BAO inflationary licensing fee increase of 2.1% will start on Nov. 1, 2026

Notice to the Profession

The Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) will be implementing an inflationary increase of 2.1 per cent to its licensing fees to cover the cost of inflation.

This BAO official 60-day notice to you, as licensees, provides time to plan for this necessary licensing fee increase that will start going into effect on Nov. 1, 2026.

Dates

For Funeral Establishment and Transfer Service (FE/TS) Operators:

• Nov. 1, 2026: Operators will begin charging the revised BAO Consumer Protection Fee (CPF) and adjust the CPF amount on price lists and contracts.
• Nov. 1, 2027: Increased fees are due to the BAO.

For Cemetery, Crematorium, and Alkaline Hydrolysis (CEM/CREM/AH) Operators:

• Jan. 1, 2027: Operators will begin charging the revised licensing fee, called the BAO Consumer Protection Fee (CPF), and adjust the CPF amount on price lists and contracts.
• Jan. 1, 2028: Increased licensing fees become due to the BAO.

For all other fees, including application, renewal, and late fees:

• April 1, 2027: Increased licensing fees become due to the BAO.

How the fee will be applied

Please see the lists below describing how the licensing fee increase will be applied to personal licensees, business operators and applicants.

For Personal Licensees and Applicants:

• Personal licence renewal fees, increasing from $244.47 to $249.60;
• Personal licence late renewal fee, increasing from $91.68 to $93.61;
• Personal licence application fees, increasing from $305.58 to $312;
• Internship registration fees, increasing from $91.68 to $93.61;
• Entry-to-practice examination fees, increasing from $305.58 to $312;
• Entry-to-practice examination re-evaluation fee, increasing from $91.68 to $93.61;
• Jurisprudence examination fee, increasing from $305.58 to $312;
  • Entry-to-practice examination re-try fee, increasing from $244.47 to $249.60;
  • Examination cancellation fees, increasing from $61.12 to $62.40;
  • Not Sufficient Funds (NSF) fees, increasing from $42.78 to $43.68;
  • Replacement fees for personal wall licences, increasing from $36.67 to $37.44.
     

For Business Operators and Applicants:  

• Cemeteries, crematoriums and hydrolysis facilitieswill pay $30.63 total per interment, scattering, cremation and/or hydrolysis activity for 10 or more total activities conducted in the reporting calendar year, except for activities related to stillbirths.
• Funeral establishments and transfer services (FE/TS) will pay $30.63 per death registered in the previous 12 months, except for stillbirth death registrations. This is an increase from $30.
• FE/TS Operator late renewal fee, increasing from $244.47 to $249.60;
• Business licence application fee, increasing from $611.17 to $624;
• NSF fee, increasing from $42.78 to $43.68;
• FE/TS Operators only – Notice to Registrar of change in person in charge of day-to-day operations, increasing from $107.60 to $109.86.

There will be a $306.30 licensing flat fee, increasing from $300, for the funeral establishments and transfer services who have fewer than 10 deaths in a year. They would be exempt from the $30.63 per ‘call’ (licensed activity) fee.

Cemeteries with fewer than 10 interments will continue to be fee exempt.

Visibility of the fee

Operators may choose to display the BAO Consumer Protection Fee (CPF) as a separate line item in their service contracts and price lists with consumers. Please refer to previous Registrar’s Notice to Profession on how to display this fee.

Schedule for Fee Payment

The increased fees are not due to the BAO until April 1, 2027. However, since operator licence renewal fees are calculated on activities that were done in the year prior to renewal, operators will need to start charging the revised BAO Consumer Protection Fee (CPF) on November 1, 2026 and adjust the CPF amount on price lists and contracts.

Purpose of licensing fee increase

“The fee increase will better enable the BAO to continue its work as the provincial regulator providing consumer protection to grieving families and guidance to professionals, while making progress on our Strategic Priorities in the public interest,” says Justin A. Brown, CEO and Registrar, BAO.

The BAO’s Strategic Priorities are:

• SP1 Enhance Consumer Protection and Engagement
• SP2 Enable Sector Impact Through Operational Excellence, and
• SP3 Advance an Evidence-Based Regulatory Approach

“In the last several months, we’ve expanded the number of inspections we conduct at funeral establishments, cemeteries, crematoriums, and alkaline hydrolysis facilities, while also providing guidance to 9,700 professionals and licensed operators in Ontario,” says Brown.

“To our licensed professionals serving grieving families, please know that your fees paid to the BAO fund our inspections, licensing, legal, and other important work. Your fees also drive public trust in the bereavement sector, as people can see the value of enforced regulations and the professionalism required to be licensed by the BAO,” he adds.

Questions

After you’ve read this notice, please email us any questions you may have to:

• Communication@TheBAO.ca

We will compile your questions and develop a Frequently Asked Questions post on our public website, which we will share with all licensees.

About the BAO

The Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) is a government delegated authority and not-for-profit corporation administering provisions of the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act, 2002 (FBCSA). Accountable to the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement and the government, the BAO is responsible for the protection of the public interest. The BAO regulates, ensures compliance with the law, provides resources and services to licensed:

• Funeral establishment operators, directors and preplanners;
• Cemetery, crematorium and alternative disposition operators;
• Transfer service operators; and
• Bereavement sector sales representatives across Ontario.

The BAO is wholly funded by licensee fees and not tax dollars.