How Much Does It Cost to Trademark a Name in 2026?

If you have built a brand worth protecting, “how much does it cost to trademark a name?” is usually the first practical question. The honest answer is that it depends on a handful of choices you control, the government’s filing fee, how many product or service categories you cover, and whether you hire help. This guide breaks down each piece in plain English so you can build a realistic budget. For the full step-by-step process, see our pillar guide on how to trademark your business.

What is the USPTO filing fee per class in 2026?

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) charges a base application fee of $350 per class of goods or services for a standard application filed under Section 1 or Section 44. This is the single most important number to know, and it is paid once when you file.

This $350 base fee replaced the older two-tier system. In January 2025, the USPTO retired its “TEAS Plus” and “TEAS Standard” options and moved to a single base fee per class, plus surcharges that apply only if your application creates extra work for the office. Those surcharges are worth understanding because avoiding them is how you keep the cost down:

• $100 per class if your application is missing required information.
• $200 per class if you write your own free-form description of goods or services instead of selecting pre-approved language from the USPTO’s Trademark ID Manual.
• $200 per class for each additional 1,000 characters of description beyond the first 1,000.

In short, a clean application that uses the standard pre-written descriptions costs $350 per class. A sloppy or heavily customized one can cost noticeably more.

What is a “class,” and why do multiple classes cost more?

A class is a category of goods or services. The USPTO uses an international system of 45 classes (34 for physical goods, 11 for services). The filing fee is charged per class, so the number of classes you choose is the biggest driver of your government cost.

Here is why it matters. Say you sell coffee beans and you also run a coffee shop. Coffee as a product sits in one class, while café services sit in a different class. Covering both means two classes, which is $700 in base fees instead of $350. A clothing brand that also sells branded mugs and runs an online store could easily span three classes.

The temptation is to register in as many classes as possible “just in case.” Resist it. Each class adds $350 now, plus the same maintenance and renewal fees later for the life of the registration. A common, cost-conscious approach is to register only the classes that match what you actually sell today, and add classes later if your business expands.

Attorney vs. DIY: what does each really cost?

You can file a trademark application yourself directly with the USPTO. Doing so means your only cost is the government filing fee, $350 for a single, clean, one-class application.

Hiring a trademark attorney adds a professional fee on top of that. Flat fees are common and typically run in these ranges per class:

• Filing the application: roughly $300 to $1,500 in attorney fees, on top of the $350 government fee.
• A formal clearance search and opinion (checking whether your name is already taken): often $300 to $1,000+, sometimes bundled into the filing fee.

So a single-class application handled by an attorney commonly lands somewhere between $650 and $2,000 all-in, depending on the firm and how much searching is included.

Is it worth it? An attorney’s real value is in the parts that are easy to get wrong, identifying conflicting marks before you spend money, picking the right classes and descriptions, and responding if the USPTO pushes back. A rejected DIY application still costs you the $350 (filing fees are non-refundable), so a cheap filing that fails is not actually cheap. We weigh this trade-off in detail in Attorney vs. DIY.

What are the hidden or extra costs?

The filing fee is only the beginning. These are the costs that catch small-business owners by surprise:

Office Action responses. The USPTO examines every application, and it is common for the examining attorney to issue an “Office Action,” a letter raising a legal or technical objection. Responding yourself is free, but if you hire an attorney to draft a substantive response, that typically costs $300 to $1,000+ depending on complexity. What happens after you file walks through this stage.

Statement of Use (intent-to-use filings). If you applied before you were actually selling under the name (an “intent-to-use” application), you must later prove you are using the mark in commerce. The Statement of Use costs $150 per class, and if you need more time, each extension request costs $125 per class.

Maintenance between years 5 and 6. Roughly five years after registration, you must file a declaration confirming you are still using the mark. This costs about $325 per class. Miss it, and your registration is cancelled, no refunds, no second chances outside the grace period.

Renewal every 10 years. To keep the registration alive, you renew it every ten years. The combined renewal and declaration fee is about $650 per class each cycle.

Optional monitoring. Many owners pay a service or attorney to watch for copycats filing similar marks. This is optional and ongoing, often $200 to $500+ per year, but it is how you actually catch infringers early.

What is a realistic total budget?

Putting it together, here are honest ballpark ranges for a name in a single class:

• Bare-minimum DIY: about $350 (just the government fee, clean application, no complications).
• Typical DIY with an intent-to-use filing: about $500 to $650 (base fee plus a $150 Statement of Use, plus a possible extension).
• Attorney-handled, straightforward: about $650 to $2,000 (government fee plus legal fees).
• Attorney-handled with an Office Action response: add $300 to $1,000+ on top of that.

If you need two classes, roughly double the government-fee portion ($700 in base fees instead of $350). Then factor the long-term costs: a maintenance filing around year 5–6 ($325/class) and a renewal every decade ($650/class). Over the first ten years, a single-class mark you actively maintain realistically runs $1,300 to $3,000+ depending on how much help you use.

How can I keep trademark costs down?

You have more control over the price than you might think:

1. Use the ID Manual. Pick your goods and services from the USPTO’s pre-approved descriptions to avoid the $200-per-class custom-wording surcharge and the long-description surcharge.
2. File only the classes you need now. Add more later as the business grows rather than paying for speculative coverage today.
3. Do a free knockout search first. Before paying anything, search the USPTO’s free trademark database and the open web for identical or close names. Finding a conflict early saves you a non-refundable $350.
4. Submit a complete application. Missing information triggers the $100-per-class surcharge and can lead to an Office Action.
5. Get one focused legal opinion rather than full-service representation if your budget is tight. Even a single consultation on clearance and classification can prevent the most expensive mistakes.
6. Calendar your deadlines. The cheapest renewal is the one you file on time, in the grace period it costs more, and missing it entirely means starting over.

You can browse more on registration strategy and enforcement in our trademark archive.

The bottom line

Trademarking a name in 2026 starts at a $350-per-class government filing fee, and most small businesses spend between $650 and $2,000 for one class once realistic attorney help is included, plus modest maintenance and renewal costs down the road. Choose your classes carefully, use pre-approved descriptions, and search before you file, and you will avoid the surcharges and rejections that quietly inflate the bill.

This guide is general educational information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Trademark fees and rules change, so confirm current amounts on uspto.gov and consult an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction before filing.