Notice: This dashboard provides hypothetical, exemplary planning scenarios only. It is not a quote, fixed fee, cap, guarantee, or prediction of Patent Office action.
Use this dashboard to estimate a selected path for preparing, filing, prosecuting, and issuing a U.S. utility non-provisional patent application. The amounts are hypothetical planning assumptions only. They are not a quote, not a cap, and not a prediction of Patent Office behavior.
See how filing, office actions, possible RCE, continuation strategy, allowance, and issuance fit together.
3. Read limitations
Review the exemplary, non-exhaustive list of items not reflected in the illustrative estimate, plus the notice and USPTO fee assumptions.
Interactive Patent Path
This interactive flowchart shows the ordinary utility non-provisional path and the points where cost and strategy can change. Click a node to see what it means and which estimate controls it relates to. The flowchart is educational and navigational only. To change the estimate, use the fields in the Estimate Builder.
ordinary path decision/review point optional or separate path
Important: The flowchart is a simplified educational map. It does not model all possible prosecution outcomes, claim-count fees, petitions, appeals, restriction practice, foreign filings, post-grant strategy, or matter-specific strategy decisions.
Estimate Builder
Select assumptions below. The estimate updates automatically.
Default baseline shown: This dashboard opens with a hypothetical baseline scenario so the estimate is not blank. Adjust the assumptions below to generate the selected-path estimate for a different scenario.
Assumptions
Attorney preparation estimate.
Illustrative drawing estimate.
User must confirm actual eligibility.
IDS expense is included as a flat $350 expense. USPTO IDS size fees depend on cumulative applicant-provided/patent-owner-provided items and are separate from the flat IDS expense.
Hypothetical exemplary attorney-fee planning assumption per response.
Calculated as response type × number selected.
Select one prosecution path. RCE and continuation/divisional/CIP are alternative paths and cannot be selected together.
Expedited USPTO examination option, subject to eligibility and USPTO requirements.
Optional planning add-ons
Available when the continuation/divisional/CIP path is selected above. Shown as later/separate planning information, not included in selected-path total.
Selected-path estimate
Default hypothetical baseline shown. Change the assumptions to update this estimate.
$19,536
Baseline estimate for selected utility non-provisional path.
Default baseline shown. Change any Estimate Builder assumption to update the estimate.
Preparation and filing$12,030
Prosecution$6,640
Issuance$866
Selected items included in this estimate
Preparation and filing
Attorney preparation based on complexity$10,000
Drawing estimate$200
Paralegal forms/filing fee$750
USPTO filing/search/examination package$730
IDS expense$350
Prosecution
Office action responses, selected type × number selected$6,640
Issuance
Paralegal issuance fee$350
USPTO utility issue fee$516
Later Maintenance Planning
$0
Shown as a later post-issuance planning item. It is not included in the selected-path estimate.
Preparation
62%
Prosecution
34%
Issuance
4%
Office action note: Office action response amounts are hypothetical exemplary planning assumptions. Not all office actions are alike, and the actual response cost may differ based on the issues raised and the work required.
Estimate Detail
Preparation and Filing
Attorney preparation based on complexity
$10,000
Drawing estimate
$200
Paralegal forms/filing fee
$750
USPTO filing/search/examination package
$730
IDS expense
$350
USPTO IDS size fee based on selected reference/item tier
$0
Preparation and filing subtotal
$12,030
Prosecution
Office action response type
$3,320
Office action responses, selected type × number selected
$6,640
Prosecution subtotal
$6,640
Issuance
Paralegal issuance fee
$350
USPTO utility issue fee
$516
Issuance subtotal
$866
Later Maintenance Estimate
What Is Included and Not Included
The estimate is organized by stage, but the dollars come from different categories. Attorney work, paralegal work, outsourced/vendor expenses, and USPTO government fees are separated below so they are not confused with each other.
Illustrative professional-fee planning assumptions in the selected path
These amounts are hypothetical planning estimates to help illustrate possible cost drivers. They are not flat fees, fee quotes, guarantees, or predictions of the actual professional fees for any specific matter.
Attorney preparation estimate based on selected invention complexity.
Paralegal filing/forms fee.
Selected office action response type multiplied by selected number of responses.
STLG filing fee for RCE papers if the first RCE path is selected.
Paralegal issuance work if allowance/RCE-to-allowance is selected.
Outsourced/vendor expenses and USPTO government fees in the selected path
Illustrative drawing amount based on selected drawing pages.
IDS expense of $350.
USPTO utility filing/search/examination fees for selected entity status.
USPTO IDS size fee, if the selected cumulative IDS item tier requires one.
First RCE USPTO fee if the first RCE path is selected.
USPTO issue fee if allowance/RCE-to-allowance is selected.
Track One USPTO request and processing fees only if selected.
Exemplary, non-exhaustive list of items not reflected in this illustrative estimate
The following are examples of items that may require separate review, scoping, and cost estimates depending on the facts. This is not an exhaustive list.
