New Annual Membership Fee Process Announced

Beginning August 1, 2023, all new youth and adult members who join Scouting will be enrolled in a 12-month membership cycle, and BSA will cease prorating fees. Both youth and adults will pay the full annual membership fee and renew their membership on the anniversary date of joining Scouting. All proration of membership fees will be eliminated.

Each registered member of the BSA will receive an email notification with a registration renewal link beginning 60 days before the anniversary month they joined Scouting. Unit leaders will receive a copy of the email and should stay engaged in the membership renewal process, just like rechartering.

Effective August 1, 2023, the BSA will implement the following national membership fees, which were approved by the National Executive Committee:

• $80 for Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scouting participants ($5 increase)
• $60 for all adult volunteers ($15 increase to provide general liability insurance and enhanced background checks)
• $25 one-time joining fee for new program participants in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting (Not prorated and no change in fee)
• $30 for Scoutreach (Not prorated)
• $25 for Merit Badge Counselors (New Fee applies only for Merit Badge Counselors not already registered as leaders)
• $50 for Exploring participants Youth & Adults ($5 increase)
• $100 for a unit charter/affiliation fee (no change in fee)
• $15 for Scout Life magazine

All currently registered members will have an anniversary month of December. Units will have the option to pay all their members’ registration renewals as they come due.

This change will not impact this fall’s (December) rechartering process (it will be business as usual). But the rechartering process in December 2024 will be quite different, as the renewal of individual registrations will no longer be part of the charter renewal process.

It is worth noting that registered adult leaders (paying the $60 fee) can multiple as merit badge counselors, but merit badge counselors (paying the $25 fee) cannot multiple as registered adult leaders in a unit, paying just the $25 registration fee for merit badge counselors.

Please review the full set of Frequently Asked Questions provided by National.