Filing a federal trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) costs $350 per class of goods or services for a base application under the fee schedule that took effect January 18, 2025. That fee rises by $100 to $400 or more per class if the application is missing required information or uses custom descriptions of goods and services instead of the USPTO’s ID Manual. The full cost of a trademark also includes maintenance filings to keep the registration alive, attorney fees if you use counsel, and any costs of responding to refusals or challenges.
This guide breaks down each of those costs so you can budget for a word mark, a logo, a business name, or a slogan.
Current USPTO Trademark Application Fees
On January 18, 2025, the USPTO discontinued the old TEAS Plus and TEAS Standard filing options and replaced them with a single electronic base application. For a full summary of what changed, see our post on 2025 changes to USPTO trademark fees. Under the current USPTO fee schedule, electronically filed applications carry these fees:
- Base application: $350 per class
- Insufficient information surcharge: $100 per class, if the application does not include required information such as the applicant’s legal entity and citizenship, a description of a design mark, a color claim, or a translation of non-English wording
- Free-form text identification surcharge: $200 per class, if you type your own description of goods or services rather than selecting entries from the USPTO ID Manual
- Long identification surcharge: $200 per class for each additional 1,000 characters of free-form text beyond the first 1,000
These surcharges stack. A single-class application that uses a custom identification and omits required information costs $650 in government fees instead of $350. The USPTO also states that it generally does not refund fees, so an application that is later refused does not get its filing fee back (see the USPTO’s trademark fee information page). Getting the application right the first time is the most reliable way to control cost.
Intent-to-Use Applications Add Later Fees
If you file based on a bona fide intent to use the mark rather than current use, you pay the same base application fee up front. Before the mark can register, you must prove use by filing an Amendment to Allege Use or a Statement of Use, which costs $150 per class. If you are not yet using the mark when the USPTO issues a Notice of Allowance, each six-month extension of time to file the Statement of Use costs $125 per class. Those fees can add up quickly for a multi-class application with a slow product launch.
How Much Does It Cost to Trademark a Logo?
The USPTO charges the same $350 per class to register a logo as it does for a word mark. The practical difference is scope and preparation. A standard character (word) registration protects the words themselves regardless of font, color, or design. A logo registration protects the mark as it appears in the drawing you submit. If you want to protect both your brand name and your logo, you generally need two applications, which doubles the government fees.
Logo applications also require more information: a description of the mark, a color claim if color is a feature of the mark, and often a disclaimer of descriptive words that appear in the design. Leaving out required details can trigger the $100 insufficient information surcharge. Clearance searching for a logo is also more involved, because design elements must be compared against registered marks with similar imagery, not just similar words.
How Much Does It Cost to Trademark a Business Name?
Registering a business name as a trademark costs the same $350 per class, provided the name is used as a brand for goods or services and not merely as the name of your company. Forming an LLC or corporation with your state does not give you trademark rights in that name, and a business name that is descriptive of what you sell may face a refusal. Whether you need counsel for this process depends on your situation; we discuss that question in do I need a lawyer to trademark a business name.
How Much Does It Cost to Trademark a Phrase?
A slogan or phrase is filed and priced like any other mark: $350 per class for a base application. The main cost risk is refusal. The USPTO refuses phrases that function only as common expressions or informational messages rather than as indicators of the source of goods or services, and responding to that kind of refusal adds time and cost. Our guide on how to trademark a phrase or slogan walks through what the USPTO looks for.
Filing in Multiple Classes
Every trademark fee is charged per class, so the number of classes you choose is often the biggest driver of cost. A clothing brand that sells apparel in Class 25 and runs an online retail store in Class 35 pays $700 for a clean base application, and $1,100 if both classes use free-form identifications. Choosing classes carefully, and using ID Manual language where it accurately describes your goods and services, keeps fees down without leaving gaps in protection. A trademark class search can help you identify the classes that actually matter to your business.
Trademark Maintenance and Renewal Fees
A federal registration does not stay in force automatically. The owner must file maintenance documents at set intervals, and each carries a per-class fee:
- Section 8 declaration of use (between the fifth and sixth year after registration, and again every ten years): $325 per class
- Section 9 renewal application (between the ninth and tenth year after registration, and every ten years after that, filed together with a Section 8 declaration): $325 per class
- Grace period filings: an additional $100 per class for a late Section 8 declaration and $100 per class for a late Section 9 renewal
- Section 15 declaration of incontestability (optional): $250 per class
- Section 71 declaration for U.S. extensions of protection under the Madrid Protocol: $325 per class, plus a $100 per class grace period fee if filed late
For a detailed look at deadlines and what happens if you miss them, see how long does a trademark last.
