What a trademark costs, and what happens after you file

Updated November 14, 2026

The cost is simple if you do it right, and surprising if you do not.

The government fee

The USPTO charges $350 for each class of goods or services in a standard application. Two kinds of goods means two classes and $700. The fee is not refundable, even if the application is refused.

Extra charges you can avoid

Missing information: $100 per class, if the application leaves out something required.
Your own wording: $200 per class, if you type your own description of your goods or services instead of picking from the government's list. Longer wording costs more.

If you have not started using the name

You can file on an "intent to use" basis. After the application is approved you must start using the name and file a Statement of Use, which costs $150 per class. If you need more time, each six-month extension costs $125 per class.

How long it takes

It is slow. The application usually sits for many months before an examiner looks at it. You can check its status online with the serial number you get when you file.

If the examiner finds a problem

You get an email and a letter called an "office action", with a deadline. Answer it in time, or the application is dropped. Some problems are easy to fix and some are not.

After it is registered

A registered trademark has to be kept alive. Between the fifth and sixth year you file a declaration that you are still using it, and you renew it every ten years. Each of these has its own fee.

Watch for fake bills

As soon as a mark is filed it becomes public, and scammers send official-looking letters asking for fees. Real USPTO email comes only from addresses ending in @uspto.gov.

Source: the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's fee information. Fees change, so check the current ones before you file.

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This guide is general information, not legal advice. My Trademark Pro is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. We prepare your filing; you file it yourself on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. The USPTO, not My Trademark Pro, decides whether to register a mark. Fees and rules are set by the USPTO and can change. Its website, uspto.gov, has the current ones.