Vitamin B12 and Folate Test Cost: What the Panel Costs Across Labs
What a vitamin B12 and folate panel costs across direct-to-consumer labs, with draw fees factored in.
Vitamin B12 and folate are often tested together because both are needed to make healthy red blood cells, and a shortage of either can cause similar symptoms. What you pay for the pair swings widely from one lab to the next. This page compares advertised prices for a B12 and folate panel across direct-to-consumer labs so you can find the lowest all-in cost.
What a vitamin B12 and folate panel costs across labs
Ordered on its own, a vitamin B12 and folate panel ranges from about $10.77 to $89 across direct-to-consumer labs, before a one-time draw fee. Mito members pay $10.77, with a non-member price of $15.07. Mito includes B12 and folate in its comprehensive panels.
Lab | Test price | Draw fee |
|---|---|---|
Mito (Member) | $10.77 | $9.50-15 |
Mito (Non-Member) | $15.07 | $9.50-15 |
GoodLabs | $15 | $12 |
DrSays | $25.99 | $9.99 |
Jason Health | $30 | $18 |
Ulta Lab Tests | $41.95 | $12.95 |
Marek Health | $50 | $10 |
Walk-In Lab | $59 | $6 |
Quest (direct) | $73.80 | $6 |
Labcorp (direct) | $89 | $0 |
Advertised prices, June 2026. Add each lab’s draw fee for a single-test order, and confirm current pricing before ordering.
Where the panel is, and is not, the cheapest
Mito member pricing is the lowest in this comparison at $10.77. On the non-member tier, one lab is fractionally lower: GoodLabs advertises the panel at $15.00, compared with Mito non-member pricing of $15.07. Mito member pricing still comes in lower, and on every other lab in the table Mito is well below the listed price on both tiers, often by a wide margin against the national reference labs.
Why these prices vary so much
The tests themselves are standardized. Most direct-to-consumer labs send your sample to one of the same national reference labs, usually Labcorp or Quest, so the analysis is identical no matter who takes your order. What changes is the markup. A reseller that lists the pair at seventy or ninety dollars is buying the same tests a low-cost lab sells for around ten, then adding its margin, an ordering fee, or a clinical-review charge. The draw fee is separate again, and it is set by the collection site rather than the lab.
What is included in this panel
This panel reports two markers that work closely together in red blood cell formation. Each links to a full reference on what it measures and what your result means:
Is a cheaper panel the same test?
For vitamin B12 and folate, yes. Both are run on standard immunoassay platforms at CLIA-certified labs, so a low-cost result and an expensive one measure the same values to the same standards. Paying more does not buy a more accurate result. What a higher price sometimes includes is a doctor’s review or a written interpretation of your results. If you only need the numbers, the cheapest CLIA-certified option gives you the same data. If you want help reading them, check whether interpretation is bundled or sold separately before you compare prices.
All-in cost: test plus draw fee
Almost every lab adds a one-time draw fee on top of the panel price, charged once per visit rather than per test. For a single panel that fee can be a meaningful share of the bill, so compare the all-in total. If you add other markers to the same visit, that one draw fee is spread across all of them, which is where building a panel saves the most.
When should you get B12 and folate tested?
People order a B12 and folate panel to look into ongoing fatigue, weakness, or brain fog, to investigate a type of anemia, to check status on a vegetarian or vegan diet, or to monitor levels during supplementation. The two are tested together because a deficiency in either can produce similar symptoms and a similar blood picture. For general monitoring, once a year alongside other baseline markers is a common cadence.
Does insurance cover a B12 and folate test?
When a doctor orders these tests for a medical reason, insurance usually covers them, though you may still owe a copay or part of your deductible. The direct-to-consumer prices on this page are cash-pay and are not billed to insurance. For many people, especially on a high-deductible plan, paying around ten dollars out of pocket is cheaper than the share they would owe through insurance. If you are testing for routine self-monitoring rather than to investigate symptoms, cash-pay is often the simpler and lower-cost route.
FAQs
- Why are B12 and folate tested together? Both vitamins are needed to make healthy red blood cells, and a shortage of either can cause a similar anemia and overlapping symptoms. Testing both together helps tell the two causes apart.
- Do you need to fast for a B12 and folate test? Usually not, but some labs prefer a fasting sample. Follow the guidance from the lab or your doctor, especially if the panel is bundled with other tests.
- Where is the cheapest B12 and folate panel? In this comparison, Mito has the lowest advertised price at $10.77 for members and $15.07 for non-members. Remember to add the draw fee for a single-test order.
- Do you need a doctor’s order? Not for the direct-to-consumer labs here. They include the test authorization, so you order online and visit a collection site without your own physician’s requisition.
- How long do results take? Most labs post B12 and folate results within one to three business days of your draw, and often the next day.
Related Reading
- How Much Does a Blood Test Cost? 29 Tests Compared
- Vitamin B12: Reference Range and What It Measures
- Folate (Vitamin B9): Reference Range and What It Measures
Medical Disclaimer
This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Pricing is based on publicly available information as of June 2026 and may change. Always verify current pricing directly with each provider before making a purchasing decision.
