FSC Annual Administration Fee (AAF) Calculator Guide 

What is the FSC Annual Administration Fee (AAF)? 

The Annual Administration Fee (AAF) is a fee charged by FSC Global Development (FSC GD) to accredited certification bodies (CBs), based on their portfolio of FSC certificate holders (CHs). The purpose of the fee is to support the services provided by FSC to maintain and strengthen the FSC certification system worldwide.  

How to use the AAF Calculator 

This calculator provides an estimate of the FSC Annual Administration Fee (AAF) for both Chain of Custody (CoC) and Forest Management (FM) certifications, based on the requirements of FSC-POL-20-005 Annual Administration Fee (AAF) Policy. 

Please note that the AAF is established by FSC and may change during the validity period of a certificate. FSC reserves the right to update AAF rates annually in line with internationally recognized inflation rates. 

The current AAF Policy and applicable rates can be found on the FSC website: 
https://connect.fsc.org/document-centre/documents/resource/221 

FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) 

For Chain of Custody certification, the AAF is based on: 

• The organization's Forest Products Turnover representing the total financial turnover of all wood-based material (both certified and non-certified). You will need information from your most recently completed fiscal year. 
• The organization's activity type (Processor or Trader) 
• The certification type (Single, Multi-Site, or Group) 

How it works 

Single certificate 

1. Determine whether the organization is a Processor or a Trader. 
2. Enter the organization's Forest Products Turnover in USD. 

Multi-Site certificate 

1. Determine whether the multi-site organization is a Processor or a Trader. Note that Multi-Site Certificate Holders conducting both processing and trading activities are treated as Processors. 
2. Enter the aggregated Forest Products Turnover for all sites included in the certificate scope.  

Group certificate 

1. Determine whether group members are Processors or Traders. 
2. Aggregate the Forest Products Turnover separately for:  
   • Processors 
   • Traders 
3. Enter the applicable turnover amount(s) in USD. 
4. Enter the number of group members included in the certificate. 

FSC Forest Management (FM) 

For Forest Management certification, the AAF is based on: 

• The certified forest area (hectares) 
• The applicable forest management category 

How it works 

1. Select Forest Management tab. 
2. Enter the certified area (hectares) for each applicable forest management category. 
3. Do not include SLIMF area within the category-specific hectare entries. 
4. Enter the area identified as SLIMF hectares separately in the corresponding field. 
5. The calculator will use the applicable FSC hectare rates to estimate the AAF and calculate the total certified area covered by the certificate. 

Important note for SLIMF 

SLIMF (Small or Low Intensity Managed Forests) areas are exempt from AAF hectare charges. However, they should still be entered so the calculator can determine the total area included within the certification scope. 

Important disclaimer 

This calculator is provided for estimation purposes only. Actual AAF charges are determined according to the current FSC AAF Policy and verified certification data. In the event of any discrepancy, the official FSC AAF Policy and the calculations confirmed by the audit team shall prevail.