Opposition, Cancellation, and Appeal Fees
If you need to challenge someone else’s application or registration, or defend your own, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) charges its own fees. A notice of opposition and a petition for cancellation each cost $600 per class, requests to extend the time to oppose carry per-class fees, and an ex parte appeal of a final refusal costs $225 per class. Government fees are usually the smaller part of a contested proceeding; attorney time for discovery, briefing, and trial is typically the larger expense.
State Trademark Registration Costs
Each state that offers trademark registration sets its own fees, and those fees are generally far lower than federal fees. In Michigan, for example, the state charges a nonrefundable $50 filing fee for a trademark or service mark application (Michigan LARA). A state registration protects the mark only within that state, so it is most useful for businesses that operate locally. We cover the tradeoffs in the benefits of state trademark registration.
What Does a Trademark Attorney Cost?
Attorney fees vary with the work involved, the complexity of the mark, and how the firm bills. Common structures include:
- Clearance searches: often a flat fee, with the price depending on the depth of the search and whether a commercial search report is ordered
- Application filing: often a flat fee that covers preparing the identification of goods and services, selecting classes, and filing
- Office action responses: frequently billed hourly or as a separate flat fee, since the effort depends on whether the refusal is procedural or substantive, such as a likelihood-of-confusion refusal
- Maintenance and renewal filings: often a flat fee per filing, with added time if specimens of current use need review
- TTAB proceedings and litigation: usually billed hourly, and far more costly than filing because of discovery, evidence, and briefing
When comparing quotes, ask what the fee includes, whether USPTO fees are separate, and how responses to office actions will be billed. A lower filing fee that excludes clearance work can cost more in the long run if the application is refused or draws an opposition.
Putting It Together: A Sample Budget
Consider a business registering a single word mark in one class, filed as a use-based base application with ID Manual language. Government fees over the first ten years would be $350 to file, $325 for the Section 8 declaration between years five and six, and $650 for the combined Section 8 and Section 9 filing between years nine and ten, for a total of $1,325. Adding an optional Section 15 declaration brings the total to $1,575. Attorney fees, additional classes, a separate logo application, or an intent-to-use filing would add to that figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to register a trademark with the USPTO?
The USPTO base application fee is $350 per class of goods or services for applications filed on or after January 18, 2025. Surcharges apply if the application lacks required information ($100 per class), uses free-form identifications instead of the ID Manual ($200 per class), or has long free-form descriptions ($200 per class per extra 1,000 characters). Attorney fees, if any, are separate.
How much does it cost to trademark a logo?
The USPTO fee for a logo is the same as for a word mark: $350 per class for a base application, plus any applicable surcharges. Logos require a description of the mark and, if color is claimed, a color statement. If you want to protect both your brand name and your logo, you generally need separate applications, which doubles the government fees.
How much does it cost to trademark a business name?
A business name used as a brand for goods or services costs $350 per class to register federally, plus surcharges if they apply. Registering your company with your state does not create trademark rights. State trademark registration is less expensive, with Michigan charging a $50 filing fee, but it protects the mark only within that state. For businesses in Northern Michigan, our Traverse City trademark attorneys can weigh whether a state filing, a federal filing, or both makes sense.
Do I have to pay again to keep my trademark registered?
Yes. A federal registration requires a Section 8 declaration between the fifth and sixth year after registration ($325 per class), and a combined Section 8 declaration and Section 9 renewal between the ninth and tenth year and every ten years after that ($650 per class). Late filings during the six-month grace period carry added fees.
Will the USPTO refund my fee if my trademark application is refused?
Generally, no. The USPTO states that it generally does not refund fees, so a refused or abandoned application does not recover its filing fee. That is why a clearance search and a carefully prepared application matter. Avoiding surcharges and likely refusals before filing is usually far less costly than paying for a second application.
Get Clear Answers About Your Trademark Costs
Trademark fees are predictable once you know which classes, filing basis, and marks you need, but the choices you make at filing can change the total considerably. The trademark attorneys at Revision Legal can help you scope your application, avoid unnecessary surcharges, and plan for maintenance costs down the road. Contact us through the form on this page or call (855) 473-8474.