Patentability searches beyond any selected patentability search planning amount, and patentability, freedom-to-operate, clearance, invalidity, non-infringement, or other opinions.
Excess claims, multiple dependent claims, application size fees, late fees, non-DOCX surcharge, paper filing surcharge, IDS timing fees, or other USPTO fees not expressly selected.
Examiner interviews, restriction/election practice, appeals, petitions, declarations, experiments, inventor disputes, assignments, or attorney review of references beyond the IDS planning item.
Second/subsequent RCEs, continuation practice, foreign/PCT filings, design applications, provisional applications, or post-grant matters unless separately shown as later/separate planning information.
Maintenance fees, except where shown separately as later planning information.
IDS
IDS filing is included in this planning estimate. This dashboard includes a flat $350 IDS expense and separately estimates USPTO IDS size fees based on the selected cumulative IDS reference/item tier. It does not determine the user’s disclosure obligations or model IDS timing fees that may apply under separate USPTO rules.
Inventor materials, timing, organization, and draft comments can affect attorney time. Click for the detailed inventor-controlled cost drivers below.
Inventor-Controlled Cost Drivers
Some cost drivers come from the invention, USPTO, or examiner. Others are affected by how complete, organized, and timely the inventor’s materials and responses are.
Organized materials
Providing the invention disclosure, figures, examples, and supporting information together can reduce repeated review and rework.
Clear sketches or drawings
Informal drawings are useful when they clearly show parts, relationships, steps, variations, and what changed from prior designs.
Timely responses
Long delays can require counsel to re-review context and may create deadline pressure during prosecution.
Concise draft comments
Clear, consolidated comments are usually more efficient than piecemeal or repeated revisions.
Complete technical context
Missing alternatives, embodiments, test data, terminology, or implementation details can increase drafting and review time.
USPTO fees are based on the USPTO fee schedule last reviewed on July 8, 2026. Users should verify the current USPTO fee schedule before relying on any estimate because fees may change.
Fee item
Large entity
Small entity
Micro entity
How used here
Utility filing/search/examination package via Patent Center
$2,000
$730
$400
USPTO government fees shown in the preparation/filing stage; not attorney work.
IDS size fee, 51–100 items
$200
$200
$200
USPTO IDS size fee based on cumulative applicant-provided/patent-owner-provided items.
IDS size fee, 101–200 items
$500 less any prior IDS size fee paid
$500 less any prior IDS size fee paid
$500 less any prior IDS size fee paid
Entity-size reductions do not apply.
IDS size fee, more than 200 items
$800 less any prior IDS size fee paid
$800 less any prior IDS size fee paid
$800 less any prior IDS size fee paid
Entity-size reductions do not apply.
First RCE request
$1,500
$600
$300
Included only if first RCE path is selected.
Second and subsequent RCE request
$2,860
$1,144
$572
Not included in selected-path total. Shown so users understand later RCEs cost more.
Track One prioritized examination request + processing fee
$4,665
$1,866
$933
Included only if Track One is selected.
Utility issue fee
$1,290
$516
$258
Included if allowance or RCE-to-allowance path is selected.
First maintenance fee due at 3.5 years
$2,150
$860
$430
Shown separately if selected. Not included in selected-path total.
Continuation filing/search/examination package
$2,000
$730
$400
Shown separately if selected. Attorney/paralegal/drawing/IDS work is not included.
Continuing-application timing surcharge, more than 6 years
$2,700
$1,080
$540
Shown only if selected and applicable based on earliest benefit date.
Continuing-application timing surcharge, more than 9 years
$4,000
$1,600
$800
Shown only if selected and applicable based on earliest benefit date.
Source basis: USPTO fee schedule, patent fees. Except for provisional applications, utility applications require the appropriate filing, search, and examination fees. The dashboard assumes electronic filing via Patent Center and does not include claim-count, application-size, late, paper filing, non-DOCX, IDS timing fees, or other USPTO surcharges unless expressly selected. IDS size fees are included only based on the selected cumulative IDS item tier.
Notice
This dashboard provides hypothetical, exemplary planning scenarios only.
The amounts shown are not quotes, fixed fees, fee caps, guarantees, or predictions of actual patent prosecution cost or USPTO action.
It does not provide legal, tax, accounting, investment, valuation, patentability, freedom-to-operate, clearance, invalidity, non-infringement, or business advice.
It does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Actual costs may differ based on invention complexity, claim scope, prior art, examiner rejections, office action complexity, amendment strategy, interviews, declarations, appeals, RCE/continuation strategy, USPTO fee changes, client instructions, and matter-specific facts.
Office action response amounts are hypothetical exemplary planning assumptions. Not all office actions are alike, and actual response costs may differ based on the issues raised and the work required.
USPTO fees were last reviewed on July 8, 2026. Users should verify the current USPTO fee schedule before relying on the dashboard because the USPTO may update fees.
The dashboard is focused on a U.S. utility non-provisional application pathway. Design, plant, provisional, PCT, national phase, foreign, appeal, post-grant, licensing, and enforcement matters require separate analysis.
