CCL guides

NAATI CCL Fees 2026-2027: What the Test Costs

Updated 7 September 2026 · facts checked against NAATI and Home Affairs pages on that date

At $814 the CCL is not a small purchase, and the fee behaves differently from an English test fee: you pay it after your application is approved, not when you apply, and most of it is unrecoverable once the session starts. This page lists every CCL-related fee NAATI publishes, explains when money leaves your account and when it can come back, and sets the fee against what the test actually buys. Before you commit, you can sit one AI-marked dialogue a day free at /practice, no account needed.

The CCL fee, in NAATI's own list

NAATI publishes a single fees page covering all its tests. The header on it matters as much as the numbers: all fees and charges are listed in Australian currency (AUD), are valid from 1 July 2026 until 30 June 2027, include the Australian Goods and Services Tax (GST) where applicable, include postage and handling fees where applicable, and are subject to change without notice.

Under "Other testing and assessment fees", the Credentialed Community Language entries are:

The CCL test page repeats the same summary: test fee $814 AUD, review of test results $187 AUD, with cancellation conditions set out under the test details tab.

Two things are not on that list, and that is deliberate. There is no application fee separate from the test fee, and there are no training prerequisites to sit this test, so there is nothing you are required to buy before you book.

When you actually pay

The application and payment sequence is fixed:

1. You register in myNAATI and submit an application with your personal details, a passport-style photo of your face and a scan of an identity document.
2. NAATI processes the application, generally within two business days, and emails you once it is done. NAATI will reject the application if you do not upload a scan of an identity document.
3. You are invited to select a test date, and you pay the test fee when you select your date.

So the $814 only leaves your account at step three. You cannot select a test date until NAATI has approved your application, which is one more reason not to leave the application until the week before a session. The booking mechanics and cut-offs are set out in the test dates and booking guide.

What a change of plan costs

Rescheduling is the cheap option and it is entirely in your hands: you reject your test session in myNAATI and select another date. The trap is the 8-day line. Inside 8 days, rescheduling is gone and your only remaining move is a cancellation at 75%.

There is a third way to lose the fee that has nothing to do with dates. NAATI states that it is your responsibility to make sure your equipment is suitable and will function for the entire test, and that failure to do so may result in your test being invalidated or cancelled with no refund. The same applies to any non-compliance with NAATI's test rules and policies. The equipment and setup guide covers what NAATI requires.

The $187 review fee

If you fail the test and receive a result that is 58 or higher, you can apply for a review of your results. The fee is $187 per application. A review means a separate examiner marks your test again, and the marks from all examiners are taken into consideration to determine your final result. You apply from the "My Test Results" section of your myNAATI account within 30 days of receiving your results.

A review is not available at every score. Below 58, the review path is closed and the only option is to sit the test again at the full fee. That is why the 58 line is worth understanding before results day, and it is set out in the scoring and pass mark guide.

The $165 assessed practice test

NAATI offers three kinds of practice, and only one of them has a price.

Downloadable practice materials by language are available at any time. Free practice tests run on the test platform itself: when you book your test date, NAATI includes a link to a practice test in your confirmation email, and you can use it as many times as you like before your test starts. Practice tests without examiner marking are listed at $0.

The paid assessed practice test costs $165 including GST. NAATI describes it as taken in the same conditions as your upcoming test, including proctoring and live help and support, and marked by NAATI examiners with the same marking rubrics and scores. It runs 30 minutes, uses two dialogues of approximately 300 words in English and your other language, scores each dialogue out of 45 for a total out of 90, and results are issued within 4 to 6 weeks. To pass it you need 63 or more with at least 29 in each dialogue, the same bar as the real test.

Two limits are stated plainly by NAATI. Practice tests are marked by fewer examiners than actual tests, and the results cannot be used to claim points for migration. Passing the practice test does not mean you will pass an actual test.

Practice test candidates receive test materials they have not previously seen, and the domains vary. Where there are no unseen practice materials available, candidates have the option of a full refund or taking a previously seen practice test again.

