Registering a trademark with the USPTO protects your brand against imitators and gives you the legal presumption of ownership nationwide. But costs vary significantly depending on how many trademark classes you need, whether you hire an attorney, and how smoothly the examination process goes. This guide breaks down every component of trademark registration cost so you can plan your budget accurately.

USPTO Filing Fees: TEAS Plus vs. TEAS Standard

The USPTO charges a per-class fee for every trademark application. As of 2024, the fee is $250 per class for TEAS Plus and $350 per class for TEAS Standard. TEAS Plus is cheaper but requires you to describe your goods and services using exact language from the USPTO's official ID Manual. If your products or services are unique or your business model doesn't fit neatly into pre-approved categories, TEAS Standard gives you the flexibility to write custom descriptions.

Most consumer goods and common services have pre-approved ID Manual entries, so the majority of first-time applicants qualify for TEAS Plus. The $100 savings per class adds up quickly for multi-class filings: a three-class TEAS Plus application costs $750 vs. $1,050 for TEAS Standard — a $300 difference before attorney fees are even considered.

Attorney Fees and the Risk of DIY Filing

Hiring a trademark attorney typically adds $500–$1,500 to a single-class application. This covers a clearance search to verify your mark won't conflict with existing registrations, drafting accurate identifications of goods and services, and responding to any procedural issues. While it is legal to file your own trademark, the USPTO reports that applicants who hire attorneys have significantly higher registration success rates, primarily because attorney-prepared applications are less likely to be refused on likelihood-of-confusion or descriptiveness grounds.

One of the most costly DIY mistakes is selecting the wrong trademark class. If the examining attorney determines your identification of goods and services belongs in a different class than the one you filed, you must refile and pay the fee again. A second common pitfall is failing to respond to an Office Action within the deadline — missing the three-month response window and the subsequent extension deadline results in abandonment of the application, forfeiting all filing fees paid.

Long-Term Maintenance Costs You Must Budget For

A trademark registration is not a one-time expense. The USPTO requires ongoing proof of continued use to keep a registration alive. Between the 5th and 6th anniversary of your registration date, you must file a Section 8 Declaration of Continued Use at $225 per class. This is also the optimal time to file a combined Section 15 Declaration of Incontestability, which costs nothing additional but requires five consecutive years of post-registration use and significantly strengthens your mark's legal standing.

Every 10 years thereafter, a Section 9 Renewal Application is required at $300 per class. Missing both the on-time window and the six-month grace period (which carries a $100/class surcharge) results in permanent cancellation of the registration. A single-class mark registered via TEAS Plus therefore costs a minimum of $775 in maintenance fees in the first decade alone, making total 10-year cost for a straightforward registration roughly $1,700–$3,500 depending on attorney involvement at each stage.