Your trademark is one of your business’s most valuable assets. But unlike a product you sell or a service you deliver, a trademark requires ongoing maintenance to remain legally valid. Failing to understand the trademark renewal cost structure and missing a filing deadline can mean losing protection you spent years and significant resources building.
This guide gives you a complete, clear picture of trademark renewal fees in 2026, when each filing is due, what the consequences of missing deadlines are, and how to calculate the full long-term cost of keeping your trademark active.
Understanding Trademark Maintenance: The Basics
Why Trademarks Require Ongoing Maintenance
The Use-It-or-Lose-It Principle
The US trademark system is built on the principle of use in commerce. A trademark that is no longer being actively used to identify goods or services in the marketplace loses its reason to exist as a legal protection. The USPTO’s maintenance filing requirements are the mechanism through which trademark owners demonstrate that their mark is still active and still deserves the protection registration provides.
What the Maintenance System Protects Against
The maintenance requirement protects the trademark register from becoming cluttered with abandoned marks that no longer represent active brands. For active trademark owners, it also serves as a regular checkpoint to confirm their contact information is current, their goods and services descriptions remain accurate, and their specimens of use reflect genuine ongoing commercial activity.
The Complete Trademark Renewal Fee Schedule for 2026
| Filing Type | Deadline | Online Fee (Per Class) | Paper Fee (Per Class) | Late Surcharge (Per Class) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 8 Declaration of Use | Years 5 to 6 | $225 | $325 | $100 extra |
| Section 15 Declaration (optional) | After 5 years of continuous use | $225 | $325 | N/A (no grace period) |
| Section 9 Renewal | Every 10 years | $325 | $425 | $100 extra |
| Combined Section 8 and 9 | At 10-year mark | $550 | $750 | $200 extra |
Section 8 Declaration: Your First Major Maintenance Filing
What the Section 8 Declaration Requires
Proving Continued Use
The Section 8 Declaration is due between years five and six after your trademark registration date. It requires you to declare under penalty of perjury that the trademark is still being used in commerce in connection with the goods or services listed in the registration. You must also submit a specimen showing current use of the mark.
What Counts as a Valid Specimen
A valid specimen is real-world evidence showing how the trademark is currently being used in commerce. For goods, this typically means a photograph of the mark as it appears on the product, its packaging, or a hang tag. For services, this typically means a screenshot of a website showing the mark in connection with the offered service, or a brochure or advertisement. Specimens must reflect current use, not historical use.
Section 8 Costs by Filing Method
• Online filing through TEAS: $225 per class
• Paper filing: $325 per class
• Filing during the 6-month grace period: add $100 per class to the base fee
• Two-class trademark Section 8 via TEAS on time: $450 total
• Two-class trademark Section 8 via TEAS in grace period: $650 total
Section 15 Declaration: The Optional Filing That Is Usually Worth It
What Incontestability Means for Your Brand
Stronger Legal Standing at a Modest Cost
The Section 15 Declaration is optional but consistently underutilised by trademark owners who do not fully understand its value. Filing it after five consecutive years of uninterrupted use in commerce grants the trademark incontestable status. Incontestability means the registration cannot be challenged on most grounds that would otherwise be available to a competitor seeking to cancel or invalidate the mark.
What Incontestability Protects Against
• Challenges based on descriptiveness or lack of distinctiveness
• Arguments that the mark is primarily merely a surname
• Claims that the mark was not in use at the time of application
• Geographic descriptiveness challenges
For a $225 per class filing fee, the Section 15 Declaration provides a level of legal protection that would otherwise require costly litigation to establish. For most trademark owners with marks that have been in continuous use, filing it is one of the best investments in their intellectual property portfolio.
Section 9 Renewal: Keeping Your Registration Alive Every Decade
The Ten-Year Renewal Cycle
How Section 9 Works
The Section 9 Renewal is required every ten years from your trademark registration date. It formally extends the life of the registration for another ten-year period. Unlike the Section 8 Declaration, which focuses on proving current use, the Section 9 Renewal is primarily an administrative renewal that keeps the registration itself alive.
Section 9 Costs in 2026
• Online filing through TEAS: $325 per class
• Paper filing: $425 per class
• Late filing in the six-month grace period: add $100 per class
• Two-class Section 9 renewal via TEAS on time: $650 total
• Three-class Section 9 renewal via TEAS on time: $975 total
Combined Sections 8 and 9: The Standard Ten-Year Filing
Filing Both at Once
At the ten-year anniversary of your registration, you file the Section 8 Declaration and the Section 9 Renewal together in a single combined submission. This is the standard approach for most trademark owners and is slightly less expensive than filing each document separately. The combined online filing fee is $550 per class, representing a modest saving over separate filings.
