Updated: April 2025.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward answer to that question. The cost depends on what society you join; where you join that society, and what portion of the lineage you need to document to complete your application. And that’s before you decide whether or not to hire a professional genealogist!
The first aspect of the question is fees. All societies charge a verification fee (or a fee to review the application). Some societies will require dues in addition.
Smaller societies may charge you only a lifetime application fee of several hundred dollars or less. Essentially, they’re charging you to review the application and to off set their activities fee by a small amount.
Larger, decentralized societies (the Mayflower Society is a prime example) vary their fee by the location you apply. Even though they may send the application to one place to be reviewed, these societies hold their resources locally. As a result, the fee you pay will vary based on local needs. These societies may also require annual dues.
Larger centralized societies generally have a standard application review fee but will also charge local dues. This allows them to standardize where they can and still meet the needs of the local organizations. An applicant for DAR, for example, will pay chapter, state, and national dues in addition to the application fee. Remember, these dues are payable annually, although the first year dues is typically much higher due to the cost of reviewing the application (and sometimes due to a new member “add on”).
What does this mean for you? If there’s a budget concern, it’s best to ask about fees going in. Most societies are glad to clarify. They don’t want to shock you – or put in the time only to find you can’t pay the necessary fees to complete your application.
Second is the cost of supporting documents.
It’s becoming increasingly common for societies to require that birth, death, and marriage certificates be provided for at least the first three generations (applicant, parents, grandparents). They don’t require originals, so it’s fine to use scans from family files. However, if you need to purchase a certificate, prices may range from nothing (MA has many certificates online) to $30+ a copy. It’s helpful to plan for at least $150 per generation for at least three generations. And it may be more – the Mayflower Society requires vital records for any generations for which they might exist.
Not every generation can be documented with a vital record. There may be a cost to purchasing copies of land records, obituaries, and more…
These costs are harder to predict and control, as they’ll often depend on what’s found once research is begun… The best way to mitigate them is to use your family’s own resources: families often have copies of records, although they may be scattered.
And finally, the cost of DIY v. hiring help…