Guides
PSA Grading Fees 2026: Every Tier, Price and Turnaround
PSA grading fees 2026: Standard $59.99, Priority $79.99, Express $199 and up, with turnaround, insured value caps and paused Value tiers, checked Oct 10.
PSA grading fees 2026 in one line: the cheapest open tier for a trading card is Standard at $59.99, because PSA's Value tiers have been paused since June. Every price below was read on PSA's own services page on October 10, 2026.
TL;DR: Standard $59.99 (90 to 100 business days, $1,000 cap), Priority $79.99 (70 to 80), Express $199 (20 to 30), Super Express $349 (10 to 15), Premier $599 (7 to 10). Value and Value Bulk are paused. CGC's cheapest tiers are $17 (Bulk) and $20 (Economy).
PSA grading fees 2026: how much per card? (quick answer)
As of October 10, 2026, PSA charges $59.99 per card for Standard, its cheapest open service, with an estimated 90 to 100 business days and a $1,000 maximum insured value. Faster tiers cost $79.99, $199, $349 and $599. Cards worth more than $10,000 go into Premium tiers starting at $999.
Key Takeaways
- Cheapest open tier: Standard, $59.99, opened September 14, 2026.
- Value is paused: "Value Services Are Temporarily Paused" on PSA's page.
- Express went up: PSA set Express at $199 on September 9.
- Names changed: Regular is now Priority, Walk-Through is now Premier.
- Caps matter: declare a value over the tier cap and PSA can move you up.
Overview: what changed at PSA in 2026
PSA paused new submissions for four Value tiers (Value Bulk, Value, Value Plus, Value Max) effective June 2, 2026 at 3:00 pm PT. In its May 28 update PSA said a 20% spike in submissions "added another 1.6 million cards to our active backlog."
On September 9 PSA announced a new tier: "On September 14, PSA will open a new service level called Standard: $59.99 per card with an estimated 90 to 100 business-day turnaround time." The same post says "Standard is not a replacement for our Value tiers, which remain paused," renames Regular to Priority and Walk-Through to Premier, and sets Express at $199.00. It also reported the backlog "down to approximately 9.9 million units." PSA's backlog tracker confirms Standard launched on September 14, and its October 6 update says the backlog "is now 8.2 million units, down from 9 million reported September 22."
Graphic: PSA (psacard.com, September 2026 announcement)
Analysis: PSA tiers, prices and turnaround (October 10, 2026)
| Tier | Price per card | Max insured value | Estimated turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value Bulk / Value | Paused | $500 | Paused |
| Standard | $59.99 | $1,000 | 90 to 100 business days |
| Priority | $79.99 | $1,500 | 70 to 80 business days |
| Express | $199.00 | $2,500 | 20 to 30 business days |
| Super Express | $349.00 | $5,000 | 10 to 15 business days |
| Premier | $599.00 | $10,000 | 7 to 10 business days |
| Premium 1 | $999.00 | $25,000 or less | 5 to 7 business days |
| Premium 2 | $1,999.00 | $50,000 or less | 5 to 7 business days |
| Premium 3 | $2,999.00 | $100,000 or less | 5 to 7 business days |
| Premium 5 | $4,999.00 | $250,000 or less | 5 to 7 business days |
| Premium 10 | $9,999.00+ | $250,001 or higher | 5 to 7 business days |
Source: PSA trading card grading page, read October 10, 2026. Turnaround times are estimates, and PSA's page says they are "estimates only and not guaranteed." A footnote on Premium 10 says pricing "starts at $9,999 for any item with Max Insured Value of $350,000 or less," then adds $399 for each further $10,000 of insured value.
Screenshot: psacard.com, October 10, 2026
GODEEPER: Pulled a numbered parallel from a new release? Check the odds first. 2026 Topps Update Series Checklist, Odds and Box Guide →
Analysis: the rules that change your bill
Declared value. PSA's FAQ says "PSA reserves the right to decline your stated Max Insured Value," and "any item with a Max Insured Value of $1,000 or more is subject to a Premium Item charge in addition to the authentication price." A card you value at $1,200 is over Standard's $1,000 cap, so it belongs in a higher tier.
When the clock starts. The FAQ says PSA "does not assume any liability for an item until 'Order Prep,' and this checkpoint also starts the clock on estimated turnaround time."
Failed items still cost money. Per the FAQ, "if your item fails to pass our process, you will still be responsible for the charges."
Grader Notes. Included at no extra cost on Express and above, per PSA's FAQ.
