How to register for the TOEFL in 2026: deadlines, fees, ID rules, rescheduling and retakes

The short answer

You register for the TOEFL iBT in an ETS account at ets.org: choose a test centre or the Home Edition, a date, pay the fee for your country, and name up to four institutions to receive your scores free. Regular online registration closes 7 full days before the test date; after that you pay an express fee of US$49 until 2 days before. Your name must match your ID exactly, or you lose the test and the fee. You can reschedule or cancel up to 4 full days before for a 50% refund, and you can retake the test as often as you like, but not within 3 days of a previous one.

Before you register: three things to settle

1. The date against your deadlines. ETS's own advice is to register about four months ahead and to pick a date two to three months before your earliest application deadline. Scores are posted about 3 days after the test, so the real constraint is not the wait for scores but the chance of needing a second attempt.
2. The name on your ID. You register with the name exactly as it appears on the ID you will show on the day: first and last name, date of birth. If they do not match, you will not be admitted and the fee is not refunded. A supplemental ID cannot fix a surname that differs. If your ID has a single name, a multi-part surname or a recent change, the Bulletin has a rule for each; read it before you type.
3. Your band. A test booked blind is a test you may have to pay for twice. A full mock on the 2026 format tells you whether you are at your target band or how far off, and which section needs the weeks you have left.

How to register, step by step

1. Create an ETS account at ets.org/toefl, with your name as it is on your ID. The account is personal and cannot be transferred, and neither can a registration.
2. Choose where: a test centre near you, or the TOEFL iBT Home Edition on your own computer with a live proctor. The test, the scoring and the score report are the same; the Home Edition guide covers what your room and computer must pass.
3. Choose when. Centres run on their own calendars; the Home Edition is offered any day, at any time. You cannot hold two appointments within 3 days of each other.
4. Name your score recipients. The fee includes score reports to up to four institutions or agencies that you designate before the test. You can add, delete or change them until 10 pm local test-centre time on the day before the test; after that, each report costs a fee.
5. Pay. By credit or debit card (American Express, Discover, JCB, China UnionPay, Diners Club, Mastercard, RuPay, Visa), by e-check from a bank in the United States, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands or Canada, by PayPal or by Alipay. You can also register by phone through ETS's contact number for your country.
6. Check the confirmation: the name, the date, the time, the centre or Home Edition, and the recipients. If something is wrong, the 4-day rule below is the clock you are now on.

Deadlines

	Online	By phone
Regular registration closes	7 full days before the test date	7 full days before
Express registration (US$49 extra) closes	2 days before the test date	5 pm local test-centre time, the day before

ETS's example: for a Saturday test, the last day to register online, with the express fee, is Thursday. The express fee is refunded if you later cancel within the refund rules.

What the test costs

The registration fee is set per country and shown when you select your testing location on ETS's fees page; it is not one worldwide price. In India, for example, ETS's local page lists ₹15,729 for registration. In some countries the fee includes local taxes, in others tax is added at checkout, and in a few the price is quoted exclusive of tax that you then owe locally. Whatever the figure, the fee covers the test, your scores in your ETS account, a PDF score report, MyBest scores, and four score reports sent to institutions you named in advance.

The extra fees, in US dollars, are the same everywhere:

Service	Fee
Express registration, within 7 days of the test	US$49
Rescheduling	US$69
Additional score report, per institution	US$29
Score review, Speaking or Writing	US$80
Score review, both sections	US$160
Express scoring	US$129
Reinstating cancelled scores	US$20
Returned payment	US$30

Prices exclude VAT and other taxes except in EU countries, where they are included.

The ID rules that cancel tests

ETS cancels more tests over ID than over anything else, and the fee is not refunded. Your ID must be:

• original and physical: no photocopies, no ID on a phone or any other screen;
• government-issued by the country where you are a citizen or permanent resident: a passport, a national ID card, a driving licence, a state or province ID card, or, in the US only, a passport card with a second ID;
• valid, not expired;
• carrying your full name, date of birth, a recent photo and your signature, with the name and date of birth exactly as you registered;
• in English letters, or a document the centre can read.

Not accepted under any circumstances: international driving licences, mobile driving licences, international student IDs, credit or debit cards, birth certificates, social security cards, employee IDs, temporary IDs, diplomatic IDs, Aadhaar cards. Some countries add their own rules; ETS's ID page shows them when you select the country.

For the Home Edition, ETS may also ask you to verify your identity in its mobile app at least 48 hours before the test. At a test centre, arrive at least 30 minutes before your start time; arriving after it means no test and no refund.

Rescheduling, cancelling and refunds

• You can reschedule or cancel through your ETS account up to 4 full days before your test date. For a Saturday test, that is Tuesday. Rescheduling costs US$69.
• If you cancel by that deadline, you get 50% of the fee back, in the currency you paid, usually within 15 business days, credited to the original payment method. Cancel later, or miss the test, and there is no refund.
• If ETS cancels a session, for weather or another reason beyond its control, you choose a new date free of charge or take a full refund.
• Accommodations for a disability or health condition must be approved by ETS before you register; the review takes four to six weeks.

Retaking the test

There is no limit to how many times you can take the TOEFL, but not more than once in any 3-day period, and you cannot register for a second date within 3 days of an appointment you already hold. The rule applies even if you cancelled the scores of the first test. Scores stay valid for 2 years from the test date, and MyBest scores combine your best section scores from every valid test in that window, which is why a second attempt rarely wastes the first.

After the test

Reading and Listening scores appear on screen as unofficial results the moment you finish. Official scores for all four sections are posted to your ETS account about 3 days after the test, and sent to the institutions you named. You can ask for a review of your Speaking or Writing score within 30 days, for a fee, unless your scores have already gone to an institution.

Know your band before you pay the fee

The fee is lost if your name is wrong, your ID fails or you miss the 4-day deadline, and it is paid twice if you need a second attempt. The attempt is the part you can control. Skorway's free mock is the full 2026 test, all four sections with the real timers, scored within minutes: a band for every section, an overall band, and every Speaking and Writing answer marked up and rewritten a band higher. If the band meets your requirement, register with a date that leaves time for one more try; if it does not, you know which section the next weeks are for. No credit card.

How far in advance should I register for the TOEFL?

ETS recommends about four months before your test date, with the test two to three months before your earliest deadline. The hard limits are 7 full days before the date for regular registration and 2 days before with the express fee.

Can I change my TOEFL test date?

Yes, up to 4 full days before the test, for US$69, through your ETS account or by phone. After that the appointment cannot be moved, and missing it forfeits the fee.

How many times can I take the TOEFL?

As many times as you like, with at least 3 days between attempts. Each test is a separate registration and fee.

How much is the TOEFL test fee?

It depends on the country where you take the test, and ETS shows it only after you select your location. The additional fees are the same everywhere: US$49 for express registration, US$69 to reschedule, US$29 per extra score report.

Checked against ETS's 2026–27 TOEFL iBT Information Bulletin and registration pages on 6 November 2026. TOEFL® is a registered trademark of ETS. Skorway is not endorsed or approved by ETS.