SC/ST MSE Testing Fee Refund: 80% Back, Up to ₹1 Lakh a Year

The SC/ST MSE Testing Fee Refund is a competitiveness intervention from the National SC-ST Hub. It puts money back in the hands of an SC/ST-owned micro or small enterprise that has paid a laboratory to test its product. Testing is frequently the step that opens the door to a tender bid, a quality certification or a first export order, and the lab bill itself can be a heavy line item for a small manufacturer.

The refund is 80% of the testing fee, subject to a ceiling of ₹1,00,000 for each SC/ST MSE in a financial year. Taxes such as GST are outside the reimbursable amount. Inside that annual limit the support can be drawn more than once, so a business running repeated batch tests or going through certification rounds during the year is not limited to a single claim.

There is no application window to wait for. The programme runs on a rolling basis, which means a claim can be filed once the testing has been done and the fee has been paid.

• 80% of accredited-lab testing fees refunded
• Capped at ₹1,00,000 for each SC/ST MSE per financial year
• Testing must be at a NABL or BIS accredited laboratory
• Multiple claims allowed within the same financial year
• Restricted to SC/ST-owned micro and small enterprises
• Rolling applications — no fixed deadline to meet

Eligibility turns on two things: who owns the enterprise, and where the testing was carried out.

• The business must be SC/ST-owned.
• It must be a micro or small enterprise.
• Testing has to be done at a laboratory accredited by NABL or BIS. Reports from any other lab do not qualify.
• This is a reimbursement, so the claim is made against testing fees that have actually been paid — not against a quotation or an unsettled invoice.
• The ₹1,00,000 ceiling applies to each SC/ST MSE for each financial year, and not separately to each application.

Ownership, enterprise size and the accreditation of the laboratory are the checks that matter most, so keep proof of all three ready before you file.

SC/ST MSE Testing Fee Refund: 80% Back, Up to ₹1 Lakh a Year is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

SC/ST MSE Testing Fee Refund: 80% Back, Up to ₹1 Lakh a Year accepts applications on a rolling basis — there is no fixed cut-off date, so eligible startups can apply at any time. Because rolling programmes can pause without notice, confirm the window is still open on the official site before you start.

Support is delivered as a cash reimbursement of the fee charged by the testing laboratory.

• 80% of the testing fee is returned, or ₹1,00,000, whichever figure is lower, for each SC/ST MSE in a financial year.
• GST is not reimbursed, and neither are other applicable taxes, so the claim is built on the fee net of those charges.
• The assistance can be claimed several times inside the same financial year, provided the running total stays within the annual ceiling.
• The money arrives as a reimbursement rather than an investment, so no equity or ownership stake is taken in the enterprise.

That structure suits businesses that test often. Repeated batch testing, certification work or laboratory runs tied to a specific order can all be fitted within one annual limit.

SC/ST MSE Testing Fee Refund: 80% Back, Up to ₹1 Lakh a Year is offered by National SC-ST Hub, a government body. As a government-backed subsidy, it is publicly funded and open to eligible startups across India. You can verify current details and timelines on the provider's official website before applying.

Before you apply to SC/ST MSE Testing Fee Refund: 80% Back, Up to ₹1 Lakh a Year, keep the following documents ready:

• A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
• Company registration documents and PAN
• Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
• Recent financial statements or projections
• Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available

Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.

SC/ST MSE Testing Fee Refund: 80% Back, Up to ₹1 Lakh a Year is best suited for startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding of ₹1L. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.