Micro-Entity / Small-Entity Fee Reduction

Micro-Entity / Small-Entity Fee Reduction

Administers reduced patent filing fees for qualifying inventors through micro-entity and small-entity status options.

The USPTO Micro-Entity and Small-Entity Fee Reduction program provides statutory discounts on patent filing, prosecution, and maintenance fees charged by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Micro-entity status reduces most USPTO fees by 80%; small-entity status provides approximately 50% reduction. These discounts apply to filing fees, search fees, examination fees, issue fees, and certain post-issuance fees — covering the majority of costs incurred during the patent prosecution lifecycle. No cash is disbursed; the benefit is a reduction in fees the applicant owes directly to USPTO on the regulator's own fee schedule.

Micro-entity eligibility requires meeting income thresholds — applicants must not have a gross income exceeding three times the median household income in the most recent calendar year for which data is available — and limits on the number of previously filed patent applications. An employer or assignee of the application must also qualify independently. Small-entity eligibility applies to independent inventors, small businesses (as defined by the SBA), and nonprofit organizations. Eligibility is self-certified: applicants declare their status before each fee payment event and must re-evaluate qualification before every subsequent payment, since status can be lost if circumstances change.

The program is available to any U.S. or foreign applicant filing in the USPTO system who meets the income and prior-filing criteria, including individuals, startups, small businesses, nonprofits, and qualifying universities. There is no application deadline or competitive process — applicants simply certify their status on the relevant fee transmittal form. The fee reduction applies automatically once status is asserted. Applicants who improperly claim micro-entity status risk subsequent loss of patent rights, making accurate self-assessment critical at each payment point.