What Happens If You Miss Trademark Renewal Deadlines?
The Six-Month Grace Period
Your Safety Net
After each official deadline, the USPTO provides a six-month grace period during which you can still file the required documents. Filing during the grace period requires paying the standard fee plus a $100 per class late surcharge. Your trademark registration remains fully active and protected throughout the grace period.
After the Grace Period Expires
Cancellation and Its Full Consequences
If you fail to file within both the official deadline and the six-month grace period, the USPTO cancels your trademark registration. Cancellation is not a suspension that can be reversed through a payment. It is a termination of the registration itself.
What Cancellation Means in Practice
• Your registration is removed from the federal trademark register
• You lose the right to use the registered trademark symbol in connection with the cancelled mark
• Your ability to sue for infringement in federal court based on the registration is eliminated
• You lose your original priority date, which determines your legal seniority over later filers
• Anyone can now apply to register a confusingly similar mark without your prior registration blocking them
Long-Term Trademark Renewal Cost Planning
| Year | Filing Required | Cost (One Class, TEAS, On Time) |
|---|---|---|
| Years 5 to 6 | Section 8 Declaration | $225 |
| After year 5 (optional) | Section 15 Declaration | $225 |
| Year 10 | Combined Section 8 and 9 | $550 |
| Year 20 | Combined Sections 8 and 9 | $550 |
| Year 30 | Combined Sections 8 and 9 | $550 |
| Total over 30 years (required only) | Three combined filings plus one Section 8 | $1,550 |
| Total over 30 years (with Section 15) | All filings including optional | $1,775 |
Tips for Managing Trademark Renewal Costs Effectively
Practical Cost Management Strategies
Set Calendar Reminders Well in Advance
The most expensive thing you can do with trademark maintenance is miss a deadline and pay the late surcharge, or worse, miss the grace period and lose the registration. Set calendar reminders at least six months before each official deadline, not on the deadline date itself. A reminder six months early gives you time to prepare your specimen, confirm your contact information, and file without rushing.
Consider Narrowing Classes at Renewal if Appropriate
If your business has evolved and you are no longer using the trademark in connection with some of the goods or services classes in your original registration, you can narrow the registration at renewal rather than paying maintenance fees for classes you no longer need. This requires careful consideration with a trademark professional, but can reduce ongoing trademark renewal fees meaningfully over the long term.
Final Thoughts
Trademark renewal fees in 2026 are a predictable and manageable ongoing cost for any business that takes its brand seriously. For a single-class trademark, the required maintenance over ten years totals $775 in government fees. With the Section 15 Declaration included, the total is $1,000. These are modest figures compared to the value of the brand protection they preserve.
The trademark renewal cost question is really a question about how much your brand name is worth to your business. If the answer is a lot, then the cost of keeping it protected is always worth paying.
Trademark Tigers helps brand owners navigate every stage of trademark maintenance with clear guidance, accurate filings, and professional support. If your renewal deadlines are coming up and you want to make sure your trademark stays protected, reach out to us today.
FAQs
1. How much does trademark renewal cost in 2026?
The USPTO online fee for a Section 9 Renewal is $325 per class. A combined Section 8 and 9 filing costs $550 per class. Late filings within the six-month grace period add a $100 per class surcharge. Paper filings cost $100 more per filing than the online rates.
2. What is the difference between a Section 8 and a Section 9 trademark filing?
The Section 8 Declaration confirms that the trademark is still being used in commerce and is required between years five and six. The Section 9 Renewal formally extends the registration for another ten years and is required every decade. At the ten-year mark, both are typically filed together as a combined submission.
3. What happens to my trademark if I miss the renewal deadline?
You have a six-month grace period to file with a $100 per class late surcharge. If you miss the grace period entirely, the USPTO cancels your registration. Cancellation cannot be reversed through a payment, and you would need to file a completely new application to restore trademark protection.
4. Is the Section 15 Declaration worth the cost?
For most trademark owners with marks in continuous use for five or more years, yes. The $225 per class fee grants incontestable status, which significantly limits the legal grounds on which competitors can challenge your trademark and provides protection that would otherwise require costly litigation to establish.
5. How do I calculate my total trademark renewal cost if I have multiple classes?
Every maintenance and renewal fee is charged per class of goods or services. Multiply the per-class fee for each filing by the number of classes in your registration. A trademark covering three classes pays three times the per-class fee for every required filing throughout the life of the registration.
