Money questions deserve exact, current answers. This page is checked against the official Revenue Policy v1.6 and updated whenever policy moves — the "last updated" date above is load-bearing. Figures verified against Revenue Policy v1.6 (w.e.f. 26/08/2025); re-verified quarterly.
| Cost | Amount | Who pays it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration fee | ₹0 | Nobody — it doesn't exist | — |
| Caution money | ₹0 — ABOLISHED (2025) | Nobody anymore; old deposits refundable | — |
| Vendor assessment fee | Turnover-tiered: OEM ~₹872 / ₹1,743 / ₹3,486 + GST | OEMs in Q1/Q2 categories only | At assessment |
| Annual Milestone Charge | ₹10,000 + GST | Sellers crossing ₹20 lakh GeM sales in a FY | Once per qualifying FY |
| Transaction charges | 0.30% of order value (orders >₹10L, <₹10Cr); flat ₹3,00,000 (≥₹10Cr); ₹0 ≤₹10L | Sellers past the ₹20L milestone | Per qualifying order |
| Consultant fees (optional) | Fixed — ours are public | Only if you hire one | Per engagement |
Everything below unpacks this table.
Creating a seller account at mkp.gem.gov.in costs nothing — no application fee, no approval fee. "Agents" quoting ₹2,000–₹10,000 as "GeM government registration charges" are dressing their fee up as the government's. Professional help is legitimate when priced honestly as professional help (what it should include).
For years, sellers deposited refundable caution money (₹5,000–₹25,000 by turnover). That requirement was scrapped around GeM's 9th anniversary (August 2025) as part of the shift to a "pay-as-you-grow" model — new sellers deposit nothing.
Already paid under the old rules? Your deposit sits in your GeM pool account and is reclaimable: dashboard → Manage Caution Money Account → recalculate threshold → Withdraw Excess Funds (flow per current portal). If a consultant or guide is still telling you to budget for caution money, you've just learned something about how current their knowledge is.
The widely-quoted ₹11,200 + GST belongs to the old QCI era — it's obsolete. Under TPA, the assessment fee is turnover-tiered (schedule per current TPA structure — confirm at application):
| Annual turnover | OEM assessment | Reseller assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹20 lakh | ~₹872 + GST | ~₹218 + GST |
| ₹20 lakh – ₹1 Cr | ~₹1,743 + GST | ~₹436 + GST |
| Above ₹1 Cr | ~₹3,486 + GST | ~₹872 + GST |
| Exemption granted | ₹0 | ₹0 |
And it only applies to OEMs/deemed-OEMs in designated categories — resellers under authorization and service providers pay nothing here. Two ways sellers still overpay: assessing when their category doesn't require it, or when they qualified for exemption. Both checkable free: Category → VA Lookup · eligibility checker.
The current policy (w.e.f. 26/08/2025) is genuinely seller-friendly at the small end — you pay nothing until you've succeeded:
Annual Milestone Charge: ₹10,000 + GST, levied once your cumulative GeM order value crosses ₹20 lakh in a financial year. Below that: zero. Each FY counts fresh.
Transaction charges (only for sellers past the ₹20L milestone): 0.30% of order value on orders above ₹10 lakh (and below ₹10 Cr); flat ₹3,00,000 on orders ≥₹10 Cr; nothing on orders ≤₹10 lakh — which is most orders for most sellers.
Payment mechanics: charges fall due on contract award — payable within 15 days of award, or before your first invoice to the buyer, or before first delivery, whichever comes first. Non-payment suspends the account until cleared.
Refunds: exist where the buyer terminates for defined reasons within 6 months (claim window 90 days) — not where the seller defaults.
Worked example: you win a ₹15 lakh order after crossing ₹20L sales this FY → transaction charge = ₹4,500 + GST (0.30%). Win a ₹8 lakh order → ₹0. The full policy, decoded clause by clause: Revenue Policy & Milestone Charge explained.
Caution money — abolished (see above)
Annual account/renewal fee — none below the ₹20L milestone
Listing fees — none; catalogue uploads are free
Bid participation fee — none; specific bids may require EMD (refundable; DPIIT startups and MSEs enjoy exemptions)
"GeM registration form" purchases — a straight scam
Service provider (manpower agency, first year, ₹12L GeM sales): registration ₹0 + caution ₹0 + VA ₹0 (services never need it) + milestone ₹0 (below ₹20L) + transaction ₹0. Total government cost: ₹0.
Reseller of branded electronics (₹35L GeM sales, biggest order ₹9L): registration ₹0 + VA ₹0 (rides on OEM authorization) + milestone ₹10,000+GST (crossed ₹20L) + transaction ₹0 (no single order >₹10L). Total: ₹10,000 + GST — after ₹35 lakh of revenue.
Furniture OEM, VA-mandatory category, ₹80L sales incl. one ₹25L order: registration ₹0 + VA ~₹1,743+GST + milestone ₹10,000+GST + transaction ₹7,500+GST (0.30% of ₹25L). Total: ~₹19,250 + GST against ₹80 lakh revenue.
Personalise it: GeM Cost Calculator.
Market reality unchanged: registration help ₹2k–₹15k, VA support ₹10k–₹50k, much of it quoted opaquely. Our standard: fixed public prices, government charges always shown separately and paid by you directly, and if a step doesn't apply to you we say so before money moves. Judge every consultant — including us — by that standard.