How much does a trademark cost?

A U.S. trademark costs $350 per class of goods or services in government filing fees, plus whatever your attorney charges. The government fee is fixed and published; the legal fee depends on the clearance search, the classes you need and how the application is prepared. Our flat fee for a single-class registration runs $950 to $1,800, quoted in writing after a free consultation, which puts the all-in cost of a clean single-class filing at roughly $1,300 to $2,150.

That is the short answer. The longer answer matters, because the USPTO restructured its fees on January 18, 2025, and most cost guides still online describe the old system. If you have read that a trademark costs $250, you are reading about a filing option that no longer exists.

What the USPTO charges in 2026

Almost every trademark fee is charged per class. A class is a category of goods or services; if you sell hats and also run a consulting business, that is two classes and two filing fees.

The base application fee is $350 per class for applications filed under Section 1 (use in commerce or intent-to-use) or Section 44. That price assumes the application is complete and uses the USPTO’s pre-approved descriptions. Three surcharges apply when it isn’t:

• $100 per class — the application is missing required information
• $200 per class — you describe your goods or services in the free-form text box instead of choosing from the USPTO’s ID Manual
• $200 per class — for each additional group of 1,000 characters in that free-form description beyond the first 1,000

These surcharges are stackable and entirely avoidable. A custom description written without checking the ID Manual can turn a $350 filing into a $550 one for no additional protection.

If you file before you’re using the mark

You can apply before your brand is in commercial use, on an intent-to-use basis under Section 1(b). It costs more, because you pay again later to prove use:

• $150 per class — statement of use or amendment to allege use
• $125 per class — each request for an extension of time to file that statement

Filing on intent-to-use is often worth it, because it reserves your priority date while you build the product. Just budget the extra $150 per class from the start.

What an attorney adds

Our flat fee for a single-class registration is $950 to $1,800, quoted in writing after a free consultation once we have seen the mark and the goods or services it covers. It includes the clearance search, class and description selection, preparing and filing the application, and responding to non-substantive Office Actions.

The value sits mostly in the work done before filing. USPTO fees are not refundable, under any circumstances, including when an application is refused. If a conflicting mark is already registered and you find out at the refusal stage, the $350 is gone along with the months spent waiting. A clearance search is how you avoid paying twice.

Two other points worth knowing: applicants based outside the United States are required to be represented by a U.S.-licensed attorney, and adversarial proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (oppositions and cancellations) are litigation, which we refer out rather than handle.

What a registration actually costs

Three common situations, with government fees and our flat fee range together:

• One class, already in use, clean filing: $350 government + $950–$1,800 attorney = $1,300–$2,150
• Two classes, already in use: $700 government + attorney fee = $1,650–$2,500
• One class, intent-to-use: $350 at filing, $150 at the statement of use, plus attorney fee = $1,450–$2,300

The ten-year cost

Registration is not permanent by default. Maintenance filings keep it alive, and missing them cancels it:

• $325 per class — five-year declaration of use (Section 8), due between the fifth and sixth anniversary of registration
• $650 per class — combined ten-year renewal and declaration of use (Sections 8 and 9)
• $100 per class — grace period surcharge on either filing
• $250 per class — optional declaration of incontestability (Section 15), which strengthens your registration against later challenges

Adding it up: about $1,325 per class in government fees over the first ten years for a mark filed on use, before attorney fees for the maintenance filings. The USPTO does not send reminders, and there is no reinstatement after the grace period closes.

Which costs are avoidable

Three of them, in order of how much they cost:

• Filing over a conflict. The most expensive mistake, because the fees are gone and the brand may need to change anyway. A search before filing is cheaper than a refusal.
• Filing in classes you don’t need. Each class is another $350 now and another $650 at renewal. Protect what you actually sell.
• Triggering the description surcharges. Using ID Manual language where it fits keeps the filing at the base rate.

Frequently asked questions