California Early Fee Payment Is Due Within 45 Days

CAA published the 2026 California Early Fee Schedule on July 21, 2026 and issued California Early Fee invoices the week of August 17, 2026, with payment due within 45 days of the invoice date. On that timing the first payments fall due around September 25 to October 1, 2026. Late payment carries CAA’s Late Payment Charge of 1 percent compounded monthly.

Two things that are easy to confuse. California Early Fees are separate from California 2027 EPR Fees, even though both are calculated from your 2025 California Supply Report. And the California Illustrative Fees published in May 2026 are, in CAA’s own words, “good-faith, non-binding estimates” of 2027 rates, not the rates you will be invoiced. CAA will publish final 2027 California EPR fee rates on or before October 1, 2026 and issue standard 2027 invoices in January 2027.

What this means for you: if you are a registered California producer, confirm your finance team has the invoice and that CAA is set up as a payee, because the payment clock started in August and the due date lands this month for most invoices. If you are budgeting 2027, the number you need is not published yet and arrives by October 1. Source: CAA, Producer Actions and Key Dates, August 2026.