NRC Fees

Some of the links on this page are to non-NRC servers and websites and are provided solely as a reference for the convenience of users. NRC cannot guarantee the authenticity of documents or the validity of information obtained at these non-NRC websites. See our Site Disclaimer for more information.

The Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act of 2019 requires that the NRC recover, to the maximum extent practicable, approximately 100 percent of its annual budget less certain amounts excluded from the fee recovery requirement. Applicants are charged for every staff-hour spent working on submittals, performing inspections, and any other mission-related activity associated with the applicant or license holder. The intial high-level interactions with the NRC staff, including an introductory public meeting, will not be billed to the applicant. The intial discussions and public meeting shall not contain technical discussions or requests for NRC feedback because the NRC must charge an applicant fees once technical discussions of the design or project commence.

Section 201 of the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act of 2024 (ADVANCE Act) requires the NRC to assess a Reduced Hourly Rate for advanced nuclear reactor applicants and pre-applicants for certain activities, effective October 1, 2025.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Final Fee Rule provides detailed information on what entities and what activities qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate. This webpage provides the key details, as well as additional logistical information, in an easy-to-access location for stakeholders.

On this page:

• Reduced Hourly Rate in Effect
• Advanced Nuclear Reactor Applicants
• Advanced Nuclear Reactor Pre-applicants

Reduced Hourly Rate in Effect

Under the FY 2025 Final Fee Rule, effective October 1, 2025, the Reduced Hourly Rate is $148 per hour and represents an over 50 percent reduction from the full-cost professional hourly rate of $318 per hour. Please check the final fee rule for the applicable fiscal year to confirm what the Reduced Hourly Rate in effect is. The final fee rule is published in the Federal Register.

Advanced Nuclear Reactor Applicants

To qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate as an advanced nuclear reactor applicant, you must have submitted a Qualifying Application. A Qualifying Application is an application that is both for—

(1) an advanced nuclear reactor, as defined in section 3 of the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA); and
(2) an operating license, combined license, manufacturing license, construction permit, early site permit, limited work authorization, design certification, or standard design approval.

To qualify as an advanced nuclear reactor, as defined in section 3 of NEIMA, your application must be for a nuclear fission reactor or fusion machine, including a prototype plant, with significant improvements compared to commercial nuclear reactors under construction as of the date NEIMA was enacted (January 14, 2019). Examples of significant improvements listed in section 3 of NEIMA include "(A) additional inherent safety features; (B) significantly lower levelized cost of electricity; (C) lower waste yields; (D) greater fuel utilization; (E) enhanced reliability; (F) increased proliferation resistance; (G) increased thermal efficiency; or (H) ability to integrate into electric and nonelectric applications."

This definition of advanced nuclear reactor includes a wide variety of reactors, including those using emergent technologies. If a reactor integrates any significant improvements, such as the listed examples or other similar improvements, the reactor could qualify as an advanced nuclear reactor under this definition. As noted in the FY 2025 Final Fee Rule, the NRC intends to apply this definition of advanced nuclear reactor broadly when determining eligibility for the Reduced Hourly Rate.

Qualifying Applications are not limited to commercial licenses under Section 103 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.

What Activities Qualify?

If you qualify as an advanced nuclear reactor applicant, an activity must relate to the review of your Qualifying Application to qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate.

The FY 2025 Final Fee Rule includes examples to illustrate how different activities can qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate as related to the review of an advanced nuclear reactor applicant’s Qualifying Application. Please note that these examples are simplified scenarios that assume each entity is pursuing only one licensing project before the NRC.

Example 1: Entity A qualifies as an advanced nuclear reactor applicant because it has submitted a Qualifying Application (e.g., for a construction permit for an advanced nuclear reactor, as defined in section 3 of NEIMA). If the NRC holds a public meeting to gather comments on the scope of the associated environmental review, fees assessed to Entity A for that public meeting would use the Reduced Hourly Rate because that public meeting relates to the review of Entity A’s Qualifying Application.

Example 2: The same entity, Entity A, submits a topical report for NRC staff review to be incorporated in Entity A’s Qualifying Application to address an underlying issue identified during NRC review of Entity A’s Qualifying Application. Fees assessed to Entity A for the review of the topical report would use the Reduced Hourly Rate because the review of the topical report relates to the review of Entity A’s Qualifying Application.

