How Much Does a Trademark Cost? Complete 2026 Fee Guide

A federal trademark registration costs $350 in USPTO filing fees per class of goods or services, plus attorney fees if you hire professional help. At the Law Office of Michael Meyer, the total cost for a standard single-class trademark — including a comprehensive clearance search and the full application — is $850. That breaks down as $500 in attorney fees plus the USPTO's $350 filing fee, paid directly to the government.

If you are wondering how much it costs to trademark a name, a logo, a business name, or a company name, the short answer is the same: the government fee is fixed, the attorney fee varies by provider, and the cheapest option is not always the least expensive in the long run. This guide breaks down every cost you will encounter, from your first filing to your ten-year renewal.

The Two Costs Every Trademark Applicant Pays

Before getting into specific scenarios, it helps to understand that every trademark registration involves two completely separate costs.

The first is the USPTO government filing fee — a mandatory, non-refundable fee paid directly to the United States Patent and Trademark Office when you submit your application. This fee exists regardless of whether you hire an attorney or file on your own, and it is not refunded if your application is rejected.

The second is the attorney or service fee — what you pay to whoever helps you prepare and file the application. This ranges from zero dollars if you file entirely on your own, to a few hundred dollars for online filing platforms, to $500 or more for a licensed trademark attorney. The attorney fee covers the time and expertise involved in conducting a clearance search, drafting your application correctly, selecting the right trademark class, and preparing your specimen.

Understanding this distinction matters because many online services advertise low prices that do not include the USPTO fee. When you see "$99 to trademark your name," that is a service fee only — you still owe the government $350 on top of it.

Attorney Fees: What You Are Actually Paying For

Attorney fees for trademark work vary significantly depending on who you hire and what they include in their service.

DIY filing through USPTO.gov costs $0 in attorney fees. You handle everything yourself — the clearance search, the application preparation, the class selection, the specimen. The government fee is your only expense. The trade-off is risk. Over 40% of trademark applications receive a USPTO Office Action, and unrepresented applicants have a significantly lower success rate in responding to them. If your application is rejected and you need to hire an attorney to respond, you will spend more than if you had hired one from the start.

Online filing platforms charge service fees ranging from $199 to $599 or more, on top of the USPTO fee. These platforms vary significantly in how much actual attorney involvement is included. Some provide attorney review only at higher tiers; others use paralegals or automated systems for basic applications. It is worth reading the fine print carefully to understand exactly what is — and is not — included if your application hits a complication.

A licensed trademark attorney provides comprehensive clearance search, strategic advice on your mark's registrability, application drafting, class selection, specimen guidance, and representation if the USPTO issues an Office Action. At the Law Office of Michael Meyer, the flat fee for a trademark search and single-class application is $500 in attorney fees, plus the USPTO filing fee. Total out-of-pocket for a single-class registration: $850. There are no hidden fees. The USPTO filing fee is disclosed at the outset and billed separately at cost.

Total Cost Scenarios: What You Will Actually Spend

Here is how the numbers break down across the three main paths to a federal trademark registration.

Scenario 1 — DIY filing

• Attorney fee: $0
• USPTO filing fee (1 class): $350
• Total: $350
• Risk level: High. No clearance search, no legal strategy, no representation if the USPTO issues an Office Action.

Scenario 2 — Online filing platform

• Service fee: $199–$599 depending on provider and tier
• USPTO filing fee (1 class): $350
• Total: $549–$949+
• Risk level: Medium. Attorney involvement varies widely. Read what is actually included at the tier you are purchasing.

Scenario 3 — Licensed trademark attorney (Michael Meyer Law)

• Attorney fee: $500 (includes comprehensive clearance search + full application)
• USPTO filing fee (1 class): $350
• Total: $850
• Risk level: Low. Full attorney involvement, verified clearance search, direct communication with your attorney throughout.

The pattern that emerges from these scenarios is that the cheapest path carries the most risk, and the risk tends to materialize at the worst possible moment — after you have already paid the non-refundable government fee and built brand recognition around the name.

What Happens If You Receive a USPTO Office Action?

An Office Action is a written response from the USPTO's examining attorney explaining why your application cannot be approved as filed. Office Actions are more common than most applicants expect — well over 40% of applications receive at least one.

The most frequent reasons include a Section 2(d) likelihood of confusion refusal (the examiner found a similar existing mark in the same class), a Section 2(e)(1) merely descriptive refusal (your mark describes a feature of your product rather than functioning as a brand identifier), a specimen refusal (your proof of use in commerce does not meet USPTO requirements), or an identification of goods and services issue (your description is too broad or too vague).

You have three months from the date of the Office Action to respond, with one possible three-month extension available for a fee. If you miss the deadline, your application goes abandoned.

Responding to an Office Action effectively requires legal argument, trademark law knowledge, and an understanding of USPTO examination practice. Attorney fees for an Office Action response typically range from $500 to $1,500 depending on complexity. A simple specimen substitution or identification amendment is on the lower end; a full legal argument against a likelihood of confusion refusal is on the higher end.

This is the hidden cost that DIY filers often do not account for. A $350 government fee plus a $750 Office Action response costs $1,100 total — more than hiring an attorney from the beginning would have cost, and with a lower probability of success because the application was not strategically prepared in the first place.

Multi-Class Trademark Costs

Many businesses need trademark protection in more than one class of goods or services. A clothing brand that also sells online retail services needs coverage in both Class 25 (clothing) and Class 35 (retail services). A software company might need both Class 9 (software) and Class 42 (software-as-a-service).

