Recertification Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to submit the B Impact Assessment (BIA)?

It is important to submit the B Impact Assessment six months before your recertification date. This will ensure that your recertification is completed or in progress by the recertification date.  You can find your recertification date on your dashboard when you log into the B Impact Assessment platform. Since the assessment is an annual reporting tool, please update the assessment with the most recently completed fiscal year information.

What happens after I submit the BIA?

You will be notified by the Evaluation team when they are ready to kick off the Evaluation stage of the review. Wait times for each review stage are currently dependent on the region in which your company is based – to get an accurate wait time to begin the Evaluation process, please contact the Global Partner in your region. If your review is in the Evaluation Queue stage, it is likely that you will not have immediate steps until our team contacts you directly. We recommend making sure that the Team Members and Company Details sections of your company's BIA account are up-to-date to ensure a smooth process.

When will my company's recertification assessment be reviewed? 

After you submit, the initial evaluation may take as much as two months; the full review may take

up to three months. Delays can be experienced if new company information requires significant changes to be made to the B Impact Assessment. 

Can you give me the name of the analyst who will be working on the assessment with me?

You will be assigned an Evaluation Analyst during the Evaluation stage, and they will communicate with you via comments within the assessment platform, as well as through email when necessary.  Once you complete the evaluation steps and are ready to move into the Verification stage, a Verification Analyst will be assigned to your company's review. You can communicate with the Evaluation Analyst by posting a comment on the assessment platform until your Verification Analyst is assigned.  If you cannot get your questions answered via the assessment platform while you wait to start Verification, please submit a support ticket here or reach out to our B Lab partners in your region.

Once you complete the initial evaluation, you will be connected with another Independent Verification Analyst who will be working with you on the review. In the meantime, you can ask questions through the B Impact Assessment platform, which will be addressed once the review process begins.  

I am new to the B Impact Assessment and recertification process, can you assist me? 

We recommend using the Knowledge Base for learning how to navigate the assessment. Please also see the Assessments tab in the B Impact Assessment platform to see how the company's assessment was previously verified by looking at the Verified assessments. 

Can I delay recertification?

Companies should submit their assessment 6 months prior to the recertification date**, posted on the B Impact Assessment platform dashboard, but no later than that date in order to remain in good standing.  A Certified B Corp may forfeit that status if the submission has not occurred by the recertification date. However, we know that challenges may arise in meeting the recertification submission deadline. If your company has any extenuating circumstances that will impact your ability to meet the recertification timeline and requirements, we ask that you contact your local B Lab partner or submit a ticket to our B Lab Global Support team via our KB Portal.  

**Please note that this submission requirement does not apply to companies undergoing 

recertification on the Large Enterprise (LE) or Multinational Company (MNC) approach.