Example 3: The same entity, Entity A, submits a different topical report for NRC staff review that is unrelated to the review of Entity A’s Qualifying Application. Fees assessed to Entity A for the review of the topical report would not qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate and would instead use the full-cost professional hourly rate because the review of this topical report is not related to the review of a Qualifying Application. Although the review of the topical report could qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate if the entity also qualified as an advanced nuclear reactor preapplicant, the examples assume each entity is pursuing only one licensing project before the
NRC.

Logistics

• For applications submitted on or after October 1, 2025 (the statutory effective date fo the Reduced Hourly Rate), the NRC staff will note in the docketing acceptance letter whether the application qualifies for the Reduced Hourly Rate as a Qualifying Application. Even if your submitted application does not qualify as a Qualifying Application, you may qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate as an advanced nuclear reactor pre-applicant, as described in the next section.
• For pending applications submitted before October 1, 2025, you can confirm eligibility by reaching out to the assigned Project Manager for the application.
• Because, for advanced nuclear reactor applicants, the Reduced Hourly Rate applies to only activities relating to the review of a Qualifying Application, after the NRC approves or denies the Qualifying Application or if the Qualifying Application is withdrawn, the Reduced Hourly Rate will no longer apply for that application.

Advanced Nuclear Reactor Pre-applicants

To qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate as an advanced nuclear reactor pre-applicant, you must have submitted a licensing project plan (which can also be referred to as a regulatory engagement plan) for the purpose of submitting a future Qualifying Application. The same definition of Qualifying Application applies to advanced nuclear reactor pre-applicants—the application must be both for

(1) an advanced nuclear reactor, as defined in section 3 of NEIMA; and
(2) an operating license, combined license, manufacturing license, construction permit, early site permit, limited work authorization, design certification, or standard design approval.

The same definition of advanced nuclear reactor applies to advanced nuclear reactor preapplicants. As noted in the FY 2025 Final Fee Rule, this definition of advanced nuclear reactor covers a wide variety of reactors, and the NRC intends to apply the definition of advanced nuclear reactor broadly when determining eligibility for the Reduced Hourly Rate.

The ADVANCE Act includes a statutory sunset for advanced nuclear reactor pre-applicants. As a result, the Reduced Hourly Rate for pre-applicants is available through September 30, 2030, after which only advanced nuclear reactor applicants will be eligible for the Reduced Hourly Rate.

What Activities Qualify?

If you qualify as an advanced nuclear reactor pre-applicant, an activity must relate to the review of submitted materials as described in your licensing project plan to qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate.

The FY 2025 Final Fee Rule also includes examples to illustrate how different activities can qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate for advanced nuclear reactor pre-applicants. Please note that these examples are simplified scenarios that assume each entity is pursuing only one licensing project before the NRC.

Example 4: Entity B qualifies as an advanced nuclear reactor pre-applicant because it has submitted a licensing project plan for the purpose of submitting a future Qualifying Application (e.g., for an operating license for an advanced nuclear reactor, as defined in section 3 of NEIMA). Entity B’s licensing project plan includes sufficient information about a topical report that Entity B plans to submit for NRC staff review that it intends to reference in its future Qualifying Application. Entity B would qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate for the NRC staff’s review of that topical report because it relates to the review of submitted material as described in Entity B’s licensing project plan.

Example 5: The same entity, Entity B, submits a different topical report. However, Entity B's licensing project plan does not describe this topical report, and Entity B has not revised its licensing project plan to describe this topical report. Fees assessed to Entity B for the review of this topical report would not qualify for the Reduced Hourly Rate and would instead use the fullcost professional hourly rate because the review of this topical report is not related to the review of submitted materials described in the licensing project plan.

Logistics

• For licensing project plans submitted on or after October 1, 2025, the NRC staff will confirm eligibility for the Reduced Hourly Rate in the response letter confirming receipt of the plan.
• For licensing project plans submitted before October 1, 2025, you can confirm eligibility by reaching out to the assigned Project Manager for your pre-application engagement.
• To help demonstrate eligibility for the Reduced Hourly Rate as an advanced nuclear reactor pre-applicant, you can include a note, in your submittal with the material provided for NRC review, pointing to where in your licensing project plan or regulatory engagement plan the submitted material is described.