Chart: PSA (psacard.com)
Analysis: PSA vs CGC vs SGC for sports cards
CGC's fee page, read October 10, 2026, lists Bulk at $17 per card (25-card minimum, 150 working days), Economy at $20 ($1,000 cap, 90 working days), Standard at $55 ($3,000 cap, 10 working days), Express at $100 ($10,000 cap, 5 working days) and WalkThrough at $300 ($100,000 cap, 2 working days). CGC set the $17 and $20 fees effective March 24, 2026.
SGC's services and pricing page, read in a browser on October 10, 2026, lists standard-size raw card grading by maximum declared value. Cards up to $1,500 cost $50 at the Standard level, estimated at 40+ business days. Up to $3,500 costs $85 Standard or $150 Expedited, estimated at 2 to 3 business days. Above that only Expedited is listed: $250 up to $7,500, $500 up to $20,000, $1,000 up to $50,000 and $2,000 up to $100,000. Cards worth more than $100,000 start at $3,750, plus $375 for each extra $10,000.
Beckett's grading page redirected to a maintenance page on October 10. That page said Beckett had "temporarily paused Base and Standard card grading submissions" and that Express submissions remain open.
Community: collectors on the new pricing
On r/psagrading, u/RepulsiveUse3372 wrote: "i think ill hold off, $60 per card is lowkey insane when you have to wait 100 business days" (comment). In the same thread u/havoklimit said: "I'm not sending any cards in until value bulk returns" (comment).
Our take
Based on the published fees: grading with PSA now costs at least $59.99 per card plus shipping both ways, roughly three times CGC Economy and above SGC's $50 Standard. For a modern rookie, the fee is a fixed cost that the graded card's value has to clear before grading adds anything. Dated sold listings for the same card, raw and graded, are where that comparison shows up. This is data, not advice to submit or hold.
Frequently Asked Questions
The FAQ block below covers total cost, the Value pause, turnaround, declared value and CGC.
How much does PSA grading cost in 2026?
On October 10, 2026 PSA's cheapest open tier for cards is Standard at $59.99 per card. Priority is $79.99, Express $199, Super Express $349 and Premier $599. Premium tiers for cards worth more than $10,000 start at $999. The Value tiers are paused.
Is PSA Value grading available?
No. PSA's services page says Value Services Are Temporarily Paused and lists Value and Value Bulk as Currently Unavailable. PSA paused four Value tiers for new submissions from June 2, 2026 and said Standard is not a replacement for them.
How long does PSA grading take?
PSA's estimates are 90 to 100 business days for Standard, 70 to 80 for Priority, 20 to 30 for Express, 10 to 15 for Super Express and 7 to 10 for Premier. PSA's FAQ says the clock starts at the Order Prep checkpoint, and its services page says the estimates are not guaranteed.
What happens if my card is worth more than the tier allows?
Each tier has a maximum insured value, such as $1,000 for Standard. PSA's FAQ says it reserves the right to decline your stated value, and items with a max insured value of $1,000 or more carry a Premium Item charge on top of the grading price.
Is CGC cheaper than PSA for sports cards?
On CGC's fee page, checked October 10, 2026, Bulk is $17 per card with a 25-card minimum and 150 working days, and Economy is $20 with 90 working days. SGC's own table lists $50 for cards up to $1,500. All three are below PSA Standard at $59.99, with different turnaround estimates.
References
- PSA trading card grading services: https://www.psacard.com/services/tradingcardgrading
- PSA, new Standard service level (September 2026): https://www.psacard.com/articles/articleview/15763/psa-new-standard-service-level
- PSA, service level update (May 28, 2026): https://www.psacard.com/en-CA/articles/articleview/15210/service-level-update-may-2026
- PSA FAQ: https://www.psacard.com/support/faq
- CGC Cards grading fees: https://www.cgccards.com/submit/services-fees/cgc-grading/
- CGC fee update, March 2026: https://www.cgcgrading.com/news/articles/cgc-updates-bulk-economy-tiers-39EPnFbgfEFcl9dg16hFnr/
- PSA backlog tracker: https://www.psacard.com/info/backlog-tracker
- SGC services and pricing: https://gosgc.com/card-grading/services-pricing
- Beckett grading (redirected to maintenance.beckett.com on October 10, 2026): https://www.beckett.com/grading
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About the author
Editorial desk
The RookieDesk desk. Every article is built from a source file: manufacturer checklists and odds sheets, grading company fee pages, and dated sale data, each linked in the article.
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