IAA (IAAI) requires a $225 registration fee to bid on all of its inventory, charged yearly and payable by credit card or PayPal. Debit cards are not accepted for registration. It is a cost of being allowed to bid, separate from the buyer fees on every car you win.
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Fee breakdown
The number missing from this calculator
IAAI is dominated by insurance auction lots — most are salvage or rebuilt titles. Fees are only half the equation. The other half is how much that branded title actually sells for in your local market. CarFlipIQ tracks real Facebook Marketplace prices for salvage and rebuilt vehicles by ZIP, so you know the resale ceiling before you place a bid.
Estimates only. IAAI updates its fee schedule periodically and certain branches / vehicle types apply surcharges. Always verify final fees against the IAAI buyer fee schedule before bidding.
Calculator assumptions: Standard (non-licensed) buyer, online bid, default service, environmental and title fees, no storage. IAA states fees also depend on license type and volume, so a licensed account may see different numbers. Estimates only.
The facts below are from IAA's how to register page and buyer fees page, checked October 2026.
LocalIQ™ market snapshot
What top flip candidates are asking right now
| Model | Listings | Median asking price |
|---|---|---|
| GMC Sierra 1500 | 632 | $29,972 |
| Honda Civic | 5,396 | $15,000 |
| Honda Accord | 4,176 | $15,999 |
| Ford F-150 | 3,134 | $24,000 |
| Toyota Corolla | 3,040 | $14,500 |
| Nissan Sentra | 3,004 | $9,880 |
| Toyota Camry | 2,510 | $17,082 |
| Hyundai Elantra | 2,396 | $9,499 |
LocalIQ™ asking-price median · 24,288 listings · updated every 6 hours. National, last 8 model years; asking price is your resale ceiling.
How much does IAAI registration cost?
IAA's page states: "A $225 registration fee is required to bid on all IAA inventory." Two exceptions and rules on the same page:
- Registering only for GSA government inventory is free, but you keep a credit card on file for any ancillary services.
- The fee can be paid by credit card or PayPal. Debit cards are not accepted for registration payments.
We have seen other dollar figures on older pages. We use the $225 on IAA's own current registration page, and you should confirm it at sign-up.
Is the IAAI registration fee yearly?
Yes. The page says the fee is charged yearly, and you can "renew your registration fee every year" through auto-renewal. Auto-renewal and your payment method are set in your Auction Center under Profile and Membership Payments. To use it your account must be active and your required licenses and IDs current.
What does that do to your cost per car?
Spread across the cars you buy, a yearly fee shrinks fast. Using our own arithmetic on $225:
| Cars bought in the year | Registration cost per car |
|---|---|
| 6 | $37.50 |
| 12 | $18.75 |
| 24 | $9.38 |
That is a cost-per-unit view, not a promise about how many you will buy. If you buy once or twice a year, registration is a bigger share of the cost than the buyer fee tier you chose.
How is registration different from IAAI buyer fees?
Registration lets you bid. Buyer fees are charged per car. IAA's buyer fees page says standard fees "are calculated based on final sale price, license type, and volume of inventory purchased," and that fees "vary depending on buyer type and the type of vehicle being purchased." It links separate pages for licensed buyers, non-licensed buyers, heavy vehicle purchases and rec rides.
In our Standard (non-licensed) fee model, a $5,000 winning bid has $729 in per-car fees and a $5,729 all-in cost, from the same fee code that drives the calculator. Our IAAI fees explained post breaks that down, and the IAAI fee calculator takes your own bid. Because licensed accounts can differ, treat our number as the non-licensed case.
What do you need to register?
Per IAA's page:
- Individuals: a government-issued ID, and proof of address if your ID does not show one.
- Licensed businesses (U.S.): a business license. A non-automotive licensed business is generally limited to the same inventory as public buyers.
- Resale certificates: needed for a sales tax exemption. You can submit them later, but payment is still due by the due date.
- Some states require specific licensing to buy certain titles or access salvage pools.
Whether you qualify to buy a particular title brand depends on your state. For the license question, see can you buy from IAAI without a dealer license, and for what you pay after you win see IAAI payment methods and deadlines.
Is the registration fee worth paying?
Only if the cars clear your numbers. Work from the exit price: local resale, days to sell, per-car fees, transport, and then your yearly registration spread across the units. The max bid calculator does the arithmetic. Put registration into the unit cost from the first car, not after the year is over.
The free CarFlipIQ Chrome extension shows local resale, days to sell and a max bid after fees on Copart and IAAI lot pages. New accounts start with a 7-day free trial (card required, $0 today). Use it on a lot page before you decide the registration is worth paying for.