There are three components of the total fee that are charged if you apply for, renew, or transfer an HME: the information collection fee, the threat assessment fee, and the FBI fee. The total of $86.50* is charged to process your application if you are in a TSA agent state (see table in the Enrollment section) and will vary in non-TSA agent states that collect and submit biographical and biometric information for applicants. [*Note: effective March 19,2012 , the TSA fee for a hazardous materials endorsement security threat assessment within TSA Agent States reduced from $89.25 to $86.50.]

Information Collection Fee ($38.00 for drivers in TSA agent states; amount will vary in states that collect biographical and biometric information themselves)

This is a fee charged for collecting, fingerprinting, and transmitting biographic information.

Threat Assessment Fee ($34.00)

This is a fee charged to cover TSA costs associated with checking biographic information against multiple databases and other sources so that TSA can determine whether or not you pose a security threat.

FBI Fee ($14.50* for drivers in TSA Agent states; $19.25 for drivers in non-TSA agent states that collect biographical and biometric information themselves) [*Note: effective March 19, 2012, this component of the fee for applicants in TSA Agent States decreased from $17.25 to $14.50 – a reduction of $2.75.] 

This is a fee charged by the FBI to perform its Criminal History Records Check (CHRC), which entails checking fingerprints and biographical information against multi-state criminal history databases to assist TSA in determining results for your security threat assessment.