August 1, 2022

The national Boy Scouts of America organization sets the fee amounts to register as a member of Scouting. BSA has increased the youth membership fee by $3 (effective August 1, 2022) in all programs except Exploring for the 2022-2023 program year. Here are the current national fee amounts:

• $75 for youth in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing, and Sea Scouting
• $25 new member fee (one-time only, upon joining Scouting for the first time)
• $45 for youth in Exploring
• $45 for adult members in all programs (includes cost of background check)
• $100 for a unit charter fee

Note:

• Youth who cross over from Cub Scouts to Scouts BSA do not have to pay the new member fee
• Youth who transfer from one unit or program to another do not have to pay the new member fee
• Youth who are new members joining Exploring do not have to pay the new member fee
• Adults who are new volunteers (in any program) do not have to pay the new member fee
• Everyone still pays the $1 fee for our council’s local insurance coverage during recharter (we chose not to increase this because you’re already paying enough)
• Our council does not use the council program fee approved by the national organization

If you join Scouting during the year, you pay a pro-rated portion of the national membership fee. Here are some real-world examples (new member amount assumes joining September 1):

• New Cub Scout/Scouts BSA/Venturer/Sea Scout – pay $50 to join (pro-rated $25 membership fee for the final four months of 2022 + $25 one-time new member fee) and then $76 (national membership fee + $1 for local insurance coverage) at recharter in December
• New Explorer – pay pro-rated $15 membership fee for the final four months of 2022 and then $46 (national membership fee + $1 for local insurance coverage) at recharter in December
• Scouts BSA youth staying active in a troop but also joining Exploring – pay pro-rated $15 membership fee for the final four months of 2022 in Exploring and then, in December with recharter, $76 (BSA national membership fee + $1 for local insurance coverage) for your Scouts BSA registration AND $46 (national Exploring membership fee + $1 for local insurance coverage) for your Exploring registration
• New adult member (all programs) – pay pro-rated $15 membership fee for the final four months of 2022 and then $46 (national membership fee + $1 for local insurance coverage) at recharter in December
• Existing Cub Scout/Scouts BSA/Venturer/Sea Scout continuing in the same program – pay $76 (national membership fee + $1 for local insurance coverage) at recharter in December
• Cub Scout crossing over into Scouts BSA – pay $76 (national membership fee + $1 for local insurance coverage) at recharter in December for the coming year’s membership in your Scouts BSA Troop
• Scouts BSA youth staying active in a troop but also joining Venturing or Sea Scouting – pay $76 (national membership fee + $1 for local insurance coverage) at recharter with your troop in December (you don’t pay the national fee again with the crew or ship)

Our council does not believe money should prevent any youth from participating in Scouting. Our council offers financial assistance to help families who need help with Scouting expenses. Please visit www.bsacac.org/financial-help to learn more and apply.

As mentioned earlier, local councils have been given the option of charging its members an additional “program fee.” Our council does not do this, thanks in large part to our Friends of Scouting, James E. West, Tom Wooten Society donors and units participating in our fall popcorn campaign. Their contributions help provide the necessary support to keep Scouting operating in Central Texas. We are grateful for our donors’ generosity and our units’ participation.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What do these national fees cover?
Costs for essential services – including program resources, liability insurance for those participating in approved Scouting activities, youth protection, and more. Membership fees are one of the Boy Scouts of America’s only sources of annual operating revenue.

Will these fees go toward funding a victims compensation trust?
No. The national annual membership fee and the new member joining fee will help pay for the cost of essential services, including program resources, liability insurance for those participating in approved Scouting activities, youth protection and other resources.

What has the national organization done to cut costs?
In addition to ongoing efforts to streamline and simplify the organization, the national organization has taken several steps to address its financial challenges, which include furloughs and multiple rounds of staff reductions. These were in addition to ongoing consolidation of departments and elimination of some significant vendors for the most effective utilization of resources in support of Scouting.

Will these national fees increase in the future?
Although no decision about future increases has been made, the cost of operating our organization and services increases every year. Should it be necessary to increase fees in the future, the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America has agreed to evaluate the needs and make such decisions, whenever possible, at the National Annual Meeting so that decisions can be announced with as much lead time as possible to allow councils and units to plan accordingly.