.
This type would apply if an introduction can be categorised as exempted or reported by meeting the criteria at any of the following steps in our categorisation guide:
- step 2 – for example, polymers of low concern
- step 3 – for example, low-risk flavour or fragrance blend introductions
- steps 4–6 and the human health exposure band is 1 or 2 or 3 and environment exposure band is 1 or 2 or 3.
The applicant must be able to give us the detailed information to show that the introduction meets the criteria to be very low or low risk to both human health and the environment.
Type 3: Comparable hazard assessment
This existing certificate type will remain unchanged.
Proposed certificate application fees for 2026–27
The fee for application types 1 and 2 would recover the full efficient cost of assessing these applications – see What our cost recovery analysis of assessment certificates showed.
The effect of this would be to increase fees for all assessment certificate applications. Since commencement on 1 July 2020, AICIS has received 164 applications for assessment certificates from 89 businesses, representing about 1% of registered introducers.
The fee for comparable hazard assessments is currently set at 50% of the highest certificate application type, so under this proposal, the fee for Type 3 applications would be set at 50% of the Type 1 fee. Our analysis showed that we had not completed a comparable hazard assessment, and so can’t use effort data to set the fee.
Implementing the proposed new assessment certificate application structure would require IT changes to the International Uniform Chemical Information Database (IUCLID), which is integrated into AICIS certificate application process. The next IUCLID release is scheduled for April 2027. Therefore, we are proposing to stagger the certificate application fee increases over 2 years, with 50% of the increased cost occurring in 2026–27 using the current certificate types and the other 50% occurring in 2027–28 using the new certificate types. This is described in Table 3.
Table 3 – Current versus proposed certificate application fees
| Current certificate application type | 2025–26 fee ($) | 2026–27 proposed fee ($) | Proposed certificate application type | 2027–28 proposed fee ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health focus (HH) | 24,100 | 34,760 | Type 1: Medium to high risk, or very low to low-risk introductions in human health and/or environment exposure band 4 | 45,425 |
| Environment focus (Env) | 24,100 | 34,760 | ||
| Health and Environment focus (HH and Env) | 36,050 | 40,740 | ||
| Very low to low risk (VLLR) | 7,670 | 14,530 | Type 2: Very low to low risk to human health and environment (excluding introductions in human health and/or environment exposure band 4) | 21,390 |
| Comparable hazard assessment | 18,060 | 20,385 | Type 3: Comparable hazard assessment | 22,715 |
What our cost recovery analysis of assessment certificates showed
When AICIS began in July 2020, our initial fees were largely based on historical effort averages of the closest assessment certificate activities under the former regulatory scheme, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS).
Since then, we have collected data on the effort and resources required to deliver these services. We used the data to analyse whether the current fees charged for AICIS assessment certificate applications align with the corresponding effort to complete the assessments.
Our analysis showed:
- The overall level of effort we need to assess certificate applications is significantly higher than historical averages under NICNAS. The main reason for this is that the effort averages under NICNAS included many lower risk and/or lower complexity assessments (including in the highest fee type) that are now mostly authorised under exempted or reported categories without pre-market assessment.
- AICIS assessment certificate applicants have been consistently under-charged for the service. On average, fees collected for applications did not cover the full costs of assessing and processing them.
- This means the cost of assessing certificate applications made by specific businesses is being subsidised by the registration levy charged to all registered businesses. This does not comply with the Australian Government’s cost recovery policy to allocate costs appropriately and avoid cross-subsidisation.
- The largest cross-subsidisation is for very low to low-risk certificate applications, with the application fee significantly less than the costs of assessing these applications.
- The 3 existing ‘focus’ (medium to high risk) application certificate types all required similar levels of AICIS assessment effort, regardless of specific focus.
- Very low to low-risk applications for introductions with the higher exposures to humans and/or the environment (exposure band 4) required more effort than other very low to low-risk applications. This is primarily due to these applications needing the same level of information to demonstrate that they are very low to low risk as is required to be submitted for the ‘focus’ assessments. Data from assessments completed during the first 5 years of the scheme indicates that these very low to low-risk applications account for approximately 15% of completed applications.