What the fee is not spent on

The $814 covers the test. It does not cover the setup you have to bring: a laptop or computer with a working camera, in-built microphone and speakers and a power cord; the latest version of Google Chrome; a phone or tablet with a working camera running Android 8+ or iOS 15.8+ as a second camera; and an internet connection of at least 10mbps download, 1.5mbps upload with latency of 25 milliseconds or less. NAATI also specifies a personal device, because a work, university or library laptop often encounters issues that block access to the platform.

If you already own a laptop and a phone, this adds nothing. If you do not, price it in before you book, because a device problem on the day is the one failure mode that costs the whole fee.

Weighing $814 against what it buys

The value side of the equation is a single line in the Department of Home Affairs points table: "Hold a recognised qualification in a credentialled community language", worth 5 points. Those 5 points sit in a different row from the English language points in the same table, where Competent English scores 0, Proficient English scores 10 and Superior English scores 20. Community language points are additional to your English points, not a substitute for them.

We are not going to put a dollar value on 5 points, because that depends on your occupation, your other point scores and the invitation rounds, and none of that is something we can source. What we can say is what the purchase gives you in NAATI's terms: a credential with a five-year validity period for credentials issued from 9 August 2022, and a result that NAATI cannot amend the expiry date of once issued. Before you pay, NAATI itself asks you to confirm with the Department of Home Affairs or your migration agent that the CCL test is accepted to claim the points at the time of your application. NAATI does not provide migration advice. The 5 points guide works through the wording.

How to spend the fee once

The cheapest CCL is the one you pass first time, so the useful budgeting question is not "what does it cost" but "what makes a second $814 likely". NAATI's own answer is in the marking criteria: accuracy, quality of language and quality of delivery, with marks deducted for excessive repeats beyond one per dialogue and for long pauses that push the recording past 20 minutes.

Practice with those constraints in place rather than without them. Our free daily dialogue at /practice uses the same shape as the real thing, two speakers and segments of 35 words or fewer, and the AI marking shows per segment what you retained, omitted or distorted. The score is our model's estimate, not a NAATI result, and it cannot be used for migration points. For the Australian terms that tend to cost marks in health, welfare and legal dialogues, work through /terms/, including entries like bulk billing and Centrelink. The languages we cover with practice material are listed at /languages.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the NAATI CCL test cost?

The Credentialed Community Language (CCL) test fee is $814. NAATI's 2026-2027 fees are listed in Australian dollars, include GST where applicable, and are valid from 1 July 2026 until 30 June 2027.

When do I pay the NAATI CCL fee?

You pay when you select your test date, which is the third step of the process. You first submit an application in myNAATI and wait for it to be approved, then you are invited to select a date and pay the test fee at that point.

Can I get a refund on the CCL test fee?

You are eligible for a refund of 75% of your test fee if you cancel your test at least 1 hour prior to the scheduled start time, and NAATI processes it within 14 days in most cases. There is no refund for non-attendance or for cancellations after the scheduled start time.

How much does a NAATI CCL review cost?

A CCL test review costs $187 per application. You can only apply for a review if you failed with a result of 58 or higher, and you apply from your myNAATI account within 30 days of receiving your results.

Is there a paid NAATI CCL practice test?

Yes. A practice CCL test marked by an examiner costs $165 including GST. It runs for 30 minutes, uses two dialogues of approximately 300 words, is scored out of 45 per dialogue and 90 in total, and results are issued within 4 to 6 weeks. Practice tests without examiner marking are $0.

Does the CCL fee cover a second attempt?

No. The $814 fee is per test. There is no cost to reschedule a booked test up to 8 days before the date, but a cancellation returns only 75% of the fee and non-attendance returns nothing.

Are NAATI fees the same all year?

NAATI's published fees are valid from 1 July 2026 until 30 June 2027 and all prices are stated to be subject to change without notice. Check the NAATI fees page for the figure that applies on the day you pay.

Sources

• NAATI, Fees 2026-2027
• NAATI, Credentialed Community Language (CCL) Test
• NAATI, CCL Test Candidate Instructions
• Department of Home Affairs, Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189) points table

Facts checked against NAATI and Home Affairs pages on 7 September 2026.

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naaticcl.com is an independent practice site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NAATI. The AI score is this site's estimate, not a NAATI result.