Your 2027 EPR Fees Are Here. Here's How to Budget for Them.

The numbers you need for your 2027 EPR budget are finally here.

Today, Circular Action Alliance (CAA) released its Finalized Fee Schedule for 2027 to producers in the CAA portal. Those are the rates your 2027 EPR invoices will be built on.

To see the published fees, you must be registered with CAA as a producer. You'll find the fee schedules in your CAA account portal. Not sure if you need to register? Talk to our team.

Here's what the finalized fee schedule means for you, why it matters, and how to make sense of your numbers.

What the 2027 Finalized Fee Schedule actually means

Under EPR, brands pay a fee for the packaging they put into the market. CAA sets the rate per material, such as a rate for PET bottles, another for cardboard, another for flexible film. 

Your fee comes down to three things: what your packaging is made of, how much of it you sold in each state, and the rate that state charges for each material. Every part of a product counts on its own: the bottle, the cap, the label, the wrapper. California goes even further, down to adhesives and individual layers.

Not every material costs the same. Packaging that's harder to recycle costs more. In CAA's California rates, a pound of flexible plastic film can cost twice as much as a pound of clear plastic bottles. CAA also sets different rates for each state. That means the same package, sold in the same amounts, can carry a different fee in Oregon, Colorado, and California. (CAA also released Washington’s early fee schedule.)

Until today, the 2027 rates were drafts with low and high estimates. Now they're final, and they'll set your 2027 invoices. Those invoices are based on last year's supply data, reported this year. Here's how the timing works:

So what does this mean for you?

With final rates in hand, now is the time to plan your 2027 EPR budget. Invoices for Oregon, Colorado, and California start arriving in January 2027.

If you want a close estimate for your budget planning and haven’t reported yet, or if you’ve reported but don’t know what to make of your EPR fees, we can help you make sense of this. Reach out to our team.

What producers really need from a fee estimate

When we talked to customers about their EPR fees, the question was rarely just "how much?" It was everything that comes after the number:

• How much do we budget? The finance team wants a solid estimate now, not when the invoice lands.
• Why did it change? Sales went up, but fees went down. Or the reverse. Either way, someone will ask why.
• What will the invoice look like? CAA invoices are organized by reporting categories, so producers want to see their fees laid out the same way.
• What's driving our fees? Which products and packages cost the most, and where is there room to improve our packaging and lower our fees?
• Can I share this? The person managing EPR is rarely the person approving the budget. They need something they can hand off.

How the rePurpose Fee Calculator helps you understand your fees

rePurpose’s Fee Calculator answers those questions, giving you more visibility and clarity into your EPR fees than ever before. Here's what's new:

1. Overview: every year, one screen. Start with the big picture. The new Overview tab shows how your EPR fees have moved year over year, right next to your sales and packaging weight. In one glance, you can tell whether fees are growing with your business or outpacing it. Drill into any state, see exactly which sales year each invoice is based on, and track the percent change from year to year. If you don’t have a sales forecast yet, plug in your expected growth rate and see what's ahead.

2. Payment Year view: clearer from the first glance. Know exactly where you stand. Each payment year opens with your most important numbers up front and a clear view of fees by state. A status on every figure tells you whether it's based on draft or final rates, so you always know how firm your number is. To see the math, click straight into the fee rates behind it.

3. Fee Breakdown: see what's driving your fees. Find out which products and packages cost you the most. View fees by product, package, or individual component, and your biggest drivers rise to the top in seconds. That's where smarter packaging decisions start. Exempt items are clearly flagged, so you can see what isn't adding to your bill.

4. Fees by Material Category: preview your invoice. No surprises when the invoice arrives. See your estimated fees laid out the way CAA bills you: by material category, with the total weight, fee rate, and estimated fee for each. You can easily switch between states to compare.

5. Export: take it to your team. Give finance what they need to plan. Download your fees by material or your full product breakdown as a spreadsheet.

Budget for 2027 now, not later

Most teams are setting next year's budgets right now. With final rates out, this is the moment to replace placeholder EPR numbers with real estimates.

Already a rePurpose customer? Here are three things to do this week:

1. Open the Fee Calculator in the rePurpose platform and check your 2027 Payment Year estimate on the finalized rates.
2. Review the Fees by Material Category view to preview what your CAA invoice will look like.
3. Export the breakdown and share it with your finance team.

Registered with CAA, but not a rePurpose customer yet?

1. Log in to your CAA portal to view the published fee schedules.
2. Match each packaging component to CAA's material categories, then multiply by the rate for every state you sell in.
3. Talk to our team about getting clear, invoice-ready EPR fee estimates for your brand.

Not sure if EPR applies to you? If you haven’t registered with CAA yet, talk to our team to find out where you stand and how to get started.

Quick FAQ

How do I access the new 2027 fees? Log in to your CAA portal to find the published fees.

Is the rePurpose Fee Calculator using the new 2027 rates? Yes. Estimates for the 2027 Payment Year reflect CAA's Finalized Fee Schedule released today.

Are these my exact invoice amounts? They're estimates. Your final invoice may also include adjustments the calculator doesn't apply yet, such as eco-modulation. Use it as your budgeting baseline.

What's the difference between Data Year, Report Year, and Payment Year? Data Year is when you sold the products. Report Year is when you reported them. Payment Year is when you pay. The Overview tab shows all three side by side.

Do I need to do anything to get the new view of the Fee Calculator? No. The redesigned Fee Calculator is live in your rePurpose account now.

Can I export my data? Yes. Export fees by material category or by product, package, and component as a spreadsheet.

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