- Efficiencies could be gained in the application preparation and screening stages through changing the structure of certificate applications.
Information required with applications
While the certificate application types would change, the information required from applicants would stay the same. This means that if an application was submitted to us before or after the proposed change, the applicant would provide the same information to support their application.
We will achieve this through the IUCLID release in April 2027 using a combination of the way the approved form is set out in IUCLID and the information waiver function already available.
Example 1: how an ‘environment focus’ application would change under the proposal
Charlie plans to import a chemical that will be an ingredient of a consumer product at a concentration of less than 0.1%. The chemical is not on the Inventory.
Using AICIS’s categorisation guide, Charlie worked out that their introduction is in human health exposure band 2. Charlie works out that the chemical does not have any hazard characteristic in human health hazard band C. Therefore, the introduction meets the criteria to be very low risk to human health.
Charlie works out that the introduction is in environment exposure band 3. Charlie has an ecotoxicological study showing that the chemical is very toxic to aquatic life, which is a hazard characteristic in environment hazard band C. Therefore, the introduction is considered medium to high risk to the environment and is in the ‘assessed’ category for the environment.
Current: Charlie must apply for an assessment and receive a certificate if they wish to import the chemical. They select ‘environment focus’ as the application type. The approved form for this type sets out that the required information is a suite of ecotoxicological information on environmental hazards of the chemical, as well as certain physical-chemical properties.
Proposed: Charlie must apply for an assessment and receive a certificate if they wish to import the chemical. They select ‘Type 1’ as the application type. The approved form for this type sets out that the required information is a suite of:
- ecotoxicological information on environmental hazards of the chemical
- physical-chemical properties
- toxicological information on health hazards of the chemical.
However, in IUCLID, Charlie would select an information waiver for human health hazard endpoints and certain physical-chemical properties because their introduction is in human health exposure band 2 and low risk to human health.
The combination of the approved form and information waivers would result in the information requirements being the same before and after the proposed change.
Example 2: how an application for a very low to low-risk introduction in human health and/or environment exposure band 4 would change under the proposal
Charlie plans to import 15,000 kg/year of a chemical that will be an ingredient of a consumer product at a concentration greater than 1%. The chemical is not on the Inventory.
Using AICIS’s categorisation guide, Charlie worked out that their introduction is in human health exposure band 4. Charlie works out that they have the required toxicological information as set out in the Categorisation Guidelines to show that the chemical does not have any hazard characteristic in human health hazard bands C, B or A. Therefore, the introduction meets the criteria to be very low risk to human health.
Charlie works out that the introduction in is environment exposure band 4. Charlie works out that they have the required ecotoxicological information as set out in the Categorisation Guidelines to show that the chemical does not have any hazard characteristic in environment hazard bands D, C, B or A. Therefore, the introduction meets the criteria to be very low risk to environment.
Charlie could choose to introduce the chemical in the exempted category, however they want the chemical to be listed on the Inventory and so chooses to apply for an assessment certificate.
Current: They select ‘very low to low risk’ as the application type. The approved form for this type sets out that toxicological and ecotoxicological information must be provided ‘if available’.
As Charlie used toxicological and ecotoxicological information to categorise the chemical as very low risk, the suite of information is available to them and so they are required to submit it with their application. This information also demonstrates that they have selected the correct application type.
Proposed: They select ‘Type 1’ as the application type. The approved form for this type sets out that the required information is the suite of:
- toxicological information on health hazards of the chemical
- ecotoxicological information on environmental hazards of the chemical
- physical-chemical properties.
Charlie has this information as they used it to categorise their introduction as very low risk and so is able to submit it with their application.
Under the proposed changes, Charlie would not need to categorise their introduction if they already knew that they wanted to apply for an assessment certificate so that the chemical could be listed on the Inventory.
