Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Estimated total cost through allowance
$13,500
USPTO government fees
$1,000
Attorney drafting fee
$10,000
Office action response cost
$2,500
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How to use this
- 1Enter entity size.
- 2Enter base gov't fees at large-entity rate (filing+search+exam+issue) ($).
- 3Enter attorney drafting fee ($).
- 4Enter expected office action responses.
- 5Enter cost per office action response ($).
- 6Read your estimated total cost through allowance on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
A utility patent filed through the USPTO involves several fee stages: the basic filing fee ($320 for a large entity, $80 for micro entity as of current schedule), search fee, examination fee, and later an issue fee once allowed, plus maintenance fees at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years after grant to keep the patent alive. Government fees alone for a straightforward patent run $1,000-$2,000 for a micro or small entity, but attorney drafting and prosecution costs dominate the real budget: a well-drafted utility patent application from a patent attorney typically costs $8,000-$15,000, and responding to office actions during prosecution (nearly universal, most applications get at least one rejection) adds $1,500-$4,000 more. This calculator adds entity-adjusted government fees, attorney drafting, and expected office action responses into a total first-patent cost.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Entity size: Small entity (50% discount)
- Base gov't fees at large-entity rate (filing+search+exam+issue): 2000 $
- Attorney drafting fee: 10000 $
- Expected office action responses: 1
- Cost per office action response: 2500 $
Results
- Estimated total cost through allowance: $13,500
- USPTO government fees: $1,000
- Attorney drafting fee: $10,000
- Office action response cost: $2,500
What each field means
Inputs
- Entity size
- Pick the option that matches your situation — the maths changes per option. Choices: Large entity (full fees), Small entity (50% discount), Micro entity (75% discount).
- Base gov't fees at large-entity rate (filing+search+exam+issue) ($)
- The base gov't fees at large-entity rate (filing+search+exam+issue) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 2000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Attorney drafting fee ($)
- The attorney drafting fee used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 10000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Expected office action responses
- The expected office action responses used in the calculation. Starts at 1 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–5.
- Cost per office action response ($)
- The cost per office action response used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 2500 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Estimated total cost through allowance
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- USPTO government fees
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Attorney drafting fee
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Office action response cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What qualifies as micro entity status?
You must qualify as a small entity, have filed fewer than 4 previous applications, and have gross income under roughly 3x the median household income in the prior year, among other conditions. It cuts most USPTO fees by 75% versus the large entity rate, a substantial saving for individual inventors.
Are maintenance fees included in this estimate?
No, this covers cost through allowance and issue only. Maintenance fees due at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years after grant add roughly $2,000-$8,000 total over the patent's life (entity-adjusted), and missing one lets the patent lapse permanently.
Is a provisional patent application cheaper?
Yes, significantly. A provisional application has a much lower filing fee and doesn't require formal claims, often costing $1,500-$4,000 total including attorney help, but it automatically expires after 12 months and only secures a filing date, it never becomes an enforceable patent on its own.
Why do most applications get an office action?
Patent examiners are required to search prior art thoroughly, and initial claims are almost always drafted broadly to maximize protection, which invites at least a partial rejection to narrow scope. Budgeting for at least one office action response is realistic, not pessimistic.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Patent Filing Cost Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/patent-filing-cost
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/patent-filing-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patent Filing Cost Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Patent Filing Cost Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/patent-filing-cost) (2026).