TN non-participating manufacturer bonds.
$3,000 flat. Soft pull.

Tennessee's Tobacco Manufacturers' Escrow Fund Act requires a non-participating manufacturer to post a $100,000 bond in favor of the State, conditioned on its quarterly escrow deposits. Ours is $3,000 flat — 3% of the bond amount, the same for every manufacturer. One soft credit pull, e-signed in 1–2 business days.

Required for NPMs selling cigarettes in Tennessee — the bond backs your escrow deposits under the Escrow Fund Act
Fixed minimum amount, fixed price — $100,000 bond, $3,000, no quote theater
Soft credit pull only — never affects your score, and the rate stays 3% either way
A-ratedA.M. Best carriers1–2 daystypical issuance1–3 yrterms available
Trusted by industry leaders
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
How it works

Three steps to on the directory.

Your spot on the Department of Revenue's tobacco directory is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:

TODAY · 5 MINUTES

Apply once, online

Business details, the principal county, your escrow deposit due date, and an effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.

WITHIN 48 HOURS

Reviewed & approved

Manufacturer bonds get a real underwriting look; if anything else is needed you hear from an underwriter within 48 hours. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score.

1–2 BUSINESS DAYS

E-sign & file with the Department of Revenue

Pay online and receive the executed bond, written in favor of the State of Tennessee, ready to file with your certification. Post it at least ten days before the calendar quarter. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.

The whole pricing page.

$100,000 bond × 3% = $3,000, one-time per term. Fixed minimum amount, fixed price, multi-year if you want it.

1-year term
$3,000
2-year term
$6,000
3-year term
$9,000
About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What the bond actually guarantees

After the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, Tennessee passed the Tobacco Manufacturers' Escrow Fund Act (Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 47-31-101 to 47-31-103). A tobacco manufacturer that did not join the settlement — a non-participating manufacturer, or NPM — must instead deposit money into a qualified escrow account each quarter, based on the cigarettes it sells in Tennessee. This bond stands behind that escrow obligation.

It is a financial-guarantee bond written in favor of the State of Tennessee: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State as obligee. If you fail to make a required escrow deposit, the State can recover against the bond. The statute lets the State execute on the bond for the unpaid amount if the deposit is not made within fifteen days after the quarter's due date.

It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays the State, you repay the surety. The bond amount is the greater of $100,000 or your largest required escrow over the prior twelve quarters; this page issues the $100,000 minimum, and it must be posted at least ten days before each calendar quarter to keep you on the Department of Revenue directory.

Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-31-103 (Escrow Fund Act)Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-31-103(d), a non-participating manufacturer may be required to post a bond — written in favor of the State of Tennessee and conditioned on performance of its escrow-deposit and other financial obligations — in an amount equal to the greater of $100,000 or the greatest required escrow amount due for any of the twelve preceding calendar quarters, posted at least ten days before each calendar quarter. If escrow is not deposited within fifteen days after the quarter's due date, the State may execute on the bond. Certification and the manufacturer directory are administered by the Department of Revenue under Tenn. Code Ann. § 67-4-2602. Confirm your required amount with the Department before filing.

You need this bond if you're

A non-participating cigarette manufacturer selling, or seeking to sell, in Tennessee
A newly-certified NPM the Department of Revenue requires to bond before directory listing
An NPM flagged for a bond after a late or short escrow deposit in a prior quarter
An importer or first seller treated as the manufacturer for Tennessee escrow purposes

Five minutes. The whole thing.

These are the actual underwriting fields, including the principal county, your escrow deposit due date, and a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.

Start the application →
FAQs

Common questions.

If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.

Do I pay the $100,000? +
No. You pay $3,000 — the flat 3% of the bond amount. The $100,000 is the surety's maximum liability to the State of Tennessee; it is not a deposit, and nobody holds your money. The separate escrow deposits you owe the State each quarter are a different obligation that this bond guarantees.
Who requires this bond? +
The State of Tennessee, under the Tobacco Manufacturers' Escrow Fund Act (Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-31-103), with certification and the manufacturer directory administered by the Department of Revenue. A non-participating manufacturer can be required to post it as a condition of selling cigarettes in Tennessee.
What does the bond guarantee? +
That you make your quarterly escrow deposits and meet your other financial obligations under the Escrow Fund Act. If you fail to deposit the full amount owed within fifteen days of the quarter's due date, the State can execute on the bond for the shortfall — and if the surety pays, you repay the surety.
Why is the amount $100,000? +
$100,000 is the statutory floor. The bond is actually the greater of $100,000 or your largest required escrow amount over the twelve preceding calendar quarters. If your escrow history runs higher than $100,000, send us the figure and we issue the larger bond at the same flat 3%.
Is there a credit check? +
Yes — one soft credit pull, which never affects your score. It informs approval, not price. The rate is a flat 3% either way: credit can affect whether we approve the bond, never what it costs.
Related bonds

Other New York bonds.

The tobacco directory is waiting on one document.

$3,000 flat, five-minute application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Post it at least ten days before the quarter. Free until issued.

Your premium @ 3%$3,000
Apply now →