Instead, once they worked out that their introduction was in human health and environment exposure bands 4 they could simply select Type 1 as the application type and assemble the required information to submit with their application.
Proposal 3: Other fees for services to increase in line with indexation
We apply indexation to recover cost increases driven by inflation. We will index our fees by 3.3% in 2026–27 for sustainable funding of our regulatory services and to comply with the government’s cost recovery policy.
The indexation rate is based on inflation figures for the period September 2024 to September 2025 and reflects the relative contribution of our main expenses:
- Employee costs – weighted at 70%, based on a Wage Price Index (WPI) of 3.4%, contributing 2.38%
- Supplier costs – weighted at 30%, based on a Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 3.2%, contributing 0.96%.
Tables 4 to 8 below set out the current fees and the proposed fees for 2026–27.
Table 4 – Current and proposed fees for applications related to assessment certificates
| Fee for service | Current fee ($) 2025–26 | Proposed fee ($) 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Consolidated application | 7,235 | 7,475 |
| Application to vary the terms of an existing Assessment Certificate | 4,885 | 5,050 |
| Application to add a certificate holder | 1,540 | 1,595 |
| Application to remove a certificate holder | 830 | 860 |
| Application to add a person covered by a certificate | 1,540 | 1,595 |
| Application to remove a person covered by a certificate | 830 | 860 |
| Multicomponent application | 2,735 | 2825 |
Table 5 – Current and proposed fees for applications related to commercial evaluation authorisations
| Fee for service | Current fee ($) 2025–26 | Proposed fee ($) 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Application for a commercial evaluation authorisation | 6,695 | 6,920 |
| Application to vary the terms of an authorisation | 2,605 | 2,695 |
| Application to add an authorisation holder | 1,540 | 1,595 |
| Application to remove an authorisation holder | 830 | 855 |
Table 6 – Current and proposed fees for applications related to the Inventory
| Fees for service | Current fee ($) 2025–26 | Proposed fee ($) 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Application for listing on the Inventory before 5 years | 1,540 | 1,595 |
| Application for variation of listing | 4,885 | 5,050 |
| Application to vary a term of an Inventory listing when an assessment certificate is in force | 1,540 | 1,595 |
Table 7 – Protection of confidential business information (CBI)
| Fees for service | Current fee ($) 2025–26 | Proposed fee ($) 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Application for protection of proper name | 1,785 | 1,845 |
| Application for protection of end use | 625 | 650 |
| Application for continued protection | 4,710 | 4,865 |
| Application for protection of CBI other | 1,190 | 1,230 |
| Application to be confidence holder of CBI for a protected inventory listing | 4,230 | 4,370 |
Table 8 – Import and export of certain industrial chemicals subject to international agreements
| Fees for service | Current fee ($) 2025–26 | Proposed fee ($) 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Application to import a Rotterdam Convention banned or severely restricted chemical | 4,930 | 5,095 |
| Application for Category A export of industrial chemicals out of Australia | 2,470 | 2,555 |
| Application for Category B export of industrial chemicals out of Australia | 4,930 | 5,095 |
| Application for Category C export of industrial chemicals out of Australia | 2,470 | 2,555 |
Stakeholder engagement
We engaged these peak industry associations in December 2025 on our proposed charging approach for 2026–27:
- Accord Australia
- Australian Paints Manufacturers Federation Inc
- Chemistry Australia.
These associations supported AICIS’s ongoing work to refine certificate application arrangements and to resolve the causes of accumulation of funds in the Industrial Chemicals Special Account.
What’s next?
We welcome submissions through our online form until 15 May 2026.
We will consider all feedback and seek a decision on the 2026–27 fees and charges from the Assistant Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing.
Subject to ministerial approval, we will publish the 2026–27 AICIS cost recovery implementation statement (CRIS) and announce the final fees and charges ahead of the new registration year that starts on 1 September 2026.
Contact us to submit any questions about this consultation.