From 14 September 2026, the fee a jeweller pays a recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre (AHC) for each gold article rises from Rs 45 to Rs 75, under a BIS notification of that date. The gold rate is separate: Rs 1,40,054 per 10 g on the IBJA 24K benchmark, PM rate of 30 Oct 2026. The Rs 200 minimum per consignment and the silver fees are unchanged. A separate order dated 3 August 2026 replaced the district annexure of the gold hallmarking order.
What changed in the notifications
The table sets each fee against the schedule it replaces. The "before" column is Schedule IV of the amendment regulations dated 4 March 2022. The 2026 notification lists that 4 March 2022 amendment as the last amendment to the principal regulations, so it is the schedule being replaced.
| Item | Before | After | Effective date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold article: fee payable by jeweller to AHC, per article | Rs 45 | Rs 75 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Gold consignment: minimum fee payable by jeweller | Rs 200 | Rs 200 (unchanged) | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Gold article: fee levied by the Bureau from AHC, per article | Rs 4.50 | Rs 7.5 | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Silver article: fee payable by jeweller to AHC, per article | Rs 35 | Rs 35 (unchanged) | 14 Sep 2026 |
| Silver consignment: minimum fee payable by jeweller | Rs 150 | Rs 150 (unchanged) | 14 Sep 2026 |
Source for the after values: BIS notification F. No. BS/11/05/2018 dated 14 September 2026, Schedule IV. The notification says applicable taxes at prevalent rates are levied in addition. Silver article and consignment fees, and the Bureau levies for silver and the gold consignment minimum, are restated at their unchanged values in the same schedule.
Worked example of the gold article fee payable by the jeweller, before taxes. Figures from the two BIS notifications named in the sources.
| Step | Working | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Gold fee per article, before | Schedule IV, 2022 amendment regulations | Rs 45 |
| Gold fee per article, after | Schedule IV, 2026 amendment regulations | Rs 75 |
| Increase per article | Rs 75 less Rs 45 | Rs 30 |
Example figures, not today's rates.
Try it: Gold Purity Calculator: Karat to Fineness and Percent lets you enter a karat or a fineness and shows the karat, the fineness, the percent gold and the 916 hallmark mapping.
Who it affects
Jewellers who send gold and silver articles to a recognised AHC pay the jeweller fee, so the change is most direct for them. The AHC also pays the Bureau levy. Neither notification names a consumer as a payer of these fees. For a buyer, the proof on a piece is still the BIS mark, the purity mark and the six-character HUID.
Latest Rs 1,40,054 (30 Oct 2026)High Rs 1,62,154 (24 Aug 2026)Low Rs 1,40,054 (30 Oct 2026)
Districts order of 3 August 2026
The Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts (Third Amendment) Order, 2026 is dated 3 August 2026 and came into force on publication in the Gazette of India of 6 August 2026. It substitutes the annexure to the 2020 order, which lists the states and districts covered by mandatory hallmarking. The order changes that annexure and nothing else in the text we read.
What to do
- Jewellers: check the fee lines on AHC invoices against Schedule IV: Rs 75 per gold article and a Rs 200 minimum per consignment.
- Buyers of gold jewellery: ask for the BIS mark, the purity mark and the six-character HUID on the piece and on the bill.
- Verify the HUID in the BIS Care app before you pay, and match the result with the item in hand.
- If your district is in the annexure of the 3 August 2026 order, that order applies to it.
- Keep the notification numbers with your records if you compare an invoice with the schedule later.
What has not changed
Neither notification changes the purity grades, the HUID requirement in force since 1 July 2021, or the rules for compensation. Gold prices are not set by these fees. For the live IBJA 24K benchmark, see the gold rate today page, which shows Rs 1,40,054 per 10 g as of PM rate of 30 Oct 2026, before GST and making charges.
Common mistakes
- Reading the Rs 200 minimum consignment fee as the testing charge. Testing an unhallmarked piece at a BIS centre is a separate charge, Rs 200 by fire assay (BIS FAQ Q25).
- Reading the jeweller fee as a jewellery price. Making charges are set by the jeweller, and the gold making charges calculator shows how a bill is built up from its parts.
- Trusting the mark without checking the HUID in the BIS Care app.
