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510(k) budgetU.S. FDA Market EntrySource review as of 2026-06-17

FDA 510(k) Real Cost Breakdown Before You Show the Board a Budget

If your budget only lists the FDA user fee, the problem is an unknown cost gap before board review. The useful first output is a cost-readiness brief that separates current FDA fee references, small-business timing, required quote categories, consultant work, internal owner time, and contingency questions.

TrueMedDevice can organize the source-backed budget packet and open assumptions. It does not estimate your final cost or decide testing, pathway, or submission strategy.

For a founder-operator preparing one 510(k) budget slide before a board review.

Pre-production brief

FieldAnswer
ReaderFounder, finance owner, or first RA/QA hire preparing a 510(k) budget.
TriggerThe board, investor, or leadership team is about to approve market-entry spend.
Blocked decisionWhether the budget covers only the FDA fee or the full evidence-preparation work.
Useful artifactCost-readiness brief with fee sources, quote checklist, timing assumptions, and owner questions.

Reviewer workflow

  • Record the current FDA fee page and fiscal year before presenting numbers.
  • Separate standard FDA user fee, small-business timing, and quote-based testing costs.
  • List lab, consultant, software, cybersecurity, biocompatibility, sterilization, usability, and internal-owner assumptions only when relevant to the device facts.
  • Flag every line that needs a current quote or qualified reviewer decision.

Budget lines that need evidence

Budget lineEvidence to gather
FDA user feeCurrent FDA fee table and small-business status timing.
TestingDevice-specific guidance, standards, and current lab quotes.
Consultant workSubmission architecture, predicate review, evidence gap review, and response support scope.
Internal timeNamed owner hours for evidence collection, review cycles, and decision meetings.

What TrueMedDevice can prepare

TrueMedDevice can prepare the current fee-source ledger, quote-request checklist, assumption table, owner list, and open budget risks for review.

Qualified RA/QA, finance, consultants, labs, and leadership decide the budget, quote acceptance, testing plan, and submission strategy.

Source ledger

FDA, Medical Device User Fees

What it can tell you

FDA's current user-fee program context and fee references for medical-device submissions.

What it cannot decide

The total project cost, testing plan, consultant scope, or internal time required.

FDA, MDUFA fees

What it can tell you

Current FDA MDUFA fee tables by fiscal year and submission type.

What it cannot decide

Whether a 510(k) is required or sufficient for a specific device.

FDA, Small Business Determination Program

What it can tell you

FDA's small-business fee program context and timing considerations.

What it cannot decide

Whether the company will qualify or when a determination will be issued.

FDA, eSTAR

What it can tell you

FDA's electronic submission template context for device submissions.

What it cannot decide

Whether the submission content is complete or adequate.

Frequently asked questions

Is the FDA user fee the full 510(k) cost?

No. It is only one line. Testing, consulting, internal time, software, cybersecurity, standards, and response work may matter depending on device facts.

Can this page estimate my exact 510(k) budget?

No. It shows what to gather and how to separate source-backed fee references from quote-based and reviewer-dependent cost lines.

When should the small-business fee question be handled?

Early. The packet should include FDA small-business timing and owner responsibility before the submission timeline is locked.

Need a 510(k) budget-readiness packet before approval?

TrueMedDevice can organize fee sources, quote categories, owner assumptions, and open budget questions before you brief the board.

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