PSA grading cost in 2026: every tier, what's paused, and the real all-in price
PSA's price list changed twice this year and the names changed too. This is the current table, what a card actually costs once shipping is added, and how that moves the line on which cards are worth grading.
The short version. PSA's cheapest open tier is Standard at $59.99 per card, added September 14, 2026. All four Value tiers ($24.99 to $64.99) have been paused since June 2 while PSA clears a backlog, and reopening is tied to that backlog falling to about 5 million cards, which hobby trackers expect around October or November. Add shipping and insurance and a single Standard card costs roughly $75 to $90 all in.
Every PSA tier right now
PSA renamed two tiers in September, so older guides use different names. Here's the current lineup. Declared value is the price you tell PSA the card is worth; it sets which tier you must use.
| Tier | Max declared value | Stated turnaround | Per card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value Bulk (Collectors Club members, 20+ cards) | $199 | 65 business days | $24.99, paused |
| Value | $499 | 65 business days | $32.99, paused |
| Value Plus | $499 | 45 business days | $49.99, paused |
| Value Max | $999 | 45 business days | $64.99, paused |
| Standard (new in September) | $1,000 | 90 to 100 business days | $59.99, open |
| Priority (was Regular) | $1,500 | 70 to 80 business days | $79.99, open |
| Express | $2,500 | 20 to 30 business days | $199, open |
| Super Express | $5,000 | 10 to 15 business days | $349, open |
| Premier (was Walk-Through) | $25,000 | 5 to 7 business days | $599, open |
Two charges sit on top of the per-card fee. Any card with a declared value over $499 pays an insurance surcharge of 2% of that value. And if your card comes back worth more than the tier's cap, PSA moves it up a tier and bills you the difference, which collectors call an upcharge.
What a card really costs to grade
The fee is only part of it. A realistic single-card submission at Standard in October 2026 looks like this:
| Standard grading fee | $59.99 |
| Shipping to PSA, tracked and insured | $10 to $15 |
| Return shipping from PSA | $10 to $20 |
| All in, one card | about $80 to $95 |
Shipping is per order, not per card, so a batch of ten brings the per-card shipping down to a dollar or two. That's the main reason collectors save cards up and submit together.
Why the Value tiers are paused
Submissions surged through spring 2026. PSA's backlog peaked around 14 million cards in early June, and on June 2 the company stopped accepting new Value orders rather than let turnaround times stretch further. It has said the tiers return when the queue falls to roughly 5 million. By mid-July the backlog was about 11 million and falling by about a million every two weeks, which is where the October estimate comes from. PSA itself has not committed to a date, so treat October as a projection, not a promise.
The new Standard tier softens the gap. It's not a Value replacement, since it costs about double Value Bulk, but it's $20 cheaper than Priority for anyone who can wait the longer turnaround.
What this means for whether a card is worth grading
Grading pays off when the graded value minus the raw value clears the all-in cost by a comfortable margin, because grades don't always come back as hoped. At today's prices that's roughly an $80 to $95 hurdle per card at Standard, or $100 plus at Priority.
- Cards worth under about $40 raw rarely clear it even at a PSA 10, unless the 10 population is tiny. Hold them for the Value tiers or consider TAG or CGC.
- Cards worth $100 to $500 raw usually clear it at a 9 or 10, and often at an 8. Standard is the right tier.
- Cards worth more than $1,000 need Priority or above by rule, and the fee is a rounding error next to the slab premium.
The deciding question is what grade your card would actually get, which is where checking the card first earns its keep: a card that measures 65/35 on centering can't reach a 9, and that changes the math before you've spent anything.
If you don't want to wait
TAG and CGC are both taking submissions, and both are generally cheaper per card than PSA's open tiers. TAG grades by machine and returns a detailed defect report with subgrades, which many collectors like for learning what holds a card back. PSA slabs still sell for the most on the resale market, especially for Pokémon, so for a card you plan to sell, that premium is part of the math. Prices at all three graders change often; check each one's own site on the day you submit.
Questions
How much does PSA grading cost per card in 2026?
The cheapest open tier is Standard at $59.99 per card, introduced September 14, 2026. Priority is $79.99, Express $199, Super Express $349 and Premier $599. The Value tiers from $24.99 to $64.99 are paused.
When will PSA's Value tiers reopen?
PSA has tied it to the backlog falling to about 5 million cards rather than to a date. Hobby trackers estimate October or November 2026 based on the rate the backlog has been clearing. PSA has not committed to a date.
What does PSA Standard cost and how long does it take?
Standard is $59.99 per card with a stated turnaround of 90 to 100 business days and a maximum insured value of $1,000.
Is there a surcharge on expensive cards?
Yes. Cards with a declared value over $499 pay an insurance surcharge of 2% of the declared value, on top of the tier fee.
What is a PSA upcharge?
If your card grades higher than expected and its value exceeds the cap of the tier you chose, PSA moves it to the correct tier and bills the difference.
Is PSA grading worth it right now?
Only when the graded value minus the raw value comfortably beats about $80 to $95 per card all in. For most cards under about $40 raw it isn't, until the Value tiers return. Photographing the card first to see its likely grade settles it quickly.
Not sure about a specific card? Photograph it and the checker estimates its PSA and TAG grade, shows its TCGplayer price raw, and what it sells for graded.
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