Each class multiplies the USPTO filing fee:

• 1 class: $350
• 2 classes: $700
• 3 classes: $1,050
• 4 classes: $1,400

One strategic consideration worth discussing with an attorney: filing in too many classes unnecessarily increases your costs and creates more maintenance obligations down the road. A focused filing in the classes where you actually operate — or genuinely plan to operate within the next year — is almost always the better strategy.

Trademark Renewal and Maintenance Costs

A registered trademark can last indefinitely, but only if you keep up with the required maintenance filings. Missing a deadline means losing your registration — and potentially losing the brand protection you paid to establish.

Between years 5 and 6 after registration, you must file a Declaration of Use (Section 8), proving the mark is still in active commercial use. The USPTO fee is $325 per class. You can optionally file a Declaration of Incontestability (Section 15) at the same time if the mark has been in continuous use for five years, which significantly strengthens your legal position. The Section 15 fee is $250 per class.

Every 10 years, you must file a combined Section 8 and Section 9 renewal, again proving use and paying a renewal fee of $325 per class for the Section 9 renewal plus $325 per class for the Section 8 declaration — a combined $650 per class for the 10-year renewal.

Attorney fees for maintenance filings are typically $300–$500 depending on the complexity of the use declaration and whether any issues have arisen with the mark. These are relatively straightforward filings compared to the original application, but the deadline consequences of missing them are severe.

A rough estimate of the total 10-year cost of owning a single-class trademark, including the original filing with an attorney and all maintenance:

• Initial registration (attorney + USPTO): $850
• Year 5–6 Section 8 + 15 (attorney + USPTO): $875–$1,075
• Year 10 renewal (attorney + USPTO): $950–$1,150
• Estimated 10-year total: $2,675–$3,075

That is roughly $270–$310 per year to maintain federal trademark protection for a single class — less than most business owners spend on business card printing.

How Much Does It Cost to Trademark Specific Things?

The USPTO filing fee is the same regardless of what type of mark you are registering. Whether it is a name, a logo, a slogan, or a phrase, the government fee structure is identical. The differences lie in how complex the application and clearance search are, and how many classes you need.

How much does it cost to trademark a business name? The cost to trademark a business name follows the standard structure: $350 in USPTO fees plus attorney fees. For most business names in a single class, the total with an attorney is $850. Note that trademarking a business name is separate from registering a business name with your state — a state business registration gives you no trademark rights.

How much does it cost to trademark a company name? The cost to trademark a company name is identical to trademarking a business name: $350 in USPTO fees plus attorney fees, for a total of $850 with an attorney. If your company name and logo are both worth protecting, two separate applications will be needed, doubling the USPTO filing fees to $700.

How much does it cost to trademark a logo? Trademarking a logo follows the same fee structure as a word mark. One important strategic note: a logo trademark protects only the specific visual design as filed. If you later update or refresh your logo, your existing registration may not protect the new version. Many businesses file both a word mark for the brand name and a design mark for the logo to get complete coverage. Two separate single-class applications would cost $700 in USPTO fees plus attorney work on both.

How much does it cost to trademark a phrase or slogan? Phrases and slogans are among the more difficult marks to register because the USPTO frequently refuses them as merely ornamental or lacking distinctiveness. The filing fee is the same $350 per class, but the clearance search and application strategy are more involved. Slogans that directly describe a product benefit (like "The Best Cup of Coffee") face near-certain refusal. Slogans that function as true brand identifiers and have developed consumer recognition are more registrable. An attorney consultation before filing a slogan is particularly valuable given the higher rate of Office Actions on these types of marks.

Is It Worth Hiring an Attorney to Trademark a Name?

This is the question underneath every cost question in this guide. The honest answer is: it depends on your situation, but for most business owners the answer is yes.

The USPTO does not require you to hire an attorney if you are a U.S.-based applicant. You can file entirely on your own through Trademark Center. But studies of USPTO filing data consistently show that represented applicants have significantly higher registration rates than unrepresented applicants. The gap is especially pronounced when an application receives an Office Action — attorneys who have handled hundreds of USPTO responses know how to frame the legal argument, which prior cases to cite, and where the examiner's position is vulnerable.

The more important your brand is to your business, the more valuable professional representation becomes. A startup with one product and a distinctive brand name has a different risk profile than a multi-product company with a complex brand architecture — but both benefit from getting the registration right the first time.

At Michael Meyer Law, the goal is to make professional trademark representation accessible at Nebraska rates. The $500 flat attorney fee for a search and single-class application is a fraction of what coastal IP firms charge for the same work, and it includes direct access to Michael throughout the process — not a paralegal or a document preparation service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Trademark Your Name, Logo, or Brand?

Michael Meyer has been involved in over 200 trademark matters before the USPTO, including registrations, clearance searches, and Office Action responses for businesses across Nebraska and nationwide. The flat fee for a trademark search and single-class application is $500, plus the USPTO filing fee — no hidden costs, no surprise invoices.

Call (402) 321-7532 or contact Michael Meyer Law to discuss your trademark.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Trademark law involves fact-specific analysis — contact a licensed attorney to discuss your specific situation.

Written by Michael Meyer, USPTO-Registered Patent & Trademark Attorney, Reg. No. 78,575. Michael has been involved in over 400 patent matters and 200 trademark matters before the USPTO. View credentials and verify license.